which schools turn out better nurses?

U.S.A. New Hampshire

Published

Does anyone have any opinions or observations around which NH schools

produce better nurses? I'm applying to NHCTC and NHTI, and I'm wondering

if I should apply to others as well....regardless of cost.... Have any of

you come through a program, only to later come into contact with other

grads who were seemingly better prepared for the field? Thanks for

any input!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, School and Camp Nursing.

I graduated from NHCTC last year. I have worked with many other new grads from other schools and I don't think any were more or less prepared than I. A good thing to ask any school you are applying to is what is their NCLEX pass rate. It is always good idea to apply to more than one school because many have a waiting list. You can send me a PM me if you have any other questions. Good luck.

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Hi

I'm still in the process of getting transcripts together so I can apply...but I know someone who goes to NHTI in Concord...he said he chose that school over NHCTC b/c it has better stats of students passing the NCLEX.

St. Joes in Nashua has an RN program now...so does Rivier (day and evening), and St.Anselm in Manchester has the BSN program, but they're all more $$.

I'm applying to both NHCTC and NHTI b/c personally getting in is my first concern. I'll worry about the NCLEX when the time comes.

Good luck!

~Amy

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Specializes in School, Camp, Hospice, Critical Care.

I'm an NHCTC grad. Hands down I've been most impressed with St Anselm's grads--they really seem to know their stuff. Not that grads from the other NH institutions are slouches, but St. A's turns out very well-prepared new grads.

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Which NHCTC program are the previous posters refering to? I am currently a senior in Nashua and I feel like we are getting ALOT of busy work. Any input would be appreciated.

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Specializes in School, Camp, Hospice, Critical Care.
Which NHCTC program are the previous posters refering to? I am currently a senior in Nashua and I feel like we are getting ALOT of busy work. Any input would be appreciated.

I graduated from NHCTC Manch two years ago. What do you mean by busywork? Is it the 24-page care plans? (redone 5x) :rollI used to find preparing drug cards tedious, but that really does serve you well later on---you do really need to know a lot about the drugs you give.

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No I agree with the med cards (espescially because we do not have a formal pharm class) and the care plans. It is assigning an 8 page term paper with two professional peer reviewed journal articles and a handout for the class about your topic on the first day of class that is due two weeks later that I am talking about. Oh yeah and they may call on you to present it to the class so you need to prepare a presentation that you may or maynot give. Also the reading for us is scan/review entire book, plus chapter 14&15 med-surge plus 49 Maternity/Peds, plus 18 &19 pharmacology. I asked the instructor about all of the reading and she said pick one author and stick to that one. I would call this busy work.

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Specializes in Medical, Surgical, Cardiac.
A good thing to ask any school you are applying to is what is their NCLEX pass rate.

Like this poster I am a graduate of NHCTC-Stratham May 2006, regarding the NCLEX pass rate, our class had a 100% pass rate. We had 42 take the NCLEX and had 42 pass. I can't speak for the rest of my class, but I feel that the instructors prepared us not only for the NCLEX but prepared us to be caring practitioners of the nursing arts. I would recommend the program to anyone looking for a quality program in NH.

I would recommend taking the pre-reqs prior to entering the nursing program, and be prepared to have little or no free time for the following two years of your life.

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I am a current first year student at NHCTC Stratham. I did do all but two of the pre-reqs. (Which I am going to try to clep one and take one next summer) I feel a little discombobulated, like most of my classmates. I have heard that Stratham puts out very good nurses but right now I am a little discouraged. I got near perfect scores on the NLN pre-entrance exam so I thought I was pretty smart (maybe my ego got ahead of me) but now I feel like I am treading water. I have a 94% average currently. I know that is an "A" but still feel like a "dummy". Any advice?

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Specializes in School, Camp, Hospice, Critical Care.
I am a current first year student at NHCTC Stratham. I did do all but two of the pre-reqs. (Which I am going to try to clep one and take one next summer) I feel a little discombobulated, like most of my classmates. I have heard that Stratham puts out very good nurses but right now I am a little discouraged. I got near perfect scores on the NLN pre-entrance exam so I thought I was pretty smart (maybe my ego got ahead of me) but now I feel like I am treading water. I have a 94% average currently. I know that is an "A" but still feel like a "dummy". Any advice?

Hi, Snoozie!

I graduated NHCTC-Manch a couple of years ago (when the programs were linked) and I have friends who graduated Stratham who are excellent nurses--so, yes, you are going to be well prepared on graduation. You seem to be doing very well on the academic side of things, A's can be very hard to come by in nursing school--what is it that is making you feel as if you're not up to snuff?

Lemme tell you how nursing school made me feel: Even with a previous BA, as well as a number of grad courses, I found nursing school to be the hardest kind of schooling I ever had. Both the volume and complexity of what is covered on a weekly basis is daunting; the format for testing is ambiguous; professors seemed to me to be more capricious, and indeed, more powerful in terms of their ability to wrest you from the program, than any professors I had encountered before; and clinical presented mountains of pre and post paperwork, and the actual experience was most often physically and emotionally draining. It was the hardest academic work I had ever done. Oh yeah, and I had a family to take care of, too, and I worked, but thankfully only very part time.

I think it is true that to some extent one has to check one's ego at the door--this is hard stuff, mentally, emotionally, and physically, and one may not perform to the level one is accustomed. I, who am quite anal about my schoolwork, developed a mantra for my clinical paperwork: "It doesn't have to be perfect; it just has to be done." I often walked into exams after days of review feeling "If I just had one more day to work on this . . ." So, keep in mind that *this is hard stuff* and do your best, but try to not make yourself a crazy person. You will get through it.

I don't mean this as discouraging, just as preparation--do keep in mind that school, any nursing school, is preparing you for "entry level practice," so expect to feel humbled once you start working as an RN as well. Despite two years of a rigorous program, you will very quickly realize how much more there is to learn. Some RNs you work with will be gracious with their knowledge and "coach" you all they can, and some will be pointedly ungracious, and yes, make you feel like the dumb kid in class. I've been in practice for 18+ months and I feel mostly comfortable, but on any given shift I confer with colleagues at least once to confirm the course of action I want to take with a patient's care--sometimes they concur, sometimes I hear "Why don't you try this instead?" And that "instead" maybe hadn't even occurred to me. Luckily, I work on a unit where folks are almost universally helpful--teamwork of that nature is very important to look for in a first job.

One recommendation--get yourself an externship for the summer. I did one in the CMC ED--best thing I ever did. In one week of externship (it lasted six weeks) I saw and did more and learned more than in the entire two preceding clinical semesters.

I don't know if this rambling post has really responded to your concerns--let me know more specifically the challenges you are facing, either here or via email, and I'll try to be helpful if I can.

Best of luck!

Judith L

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I graduated from NHCTC Stratham in May 2005, my class also had a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX. I felt prepared to begin my practice as a nurse, as much as you can feel prepared for the real world of nursing! It is much different than being in school and clinicals.

I would recommend looking at the different programs and applying to the ones that would fit your needs. Each program is a little different as far as the make up of the program but the requirements for graduation are all pretty much the same. The education that you walk away with will depend a lot on what you put into it and the committment you make for studying. That will determine how prepared you are more than the school that you attend.

Best of luck!

Robin

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