Nursing school vs price? Which is more important?

[Kaitlyn.w]

hello. I am currently a junior in high school and I'm looking into all my options for nursing school. I have a 4.5 GPA and a 30 ACT score, so I'm more than qualified for many programs to get my prerequisites/ attend a direct entry program. there is a nursing program right down the road from where I live (Daytona state college), which is convenient because of its location and price. However, I'm not sure if I should focus on that, or focus on getting into a higher ranked, more competitive school. Is nursing the kind of degree that required a degree from a highly ranked school, or should I focus on price? thank you!

[Ruixi13, BSN, RN]

You have great grades, maybe try to go to the best public university in Florida? I know there are some good nursing programs in the Florida state university system, you seem like you'd get into any program you apply to. Good luck!

[faithybsn]

No one cares what nursing school ypu attended. Especially when you consider the fact that nurses make less than many factory workers.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

I only want to add that you should take a personal finance class as soon as possible, high school or first year of college or even check for an online class because student loans are such an immense responsibility and the more you know the better you can protect yourself and keep from getting into too much debt. Stick with govt loans, avoid private loans like the plague! Get college credit for AP classes if you can to save time and money. Take some fun classes too for personal enrichment!

[Neats, BSN]

Low cost is the best choice however the college you should go to should be regionally accredited in addition to National accreditation. Regionally accredited allows you to carry on your education with credits that will transfer, some colleges are not regionally accredited this makes it more difficult to transfer credits. Get your first 2 years at a community college it is the best value for your monies or better yet if you are taking honor classes in high school now you should be able to graduate with an Associates already or at least some credits.

[bgxyrnf, MSN, RN]

In terms of reputation, where you go to school is of little consideration. As well, what you might consider a top-notch program may not, in fact, be terribly well-regarded by the bedside nurses who most commonly work with the students and graduates of that program. Many people on this site like to tout the stature of their program but outside of the immediate area, it's quite likely that nobody has ever heard of it.

What is significant are the specific clinical sites where the students train because those are the places most likely to hire those same students. If there is a specific hospital - or specific type of hospital (children's, trauma 1, etc) - where you'd like to work, your chances are increased somewhat by attending a school in that hospital's primary service area and whose students train there.

[The new old guy]

Good for you getting into nursing. It allows you to make a difference in peoples lives and always have a job opportunity. I would highly recommend Daytona State College. The price is so much lower than other schools and the program is great! They teach you not only how to be a nurse but also prepares you for the NCLEX exam. They have a high rate of students passing on their first try. I graduated their RN program in December 2017 and just passed my NCLEX RN first time with only 75 questions, which is the minimum. Some of the students that had a challenging time in class also passed their NCLEX on their first try. They have day and night classes /clinicals which allows you to pick what works best for you also. The instructors and staff were very professional and they did everything possible to make sure every student had a opportunity to pass their classes/clinicals. If someone was struggling they would stay after class or make an appointment to meet with you to help you in any way they could. At times they actually have classes for helping you prepare for very important exams during their program. Hope this helps!