Are all BSN's the same?

lidleanjel · Feb 16, 2014

I suggest you do your homework and ask to talk to others in that school. The only reason I am saying that is I dreamed of getting my BSN in a college that is rated top 10 colleges for nursing and I am in my 2nd semester and the program is very unorganized and I wish I would have decided on another college at this point for my BSN. I also found out that RNs at the facility are being sent to another school in the area instead of being put through this specific college's program. You would think they would want their RNs to go to the program which is there.

Just a thought.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Feb 16, 2014

https://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/opinions-accreditation-status-902738.html

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/you-need-know-900804.html

(This is about graduate schools, but will help you) https://allnurses.com/post-graduate-nursing/top-online-nursing-898786.html

Short answer: No, not all BSN programs are created equal. Do your due diligence and investigate NCLEX pass rates, accreditation, and ratings.

As to whether the program that awards your degree will be looked at as a deciding factor to a hiring manager in a first (or other) job search is impossible to tell, unless it is from a known for-profit online diploma mill. They do know about those. Good schools generally get more attention. A new grad from a University of Washington or Georgetown or the like will probably get the second look that a grad of ABC RN-to-BSN won't.

ixchel · Feb 16, 2014

I am in a preceptorship at a hospital hat is about 45 minutes away from my school, and only maybe 15 minutes from a different school. My first day on the unit, I saw a handful of the grads from my school that graduated last May. I made a comment about that, and they said, "we love xxx university grads here. The graduates of (the other school) are terrible."

No, two BSNs are not always the same. You want to know where to go? Go to the hospitals and ask who they'll hire first.

MrChicagoRN, RN · Feb 16, 2014

It should matter to you.

Pick the one that has a high pass rate, has a great rep, and will best prepare you for a successful career.

Lev, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 16, 2014

https://allnurses.com/nursing-student-assistance/opinions-accreditation-status-902738.html

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/you-need-know-900804.html

(This is about graduate schools, but will help you) https://allnurses.com/post-graduate-nursing/top-online-nursing-898786.html

Short answer: No, not all BSN programs are created equal. Do your due diligence and investigate NCLEX pass rates, accreditation, and ratings.

As to whether the program that awards your degree will be looked at as a deciding factor to a hiring manager in a first (or other) job search is impossible to tell, unless it is from a known for-profit online diploma mill. They do know about those. Good schools generally get more attention. A new grad from a University of Washington or Georgetown or the like will probably get the second look that a grad of ABC RN-to-BSN won't.

Especially NCLEX pass rates. Tells you a lot about the quality of the program.

Just_keep_swimming · Feb 17, 2014

Is there a preference in accreditation? For example, the schools I'm applying to are accredited by CCNE not ACEN. When I was researching it, it seemed that ACEN (at least for the state I'm in, WA.) accredited more associate degree level schools vs BSN. There was only one BSN level school on the ACEN list. Are they more rigourous with their inspection processes?

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2014

NLNAC, now ACEN, is the one that you want if you go the associate route as the CCNE will not accredit diploma or associate schools. If you go the associate route without going to a NLNAC accredited school, you risk not being accepted to an RN to BSN or RN to MSN school. For bachelors, it seems you need one or the other with no preference for admission to graduate school. However, some military organizations require the school to be CCNE accredited.

As for being more rigorous, I don't know. I know our school was in trouble for not having enough master prepared instructors at one point and had to go through a lengthy process to get their accreditation back.

Just_keep_swimming · Feb 17, 2014

Thank you for that info and the reminder about military orgs requiring the school to be CCNE accredited. I'm applying to schools in hopes of being accepted into a military program and that was one of their stipulations, that they were nationally accredited. I had to double check to make sure I was good :)

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Feb 17, 2014

Go with the school with the reputation and NCLEX rate; you will be thankful that you did. :yes:

Myoclonicjerk · Feb 17, 2014

Thanks for all of your comments. So far, the school for which I was accepted is CCNE accredited and has a 97% first time pass rate of the NCLEX. I love the school for so many reasons, 20 minute commute one of them as I have a young daughter and the less I spend commuting, the more I get to study and be with her. My number 1 choice, has a NLN accreditation and a 92% first time pass rate. My number 1 choice is my alma mater and 15K cheaper than my number 2 choice. It's mainly my number 1 choice because it's my alma mater and I worked there for 6 years. I was aware of the certifications but did not give much thought to NCLEX rates as I assumed both would be high. Ironically, my 3rd choice is a diploma program, with no BSN, and that has a 100% pass rate for the NCLEX. It was the school that I would have went to if I did not get accepted to either BSN program. Thank you all for your input, this site is going to be a great resource.

elkpark · Feb 17, 2014

NCLEX scores, by themselves, are not necessarily that illuminating. Consider -- School A has a 100% pass rate, and School B has a 94% pass rate. School A must be a better program, right? What if you know that School B admitted 70 students and graduated 65. A few students developed personal situations that caused them to withdraw, and a couple students, despite the school's best efforts to support them, including extra tutoring, just couldn't hack it and flunked out. Of the remaining 65 students, 94% passed the NCLEX on the first try. School A, meanwhile, admitted 70 students, and by ruthlessly weeding out everyone that they weren't sure would pass the NCLEX on the first try, graduated a class of 22 (yes, there are nursing programs with that kind of graduation rate, and worse). Of those 22, 100% passed the NCLEX on the first try. Now, knowing those two scenarios, which school would you rather attend?

I'm not saying that a 100% (or any v. high) pass rate is automatically suspicious (the diploma school I attended many years ago had a 100% pass rate most years; it was extremely rare that a graduate wouldn't pass), but schools have different ways of manipulating their NCLEX pass rates if they really want to. As long as a school's NCLEX pass rate is decent, that doesn't really tell you much without knowing other info (like their attrition rate).