UW... why NOT to go

U.S.A. Washington

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Not to burst any bubbles, but the University of Washington is on the decline. They've just raised tuition for their family nurse practitioner program to exceed that of medical school. We're talking they JUST told students to come up with $7000 in the next 2 weeks. Sure, all public schools took a hit in this economic downturn but UW didn't lay off even ONE faculty member. Instead, they're sticking it to the students with a 43% tuition hike. (And they've warned students that the FNP program is just the tip of the iceberg.) So while students are required to take numerous classes about health care disparities and access--when it comes to actually providing an affordable education... the UW prefers rich kids only.

Reconsider UW: You aren't guaranteed even a day of clinical work at the UW Medical Center (or Harborview). Nobody but nobody hiring nurses knows or cares about the UW's No. 1 rating. And you have to pay to access the library on the weekends! So not kidding about the library.

Nursing students at UW are treated like a nuisance. Most of the faculty have not even set foot on a hospital floor since the 1980s. They're mostly researchers who hide out in their offices writing grants. Remember, UW is a research institution. That's where they get their No. 1 rating. NOT FROM EDUCATING STUDENTS. If you want to be an FNP: Go to Seattle U. Go to PLU. Heck, go to the University of Portland. If you want to be an RN: Go anywhere but the UW.

I'm an undergrad at the UW studying public health and pre-nursing so I've been exploring my options for post-bac nursing school. I haven't heard anything good about the UW nursing school as far as experiences. I've heard from mutual friends that the students are treated poorly (like a nuisance as someone else said) , to the point where one girl sincerely considered dropping out (this is undergrad I'm talking about though). Other than that, when I met with the undergrad nursing advisor UW (who is extremely nice and very helpful), she straight up told me not to do the MEPN (now GEPN) program at UW, mostly because I'm out-of-state and the cost wouldn't be worth it for me. But aside from cost, she also mentioned how hard the program was, I'm not sure if she was saying that all MEPN programs are tough (believable), or if the UW SON program was more so than others.

Her advice to me was to finish my undergraduate degree, and then get an ADN, which would be equivalent to a BSN in the workforce (except for some areas that require a BSN like neonatal).

UW is a good school, but they have definitely screwed me over on a lot of things. They don't care much about the individual, but more so the classes as a whole. Maybe that's why the school is so strong in their public health and community medicine program..... (jokes)

I am pretty much in the same boat as you! I am an undergrad at UW studying the global health concentration in anthropology (figured that major would help me somewhat when I go into nursing). I recently decided to go pre-nursing and am also probably going to opt for the ADN after I graduate. DO you know where you will go yet? I figure if I really end up needing the BSN later on, I can always go to UW Bothell for a year. I believe you can work while you go there because the classes are only one day a week!

I wouldn't consider doing the accelerated program at UW seattle, I have been going there for a couple years now and don't really like the atmosphere. I actually realized I prefer smaller schools haha.

Well, I get told time and time again that it really won't matter if I have an ADN or BSN with a second degree. But I have intentions of going on to get my master's in nursing and who knows what else from there, so for that I've heard that it would be somewhat beneficial to have a BSN, but still not crucial. The idea of going to a CC for two years and then an RN-BSN program for another 1-2 years really doesn't appeal to me when I could do it in 13 months through an accelerated program, even though it costs way more. But it's different for everyone, ya know? I'm also drawn to BSN programs because they look at the whole applicant, not just grades. I'm only going to apply to a few schools (hopkins, duke, and UCSF) for next June and see what happens, reapply to more the following year if I need to. First I just want to graduate with one degree! hah!

The only thing I'm considering UW Seattle for is if I ever want to get my PhD or DNP.

Yeah it depends on location too. I can't move and here in the seattle area I haven't heard of any accelerated BSN programs that I can think of off the top of my head. I've just heard of the master's ones which I wouldn't want to do.

I'm assuming you are from Cali because of your user name, have you heard anything about a john f. kennedy university in the bay area? I read on the UCSF website that if you go there for BSN you can automatically get into UCSF for the masters program. Seems life a sweet deal since UCSF is ranked very highly in nursing, but I haven't found out too much info about the program or even if that school is any good. That's the only program I would look at for out of state if even that.

But sounds like you are applying to some great schools! Good luck!

Specializes in hospice, corrections.

Lower Columbia College has a 99% pass rate on the LPN NCLEX (which you are encouraged to take after your first year in the RN program) and a 95% pass rate for the RN NCLEX. My class all passed both tests first time. I would encourage everyone to go to a good community college for their RN, there are a lot of RN to BSN classes available. WSU has one completely distance ed. There are some significant advantages to CC, lower tuition, smaller classes, great teachers and you usually know all of your classmates because you have been slogging through all of the pre-req's together.

I am in the BSN program at UW and love it. I think there are advantages and disadvantages of every program. It's true they increased the tuition exponentially for the FNP program. But overall, you get an excellent education at UW and they really treat you like an intelligent individual capable of learning and absorbing a lot of information. At times it felt like med school (I have a lot of friends who have been through med school). So if you want an intellectually challenging experience, go to UW.

I really enjoyed my time at WSU. If you're currently looking into nursing school (or a masters), don't rule it out because it's on the other side of the state. Our president cares, our nursing school dean cares, our instructors were almost all currently practicing RNs or ARNPs, the NCLEX pass rate is high, and it's just an over all good environment.

As for masters... I hear great things about WSU and Gonzaga. Gonzaga is almost all online with a few campus visits during the semester. I know a lot of people who are able to work full time and complete their degree.

Good luck to everyone trying to make decisions.

i think you can get an intellectually challenging experience elsewhere, not just UW.

Specializes in Critical Care.

http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/Professions/Nursing/documents/PassRates.pdf

Here's a link to the NCLEX Pass rates on the Department of Health Website. It helped me to make the decision on which schools to consider. What I have been told from nurses that I know who work at Swedish is that a new grad is a new grad. You're not going to command a higher starting salary with a BSN then you would be able to get with an ADN because you are still a new grad. However in the long-term I think we will all want to get the BSN because there is a push towards it. Hospitals are encouraging their nurses to go back and complete the BSN, and some states are making laws to require a BSN to become an RN.

The bottom line in this job market is that you will be competing with a lot of other well qualified professionals for a very limited number of positions in any field including nursing.

Specializes in NICU.

Just as an FYI, it is harder as a new grad to get into the various nursing specialties...I'm a NICU (neonatal) RN and there were 60 apps for the 10 spots in our new grad group and all of us are BSN grads.

A BSN is better than an ADn in my opinion as well, but this thread was mostly for people who dislike UW to express their opinions. It's not about ADN vs BSN. That is one disagreement that can never be won, judging from other threads like it haha. Also, there are definitely other schools in the state of WA that you can get a BSN. WHo cares where people go, just as long as they are happy with their choice that's all that matters.

I am applying to both the UW GEPN and SU APNI Master's programs. The cost of the UW program is about $73,000. The cost of the SU program is about $54,000. They both take the same length of time and result in the same degree. As a longtime taxpayer of Washington State, I want to know why it costs so much more to go to a public university than a private university? On paper, both of the programs sound good, but is the UW program really worth $20,000 more?

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