Don't choose a school until you ask these questions!

Are you trying to figure out your plans for nursing school? Choosing a nursing school takes more effort than just deciding to go. It takes research. It takes knowing your goals. It takes deciding on your priorities, and accepting that some things come with consequences no matter what you decide. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

As you consider beginning the journey into nursing, it is very important that you pave the way to success early. There are a lot of choices to be made, and it doesn't matter if you are a fresh new high school graduate or a 45-year old parent considering a second career - you need to consider some things up front. It's frustrating and sad to see, here on allnurses, posts from grads who can't seem to beat the NCLEX, or who have sent out hundreds of resumes, only to get no responses. If all of this time and money is being spent to begin a successful career, how can you increase your chances of meeting that success?

Here are some questions that might be helpful when you start to consider your options for school. This isn't a guaranteed map to success, but if you do take the time to consider all of these things and act on them, you will know that you have put your best effort in.

1. What degree will you get?

It's possible this will seem obvious to you, but for some, it comes as a big surprise to some after graduation when they can't find a job. The higher the degree, the better your job options, but the more time and money you have to invest. If you get a diploma RN, you are less likely to get the job of your dreams than an ADN, and an ADN is less likely than a BSN. It's a trade-off - do you spend more time in school to get a better shot at more jobs, or do you spend less time and money, but limit your options?

Ask yourself these questions:

  • How long can you wait before you are employed?
  • How much can you afford to spend on this? (With this, consider if you have access to financial aid or scholarships. Fill out your FAFSA!)
  • What options do you hope to have available when you graduate? Will going to school longer be worth it to you if it gives you more options?

After you ask yourself these questions, and decide what is more important to you, be prepared to accept the consequences of your choice. You don't want to finish school and enter the job market feeling like it's unfair that others have had experiences you wish you did.

2. What is the reputation of the schools available to you?

While accreditation is obviously something you need to look for in a school, you also need a school with a great reputation. You need to figure this out before you start applying. If you are able to move to a different area for a better school, you may decide to broaden your search and inquiry. If you can't move, this limitation might be a problem.

That said, find a school and find out: what is the school's reputation? Don't ask your neighbors. Don't ask your parents. Don't ask a guy who you know goes to the hospital a lot. None of those people will be looking at your resume in a few years. Ask the nurses. Ask the doctors. Ask the human resources people at hospitals you like. Ask the people who actually will be looking at your resume.

When someone says to you, "We love grads from XYZ school," that's the school you want to put on your list of places to apply. You should never just apply to a school that is easy to get into. Perhaps the school with the best reputation is the hardest to get into, with a year-long wait list. Would you rather wait a year to get into the program you want? Or would you rather wait a year to get a job after you graduate?

3. What is the NCLEX pass rate?

Your potential school's NCLEX pass rate is made public and probably is easy to find on the state board of nursing's website. Look this up!!! If you go to a school with a 50% pass rate, things are not necessarily looking good for your chances when it's your turn to sit for the boards. I know, I know.... "That won't happen to me!" Right? But it can. It is very possible you could be on the wrong side of that statistic.

There are people on allnurses who post that they passed the NCLEX years after they have graduated. If you get through all of school and then you can't pass the NCLEX, that time you spent in school will be meaningless. You need to consider this before you apply to schools. Don't get surprised by this after the fact!

4. Who is working after graduation?

Does the school brag about job placements of their graduates? Ask! If graduates are getting snagged before they walk the stage, this is a school you want to attend.

My own graduation is a week from today. I can't tell you how many fellow graduates have announced they've been hired. They aren't getting terrible jobs, either. They're getting hired places that are top-rated in residency programs in critical care. They're getting placements in their preferred specialties. They're landing the jobs they went into nursing to get, and they're doing it before they graduate.

This is a sign of excellence. This is a sign of a top quality program. These jobs are announced on a bulletin board in the hallway of the building nursing is in. It is so awesome to see new cards get posted on it each day!

5. What kinds of clinical experiences will you have?

This is an important one for your own satisfaction - will you have access to experiences that you feel have really taught you a lot? The thing is, you can get through school just fine with clinical experiences that aren't fantastic. But if good clinical experiences are important to you, you may need to consider traveling. This is especially true in more rural areas. In larger cities, there is more access to facilities that handle higher acuity cases and more complex medical care is possible. In rural areas, your access to facilities in general will be limited, and you may not experience very much at all.

