Which school should I go to?

[cjane]

I need a nurses opinion about which kind of school employers prefer or does it matter? College, vocational or getting your license through a hospital taught program ? The hospital that I am thinking about going to requires you work for them 2 years after graduation, after that I may want to go some place else to work and don't want to have a problem getting hired elsewhere. I understand that you take a test to get certified but does the employer take into consideration where you got you education.

[Wren]

CJane,

There probably are exceptions but I suspect that with the RN shortage right now that most employers just want to know that you have been licensed as an RN. That said, some jobs, especially administrative or supervisory jobs will required that you have a 4 year degree with your RN (BSN) or an associates degree from a 2 year program (ADN). In San Antonio you can get the BSN at the University of Texas Health Science Center or at some of the private schools like St. Mary's etc. The ADN will be offered at the community college level.

If you get your degree through a hospital based program you can certainly pick up the college classes later but it will mean more time. You may be able to get into a hospital based program more quickly than one of the colleges and that can be a plus. You will be limited to one hospital system for a couple of years but I doubt you will be restricted to a particular area. So you could start off in med-surg or telemetry or something and then change to a new area in a year or so if something else is more interesting.

I guess the bottom line is that there is no absolute "best" way..it depends on your situation. One thing you might try though before making the commitment is to go to one of the many health care career fairs that are advertised and talk to recruiters. Ask them about their preferences for new hires and see what you learn.

Good luck!