Best ADN/BSN program in SFBay? ok to base on NCLEX pass rate?

[CalB]

Hi,

I have a BA from UCBerkeley and have take most all my pre-requisite classes to apply for a nursing program. I'm just wondering what the best ADN and BSN programs are in the San Francisco area? I want to get done as quickly as possible, but I also do not want to sacrifice the quality of my education whatsoever. I was thinking of doing an ADN program and had my sites on CCC, but then I went and took their drug dosage class (and I'm not trying to put anyone down), but it seems like these people never graduated high school. They could not perform basic skills, think things through, and were getting confused with basic, basic knowledge (ex: that 3 is equivalent to 3. ) I overhear most of the students there talking about how they have C's and D's in their pre-requisite courses! Now I'm highly skeptical, of ever going there... I feel they have low expectations, and the two course I took there were no brainers, basically. I was not challenged at all. I don't want my nursing education to suffer the same deficit.

So why do they have such a high NCLEX pass rate??? And SF State has a lower pass rate? Can I judge the strength, challenge, and educational quality of a program based on their NCLEX pass rate???

p.s. What would the difference in pay rate be after graduation w/ either an ADN at CCC or BSN at SF State?

Any advice would help! Thanks! :)

[sheilam]

HEllo,

I must respectfully disagree with EllieBean regarding Ohlone (where I currently attend NS). There is no preference regarding where you love - over half of my class does not live in the Newark/Fremont area (where the school is located). I love the nursing facilities (brand new "green" building with it's own simulation lab (I feel that the sim lab is very important, and some schools don't have their own- I have heard that Chabot doesn't, but I may be wrong).

Given that Ohline is one of the many lottery based ADN pogroms in NorCal, I feel their unique application process gives you a more than decent chance to be accepted (it requires more work in the form of mandatory orientation, testing, etc, but in the end you end up in a pool of 200-300, rather than a pool of 600-1000+ like many of the othe CCs).

And best of all (to me), Ohline has. Fall and spring program, each containing 20 students- so your odds of being selected are still pretty good, and you have a nice small class size- no worries About the school "weeding out" students and better one-one one attention :)

Finally, while the course are challenging, they are interesting and well taught. As far as I know,none of my classmates were "C" students in prereqs (you must have a minimum "score", calculated based on prereq grades, repeated courses, etc, in order to be eligible to apply. While I cannot remember the programs exact NCLEX passing rate, I believe it is 97-98%- not bad at all :). And our professors are WONDERfUL.

You can probably tell I love my program- I was impressed with their organization from day one of the application process, and continue to be impressed with the program overall. :)

On a different note, if you want an ADN but don't want to deal with the lottery, I have heard that Chabot has dropped the lottery (and residency requirement) and starting next year will select students based on merit alone.

Good look on your nursing quest - I too am a "second degree-er" but have no regrets- I love NS :)

[sheilam]

Please excuse any spelling/grammar errors in my above post - I am posting via iPhone and I can never seem to hit the right letters! :)

[Caffeinated RN]

Hello! I live in the Bay Area, and I am pretty well acquainted with the schools here. I definitely do not agree with all of the above statements, but of course, that is to be expected, as we all have differing opinions :)

Are you partial to an ADN or BSN, or is it truly just a matter of getting in somewhere?

I have a BS in genetics from UC Davis, and I completely felt the same way when I took drug dosage calculation at ARC in Sacramento. It perplexed me that some people found it difficult, but then again, I feel like some people just psych themselves because most people did well in my class, despite their fears.

I would not judge a school by its pre-reqs, but that being said, I do prefer schools that have some sort of merit process involved, since I feel like I am pushed to a greater degree by my academically competitive peers. My boyfriend's mother, however, graduated from CCC (a lottery system school, as I am sure you know) and stated that it was definitely a challenging but rewarding experience - and that not everyone made it through the program. Might I add, she has a BS from UCD, as well, and I definitely would consider her to be a very intelligent individual. The only bad thing about CCC that I can think of (and this may be the case for other Bay Area CCs, as well) is that they are struggling to maintain their preceptorship program, which I consider an essential component of nursing school, though not always available for students. Also, I was also told by my BF's mother that she did not get to practice certain skills, such as Foley caths and IV starts, on real people, since the ER would start those for the floor - and her ER rotation was short.

I would highly recommend looking at each schools resources, rather than any statistic. For example, I was accepted to San Joaquin Delta College (a mostly merit-based school) for Fall 2011 (not technically Bay Area, but it can be a reasonable commute), and I have learned that they have a grant for nursing education that allows them several unique resources that include an excellent simulation lab and nursing success center, among other things. I am also on the alternate list for LMC and am currently trying to learn more about their program instead of just word of mouth.

I feel that if you are a willing, studious student, you will do great no matter what, but I am sure you knew that I have LOTS, LOTS more I could say, so PLEASE feel free message me if you want to discuss this topic!

Best of luck!

P.S. Bakersfield is NOT near the Bay Area at all, despite what a previous post states. I think they may have meant Stockton or Modesto, since they sure seem the same as Bakersfield once you have been there!

[SF_RescueNinja]

I can understand why you would be turned off a bit by the students taking pre-req classes but I don't think it's fair to base off any Nursing program on just that. I went to UCIrvine and a CC and planning to do an ADN at a CC and BS/MSN at a CSU/UC. I'm looking into doing a nursing program in the Bay as well and have relied on NCLEX pass rates and student experiences. If any prior or current nursing students do have any from the bay, I'd really appreciate your experience with the program and overall professors, student interest and support, etc.

[SF_RescueNinja]

P.S. Bakersfield is NOT near the Bay Area at all, despite what a previous post states. I think they may have meant Stockton or Modesto, since they sure seem the same as Bakersfield once you have been there!

I agree! Bakersfield is FARRRR from the Bay!