Point in case, where I live, anything complicated gets shipped off to hospitals 2 hours away. We didn't see much. If intense and complex clinical experiences are important to you, you need to determine what is available in your potential programs before you apply. Send an email to department heads or advisors asking where clinicals are for each specialty. Find out of you feel like you will get what you hope to gain from your experiences.

6. Once you are in a program, use your clinical experiences to network.

If you want your foot in a door before you graduate, this is the time to stick it in there. Be amazing. Impress the nurses, the charge nurses, the unit managers, your professors. Take challenges head on. Volunteer for any experience you can get. Seek opportunities for learning. Go above and beyond. NETWORK. This is your opportunity to impress people you could work with in the future. You miss this opportunity, you become a name on a list just like every other person sending in a resume.

Nursing school is hard. Don't let yourself get surprised by the lack of job opportunities after graduation. You are about to invest a lot of time and money into something that you want. Imagine all of the big things in life that you would never take on without research first - buying a car, moving to a new city, buying a house... You are choosing a career, and you need to set yourself up for success. I'm not saying the above considerations will guarantee success, but you will at least be improving your chances of it. There is so much more to this than deciding that you might apply to that community college down the road.

Consider your options, consider the consequences. Decide what consequences you are willing to accept, and which ones you are not. If you don't do this soul searching ahead of time, you may find yourself very frustrated in a few years.

With that, I say, best wishes, and good luck! I hope that you find success in all you do!

Specializes in critical care.
The original and subsequent posts provide an excellent outline of what to consider when selecting a nursing school but I would add a caveat to the advice regarding NCLEX pass rates: The rate alone may not be a good indicator of the quality of the education and the level of preparedness of that school's grads. Schools have become aware that their pass rate is a big discriminator for prospective students and some have gone to great lengths to boost that rate, even to the point of what I would consider artificially inflating it.

While in general, a high NCLEX pass rate indicates a superior nursing program, there are ways to manipulate the rate. The first is of course in the admissions process - highly selective schools admit primarily high-quality students who of course tend to do better on all standardized tests like the NCLEX. You know this going in though and so would not expect that the first-time NCLEX pass rate for nursing grads from your local CC program would be the same as that of very selective programs such as Johns Hopkins or U Penn.

A more subtle way to ensure high NCLEX pass rates is to control who is allowed to take the test in the first place. This is done by allowing only some of the nursing grads to take the NCLEX and is simple to do: The school refuses to send the credentials required by the state BoN forward unless the grad also achieves what the school considers a satisfactory score on nursing review tests (e. g., HESI). In my view, schools that do this should highlight it when then they tout their high NCLEX pass rates. Since not all (and perhaps most) nursing programs don't follow the same post-graduate weeding out process and allow all of their grads to sit for the test, simply comparing the NCLEX pass rates may be misleading. In fairness, I should add that I do not know how widespread the practice is and am aware of only two colleges that do this. I should also add that this may not be a deal killer, since to a great extent the student is in control of her/his own destiny, but it is something prospective students should be aware of but is also something that schools generally don't highlight when they tout their excellent pass rates.

A small, ironic factoid: It is often the case that the highest overall NCLEX pass rates are achieved by grads from diploma, not degree-granting programs. As far as I'm aware, the diploma programs achieve this simply by providing excellent nursing training and not by manipulating who can take the NCLEX.

I'm feeling like this must be another locality thing. I'm not aware of any programs here that weed out post-grads for NCLEX rates. We also have just as much competition for the CC programs as the BSN program. The BSN program has consistently scored the highest rate in the state in recent years (I'm in Maryland and we typically beat John's Hopkins, not to says their program isn't good, mind you), while I think the CC is probably fearing losing accreditation with their 60s pass rates.

I think it's pretty fair for a school to be selective, though. Especially when they're getting so many more applications than they have spots for. After all, they will boost their reputation any way we can. That does, in turn, increase the quality of the degree of the graduates. The grads in my program have been getting snatched up by new grad residencies left and right, in critical care units. It benefits the student as well when a school is highly selective.

