Best school for me

U.S.A. Virginia

Published

  1. Best school in the area

    • 5
      Sentara (BSN)
    • 2
      Virginia Commonwealth (BSN)
    • 0
      Bon Secours (BSN)
    • 0
      Virginia State (ADN)
    • 0
      Tidewater (ADN)
    • 1
      J Sergeant Reynolds (ADN)
    • 1
      Thomas Nelson (ADN)
    • 0
      Hampton (BSN)

9 members have participated

Eventually I am moving to the Chesapeake area. I'm looking toward several programs. Some are ADN some are BSN. As a non-resident, the out-of-state tuition for some are exorbitant. So, while I prefer to just get the BSN and be finished, finances may dictate that I get into an affordable program. I can't get financial aid (I just cannot). I happily need to help support twin babies as well. Well, the schools I am looking into are:

Sentara (BSN)

Virginia Commonwealth (BSN)

Hampton (BSN)

Virginia State University (ADN)

J Sergeant Reynolds (ADN)

Tidewater (ADN)

Thomas Nelson (ADN)

Bon Secours (BSN)

Some have flat tuition (same for residents and non). What do you recommend?

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If you are going to live in the Chesapeake area, many of those schools are hours away. Check out Riverside School of Health Careers - Professional Nursing too.

Chesapeake to Williamsburg can be a 3 hour drive due to traffic. Shoot Portsmouth Naval Hospital to VA Beach take no less than 45 minutes, and that is only 20 miles.

Traffic here is awful due to the tunnels.

Take into consideration of the tunnel tolls when you budget too.

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Yet another option. Heather, I am glad that you take time to answer my questions. I am all the way out in Las Vegas, NV (yes I have to put the NV as there is a Las Vegas, NM lol) and don't know the landscape of that area of Virginia. I take it that it's a diploma program? The price, however, doesn't equal the degree. If I end up having to pay $25k for nursing education I'd want a BSN. In addition, it's a six-semester program. But that distance thing.. I grew up in Los Angeles and distance on paper NEVER equaled distance behind the wheel. I really thought Tidewater, Sentara, TNCC & VSU were in the area.

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Tidewater, Sentara, TNCC, Thomas Nelson and Hampton are all "local". Riverside is a great program, and the hospital hires their graduates. Plus I believe they have an agreement with ODU for an accelerated RN to BSN. (could be wrong)

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That's great. But if I can avoid dropping $25k I will. Sentara charges that much for a BSN over 2.5 years and they hire their grads as well, right? How difficult is the entrance? It would appear as though the prerequisites are somewhat similar.

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My #1 choice is Sentara, I have high hopes to do the LPN to BSN program. All of the nursing programs in the Tidewater area are EXTREMELY competitive. 4.0 GPA and AMAZING TEAS V score are necessary, and even with those two things you may have to apply more than once. TCC (Tidewater Community College has several hundred applicants and 23 seats) It is a very hard area to get into a nursing program.

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The least competitive is MCI (ASN program), not because it is not a good program, but because it is SOOO much money.

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Sentara or VCU are my picks. I don't know how competitive their programs are but I think those are my tops. Of course if I get into that LPN program here then Sentara becomes my new #1.

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VCU is a few hours from Chesapeake, but maybe live in Richmond while in school if you get in?

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Just FYI, I have moved this thread and a few others discussing nursing programs to the Virginia State Nursing Programs forum, which is a sub-forum under Virginia Nursing specifically for discussing educational matters. :)

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Thanks, Lunah!

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VCU is a good 2 hours from Chesapeake. I am not sure you could pay me to make that drive on a daily basis. I'm also not sure you could pay me to go through one of the tunnels every day (to Hampton/Newport News/Williamsburg, etc) but I know a lot of people do it.

Curious why Old Dominion wasn't on your list? They have an excellent BSN program from what I understand!

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