UW... why NOT to go

[stellasaurus]

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.

[TristanT]

No, GEPN at UW is not worth $20K more than SU. (I say that as a UW alum.) Either way you will be laughed out of HR if you have an advanced nursing degree but you never worked as an RN. And unfortunately there are no jobs for new grad RNs. We are starving out here. Seriously. If I had it to do over, I would not waste my money at the UW or probably in nursing school at all. There are just zero job prospects.

[allennp]

I think a bit of it is in the eye of the beholder, though certainly resouces are an issue. Another school in Seattle you did not mention was Seattle Pacific University. Large enough to have had a FNP program for a while but small enough to custom tailor a program. I looked into the UW for a FNP and heard some mumbling consistent with previous complaints in this thread, though I also look at who is doing the mumbling and why! I even had high level input from hiring persons that they would not hire a UW FNP as they thought the faculty had their ..... in the clouds and gave the students no real experience LOL (I disagree, but remember the comment from the old crusty person).

FWIW I even ended up at Harborview as a FNP student, not even being a UW student ( Though I admit I worked some contacts). I found SPU though not perfect to really be willing to make it work for you yet also make you sweat a bit to learn what they expected you to leave with.

as far as undergrad goes I have hired before as a manager and never really paid attention to the "name" of the school where the RN recevied a BSN. For me it was always how the person presented and what they had done.

for what its worth

AP

[scrubs10]

The U.S. News & World Report editors do the ranking and they've admitted that it is fairly random=just for marketing purposes. What better way to sell a publication to an eager student audience year after year? Think about it.

Stellasaurus.... I know it's been awhile, but I'm wondering where you found this info that USNWR admits their ranking is fairly random? I have had the hugest gut feeling this is the case, and after looking into their "methodology" it has proven correct, but they don't exactly say it's "random" or for "marketing". Just that it is peer reviewed. So again, wondering where you picked up this gem of information that they admit it is for marketing.

Thanks!

[mrsb04]

Well crap, where the hell is someone supposed to go after they get an ASN/ADN to get a BSN/BDN? ***?!?!?!?

Where else in WA can someone with an ASN/ADN transfer for a Bachelors in their career field? Or will they have to "minor" in Nursing and pick a bachelors degree in something else?

***?!?!?!?

PLU, SU and I know UW-Tacoma is now offering a transfer of those with an ADN to BSN at their campus. I went to UW-Tacoma and UW-Seattle and I like UW-T WAAAAY better...smaller classes, more instructor/student contact. UW-Seattle you are just another number and more money for them.

[j450n, BSN, MSN, RN]

I guess it just depends on how you utilize your resources. When I went to the UW for undergrad, sometimes I was but one student in a 500-person lecture class. However, I was able to build my own community and become active on campus with student government, volunteering, and various other student organizations. I never felt like a number at all. Also, you usually feel like a number when it comes to those large 100-level, or 200-level survey classes, but once you get into higher division classes, you start to see a lot more familiar faces, smaller classes, and it's way easier to network.

[06CaliforniaRN]

I guess it just depends on how you utilize your resources. When I went to the UW for undergrad, sometimes I was but one student in a 500-person lecture class. However, I was able to build my own community and become active on campus with student government, volunteering, and various other student organizations. I never felt like a number at all. Also, you usually feel like a number when it comes to those large 100-level, or 200-level survey classes, but once you get into higher division classes, you start to see a lot more familiar faces, smaller classes, and it's way easier to network.

Ditto that. It is totally what you make of it.

[SeaNurse03]

As a graduate of the BSN program at UWSON, I can tell you that the vast majority of my class felt very dissapointed by the education they received at the school. Apart from their learning experiences, students felt, almost without exception, that their teachers were not at all interested in being teachers, and viewed their classes and their students as chores. In addition, many studnets felt mislead by the SON's marketing materials which tout a globally-focused and even "holistic" nursing program for globally-minded individuals. These claims are revealed to be jokes within the first couple weeks of instruction. The various complaints regarding teachers who havn't actually nursed for decades are deffinitely true. Many teachers receive the exact same complaints from class after class, but because they bring the school money in the form of research grants (for globally-important subject matter such as IBS and restless leg syndrome...) and must teach in order to maintain a tenured position, are pawned off on unsuspecting undergraduate nursing students. Some teachers, a prof. Cunningham in particular, cross the neglectful teacher line over to the side of mean/passive agressive teacher. A previous commenter stated that they were treated as an intellectually mature individual, which made me giggle. I heard time and time again by lazy teachers who couldn't justify their lack of interest or skill in their job that they are simply treating their students as "capable adults", deflecting their deficiencies onto their students. UWSON was the worst two years of my life. Having been a nurse for a year, I feel like the school ruined me for the profession before I even got started. I came to the UWSON an idealistic student with designs of working in the field of global health, and left a rather cynical individual with a very bad taste left in his mouth for his new profession: nursing.