I've never heard the NCLEX pass rate by program type thing before. It's intriguing. Again, it's not the way it is here, but I'm curious to know if that really is true.

The thing you say about remediating students rather than letting them sit boards - I've seen multiple threads about that here and that really has got to be the most frustrating thing. I agree that's an excellent thing to ask about up front. On one hand, it's nice to know the school will take the time to help you if they feel you will need it. On the other hand, shouldn't that have been happening all along? I think I'd be pretty upset if that happened to me. We did the HESI exit exam. It was an FYI thing only. It helped us see where we stand, but that's it. We got the remediation info for our results, which is helpful, but whether we even read it or not was optional. I couldn't imagine that being yet another thing we'd have to deal with in addition to all of the other stuff that comes at the end of the last semester.

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. . . We also have just as much competition for the CC programs as the BSN program. The BSN program has consistently scored the highest rate in the state in recent years (I'm in Maryland and we typically beat John's Hopkins, not to says their program isn't good, mind you), while I think the CC is probably fearing losing accreditation with their 60s pass rates.

I think it's pretty fair for a school to be selective, though. Especially when they're getting so many more applications than they have spots for. After all, they will boost their reputation any way we can. That does, in turn, increase the quality of the degree of the graduates. The grads in my program have been getting snatched up by new grad residencies left and right, in critical care units. It benefits the student as well when a school is highly selective.

I couldn’t agree more that nursing schools should be more selective, and there seems to be a reasonably high correlation between selectivity and NCLEX pass rates. Years ago, my local CC had a first-come, first-served admissions policy which resulted not just only in prospective students camping out for days to be first in line, but also in pretty low NCLEX pass rates. The school then changed to a lottery system, which somewhat predictably, resulted in essentially no change to the pass rates. With the low pass rates firmly in mind, the CC changed to a system that used the scores from a standardized test as the sole criterion for admission, enrolling only those who scored highest. While this resulted in a lot of complaints, not to mention the turning away of a great number of arguably qualified prospective nursing students, NCLEX pass rose substantially in the years that the policy was in effect, hovering around 90%. The college eventually decided that this admissions policy was a bit too selective and relaxed it to include other criteria. Passing rates are now about 81%. Correlation does not necessarily imply causality, and obviously the above represents only anecdotal evidence, but I suspect it is reasonably representational of the relationship between selective nursing school admissions and higher test scores.

I've never heard the NCLEX pass rate by program type thing before. It's intriguing. Again, it's not the way it is here, but I'm curious to know if that really is true.
There are about 16 diploma programs in my state (PA), only 2 of which have NCLEX pass rates below 80% while six have rates above 90%. The average for the 16 schools is 89.5% which significantly exceeds the PA state average of 86.2%. By way of comparison, UPenn is at 90%, a statistical dead heat with the average diploma school rate. The irony is that the UPenn RN will have a much broader range of job options and will substantially out-earn the diploma grad, despite showing no greater nursing facility (at least as measured by the NCLEX - please note the qualifier - I do not want this turn into yest another BSN vs ADN vs DPL thread) than the diploma RN. I freely admit that I have no idea if this relationship exists in other states and it would be interesting to hear from others on this. By the way, the source for my numbers the PA BoN website: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/document/770539/nclex-performancern_pdf?qid=40354450&rank=

. . . I'm feeling like this must be another locality thing. I'm not aware of any programs here that weed out post-grads for NCLEX rates.

. . . The thing you say about remediating students rather than letting them sit boards - I've seen multiple threads about that here and that really has got to be the most frustrating thing. I agree that's an excellent thing to ask about up front. On one hand, it's nice to know the school will take the time to help you if they feel you will need it. On the other hand, shouldn't that have been happening all along? I think I'd be pretty upset if that happened to me. We did the HESI exit exam. It was an FYI thing only. It helped us see where we stand, but that's it. We got the remediation info for our results, which is helpful, but whether we even read it or not was optional. I couldn't imagine that being yet another thing we'd have to deal with in addition to all of the other stuff that comes at the end of the last semester.

