Advice on Charlotte, NC

Hi, I am making the career jump and wanted to see if anyone had any advice on choosing a nursing school in the Charlotte, NC area. I have a BS in an unrelated field and am looking at Mercy School of Nursing, but I know there are also programs at UNCC, South Piedmont, CPCC and so on. The loan forgiveness program is appealing at Mercy.

Check on Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (Concord)... They have a 2 year RN program and upon successful completion you are guaranteed eligibility to attend the Cabarrus College of Health Sciences for their RN to BSN program. RCCC is EXTREMELY inexpensive and if you score high on the pre-test, you will be placed ahead of everyone on the waiting list. I have checked on the program, and I have a friend that is also planning on attending. But beware of UNCC, I used to work there. I have spoken with a few students and a couple of graduates. The graduates claimed they didn't receive enough clinical "hands on" experience.

[Jolie, BSN]

I worked at Mercy years ago (1990's) and found their nursing students and grads to be of excellent quality. It was also a nice place to work, so re-paying time would not have been a problem.

That's been a number of years, so I don't know if my opinion still holds, but I think it is worth checking into. Call the school and ask for an appointment with the admissions counselor. After your meeting, ask for some names of recent grads who have participated in this program. They will tell you like it is!

Good luck.

OK thanks for the advice!

OK thank you!

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Moving to the NC forum where you'll be able to hone in on some more locals.

Good luck!

[ashleyjean3]

Presbyterian also has the repayment program as well as Carolinas. Mercy is a diploma program.

Thanks a lot. Is Presbyterian's program a diploma as well? Which would you recommend?

[ashleyjean3]

NO presby is an ASN. I think Mercy is the only diploma program left in the state.

Does it matter when I go to apply for a job if I get an ASN or a diploma?

No, there is not a difference when applying for a position with diploma. For someone with a bachelor's degree already, there is really little difference between getting an ASN or a diploma in nursing. Mercy and Watts (in Durham) are the only diploma programs in NC.

It shouldn't matter, especially not locally. Watts in Durham is the other diploma program. I did some research off this site and I got nothing but positives in regard to the program and the capability of their graduate nurses. And I had no interest in pursuing a diploma at all! Now I hope I will get accepted.

[OncologyRN23, BSN, RN]

For someone with a bachelor's degree already, there is really little difference between getting an ASN or a diploma in nursing. Mercy and Watts (in Durham) are the only diploma programs in NC.

For someone with their ADN already, I can tell you that there are quite a few differences between an ADN program and a diploma program.

OK, thanks. Can you tell me about some of the differences and would you steer away from getting a diploma at Mercy School of Nursing?

[kckoehler]

I have a Bachelors from Rhodes College in Memphis and just graduated from Mercy in December. So, I am obviously biased towards Mercy grads, but I can honestly say that the nurses in the hospitals have consistently told us that they prefer Mercy students during clinicals and when hiring new grads. Yes, Mercy offers a diploma instead of ADN or BSN, but you will be very well trained to be a registered nurse upon graduation. The instructors are fantastic and will do whatever they can to help you succeed. Also, the NCLEX pass rates speak for themselves.

I have a Bachelors from Rhodes College in Memphis and just graduated from Mercy in December. So, I am obviously biased towards Mercy grads, but I can honestly say that the nurses in the hospitals have consistently told us that they prefer Mercy students during clinicals and when hiring new grads. Yes, Mercy offers a diploma instead of ADN or BSN, but you will be very well trained to be a registered nurse upon graduation. The instructors are fantastic and will do whatever they can to help you succeed. Also, the NCLEX pass rates speak for themselves.

When I hear other nurses say they prefer new grads from a specific program, I listen! Especially in such a competitive enviornment these days. I can always go back and get more education from a RN-BSN.