This is really the thrust of my post. I don’t necessarily have an argument with schools that use the “selective weeding” technique for their nursing grads and the NCLEX, my complaint is that this is usually not apparent to the prospective student. If a student was considering attending either Community College A with an NCLEX pass rate of 81% (just above the minimum 2010 nursing school standard of 80%) and University B, with an average pass rate of over 97.5%, that prospective student would likely be inclined to attend University B. An inquisitive prospective student may uncover that both schools use a review test such as the HESI, as a tool to help assess its nursing students. Only an unusually inquisitive and savvy prospective student however would discover that the CC uses the test only as means for grads to determine if they are ready for the NCLEX while the University uses it to weed out who they will allow to sit for the NCLEX. I contend simply that University B has an obligation to make certain that all of their nursing students know this before they enroll - and shell out much more money for tuition than they would at CC. A note: This is a real-world example with the actual rates; the true names of the institutions have been withheld to protect the guilty.

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Specializes in CMSRN.

Yes, I will def be applying to both if I don't get in to my first choice this time but the application deadline had passed for the other school when this was written. The two schools that I have in mind require different entrance exams (kaplan and teas) and the other also required 1 more class which I hadn't taken yet and with my course load this past semester, work and family, I just wanted to focus on preparing for one entrance exam. But thanks for the tip!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I love this thread and hate it at the same time. I worked for a For-profit for a very brief time (the school was sold to a for profit company, then I left a year later). Since then I have been intrigued by their approach. Add the subways to the target audience of potential candidates. I take the subway (and am working towards a doctorate), as do many upwardly mobile professionals, but the reality is, the ads on the subways are geared to a specific population.

It absolutely breaks my heart that the (majority of the) people these schools are recruiting are the ones who a) cannot afford it (but think they will be making "big bucks" after they graduate, and b) are often the ones who cannot get into a city, state or not-for-profit college or university. They are also the ones who are looking for the fast-track to success. These schools cost just as much (if not more) per semester as a 4 year program, but that whole two year program attracts people in. But where are they in 2 years? They either have failed out of the program, needed an extra semester (or year) to finish. If they did make it through in 2 years, they cannot find a job, so they try to go back for their BSN, and have to repeat courses (because they were not accredited), and their debt is snowballing out of control.

I have mixed feelings about two year programs in general. I Teach in one (a community college) and am a graduate of one. The education is excellent! But from a practical perspective I feel like we are setting them up for disappointment. Now, imagine paying private school prices for a two year degree, from a school with a terrible reputation, non-accreditation and classes that don't transfer, and abysmal NCLEX rates?

So, what other choices do these would be students have? I know this is not a popular answer, but maybe choosing another career path. Not everyone can do what they dreamed of. Life isn't a Disney movie :(

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I love this thread and hate it at the same time. I worked for a For-profit for a very brief time (the school was sold to a for profit company, then I left a year later). Since then I have been intrigued by their approach. Add the subways to the target audience of potential candidates. I take the subway (and am working towards a doctorate), as do many upwardly mobile professionals, but the reality is, the ads on the subways are geared to a specific population.

It absolutely breaks my heart that the (majority of the) people these schools are recruiting are the ones who a) cannot afford it (but think they will be making "big bucks" after they graduate, and b) are often the ones who cannot get into a city, state or not-for-profit college or university. They are also the ones who are looking for the fast-track to success. These schools cost just as much (if not more) per semester as a 4 year program, but that whole two year program attracts people in. But where are they in 2 years? They either have failed out of the program, needed an extra semester (or year) to finish. If they did make it through in 2 years, they cannot find a job, so they try to go back for their BSN, and have to repeat courses (because they were not accredited), and their debt is snowballing out of control.

I have mixed feelings about two year programs in general. I Teach in one (a community college) and am a graduate of one. The education is excellent! But from a practical perspective I feel like we are setting them up for disappointment. Now, imagine paying private school prices for a two year degree, from a school with a terrible reputation, non-accreditation and classes that don't transfer, and abysmal NCLEX rates?

So, what other choices do these would be students have? I know this is not a popular answer, but maybe choosing another career path. Not everyone can do what they dreamed of. Life isn't a Disney movie :(

Hi ProfRN4,

Thanks for your post! I wanted to ask you why you feel like the 2 year program at the CC is setting students up for disappointment? Are you referring to the types of nursing jobs they will be offered?

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Maybe you could answer my question. I do not have alot of money and I'm currently working as a CNA. But I just applied at a technical college for LPN. It takes about 12 months it's definitely an upgrade from what I am now and it's very inexpensive will cost me about 6000 do you think this is a good idea

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Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.
I love this thread and hate it at the same time. I worked for a For-profit for a very brief time (the school was sold to a for profit company, then I left a year later). Since then I have been intrigued by their approach. Add the subways to the target audience of potential candidates. I take the subway (and am working towards a doctorate), as do many upwardly mobile professionals, but the reality is, the ads on the subways are geared to a specific population.

It absolutely breaks my heart that the (majority of the) people these schools are recruiting are the ones who a) cannot afford it (but think they will be making "big bucks" after they graduate, and b) are often the ones who cannot get into a city, state or not-for-profit college or university. They are also the ones who are looking for the fast-track to success. These schools cost just as much (if not more) per semester as a 4 year program, but that whole two year program attracts people in. But where are they in 2 years? They either have failed out of the program, needed an extra semester (or year) to finish. If they did make it through in 2 years, they cannot find a job, so they try to go back for their BSN, and have to repeat courses (because they were not accredited), and their debt is snowballing out of control.

I have mixed feelings about two year programs in general. I Teach in one (a community college) and am a graduate of one. The education is excellent! But from a practical perspective I feel like we are setting them up for disappointment. Now, imagine paying private school prices for a two year degree, from a school with a terrible reputation, non-accreditation and classes that don't transfer, and abysmal NCLEX rates?

So, what other choices do these would be students have? I know this is not a popular answer, but maybe choosing another career path. Not everyone can do what they dreamed of. Life isn't a Disney movie :(

I really Dislike the existence of for profit colleges. They often do create false hope and the cost .... Ouch! And you are absolutely right. They are snakes in the grass with their marketing. Their target demographic typically can't afford the cost of the program - so they take out exorbitant federal and private loans. They target "fast trackers". They are typically unaccredited. Their practices are very deceitful. They get you in and make you pay. I can't attest to the quality of education as I haven't gone to one or know anyone who has. I imagine that those that are successful are the exception not the rule. The states that have the highest unemployment rates are those with for profits on every corner.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I'm sorry this is so late (I just realized someone asked this question here a few months ago). Where I live is very difficult to get a job with a two year degree. That is my only reason. We are selling a product (RN), but we can't necessarily make good on it. Yes technically one can work as an RN with an associate degree but very few employers are willing to take them on anymore in my area.

Your username suggest to me that you don't live in the same area I do so maybe it is different where you live.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

In my opinion it depends on what type of jobs are available, if any, as an LPN. As I mentioned in my previous reply, jobs are difficult to obtain where I live- even as an RN with an associate degree. If you are willing to work in a nursing home or skilled nursing facility then perhaps this would be a good way to start your career as a nurse.

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Specializes in critical care.
Maybe you could answer my question. I do not have alot of money and I'm currently working as a CNA. But I just applied at a technical college for LPN. It takes about 12 months it's definitely an upgrade from what I am now and it's very inexpensive will cost me about 6000 do you think this is a good idea

Does the program have a good reputation with employers?

Do you have access to financial aid (if needed)?

Do employers in specialties you are willing to work in hire LPNs?

Are you able to schedule work around school?

I think those answers will tell you best if this is a good idea.

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OP thanks so much for writing this article. I have been searching long and hard for a school.

At first I wanted to find a school and hurry up and start off by getting my LPN. After further research and asking questions. I have decided to go to a community colleges (SSC) and then do the concurrent program to get my BSN from UCF.

Yes this will be a long process and I am in my early soon to be mid thirties, but I rather do it right and not have to worry about my credits transferring over.

Lastly,I know my name implies that I am in the healthcare field but I did that strictly for motivation. Sometimes I put things in writing to help motivate me when times are hard.

Again thank you so much for this article it was right on time and it really help me make my final decision.

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THANK you!!! 😊

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