Best Texas Nursing Schools

Chapis · Dec 24, 2009

sorry, cannot help you there. i do not know the rankings. i live in amarillo, and i will be attending ac in the spring, and it is an adn program, 5 semesters long. are you looking to do a absn?

merry christmas

shepherdgirl · Dec 28, 2009

I'm not sure. I'm looking at a lot of different programs. I've even considered direct-entry masters, as I said, but I don't think its for me. I've looked a lot at UT School of Nursing in Houston, but it occurred to me that I have no idea how employers regard it. I don't need the most prestigious school or anything, but if I'm going to put in the time and work, I want it to be at a decent school. At UT SoN I think I would do the traditional BSN simply because I would be done with my prereqs in time to start in the Spring, and the Accelerated program only starts in the Summer, so I would finish at the same time. I'm also looking at Texas Women's, and UTMB Galveston. Do you (or anyone) know anything about these programs? While an official ranking list would be helpful, it would also be awesome just to have any information about what these schools are like, or if anyone would suggest another good program.

Good luck in the Spring by the way!!! Its so exciting to be starting something new!

Merry Christmas!!! And thanks for the reply!

Miz_Que · Dec 28, 2009

You can always check the Texas Board of Nursing for information. The have a pdf file on their website that gives you the NCLEX pass rate for the last few years. That, at least, would give you an idea of how well the school prepares their nurses.

I have 2 bachelor degrees in unrelated fields and am currently taking my prerequisites at Austin Community College. I then plan to apply to UT's alternate entry MSN for my RN. I am sure their are some community colleges around Houston that are great and what I really like about them is that they are easily accessible for people with full time jobs or families. The only downside I can see for myself for UT is that there is no online option for the School of Nursing (ACC has one) and this will creat childcare issues I will have to work around.

Before you make your final decision on which nursing degree to pursue, think about your career goals. If you wish to move into advanced practice nursing or go on to be a nurse educator, you will need a masters degree. Since you are receiving your Bachelor degree very soon anyway, there is no reason for you to go for the ADN or BSN if, in the end, you will want a MSN anyway.

Miz_Que

shepherdgirl · Dec 29, 2009

Miz - thanks for your advice! I am taking my prereqs at community college as well (Lonestar) and they're pretty good and easy to deal with. I'm curious as to your reasoning on the advanced practice nursing. I had understood that the UT program did not make you a nurse practitioner (or maybe that was just in my possible areas of interest?). The reason it didn't seem like the best option for me was 1) my undergrad GPA is not good AT ALL, but on the otherhand I haven't taken hardly any prereqs at all since I went to a private school. So, basically I feel like I would be an unlikely candidate. I'm pretty confident I could do well on the GRE though, so who knows (I don't really know how they weight things). It just seems like a lot of uncertainties, and since its the only program of its kind in this area as far as I can tell, it seems risky or I don't know. 2) the focuses seem like they are all in admin or teaching, and not in actual nursing work, so it seemed to me like it wouldn't be the best path to being an NP. If I'm wrong here, I'd love to know .

Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing more about this. Good luck with your prereqs! I am definitely going to check out that website, and maybe I'll post my findings for others. Thanks!!! This is so helpful.

brownberrry · Dec 29, 2009

as far as rankings go every school will claim that there are the best. if your looking for options in Houston there are tons of options utmb, twu, prairie view and im sure there are much more. In the end the best school is the one you get accepted to after all they all take the same nclex at the end of the program. hope that helps. ps if your looking for an accelerated program there is one at texas tech that is one year long and is has an online componet.

Miz_Que · Dec 29, 2009

Miz - thanks for your advice! I am taking my prereqs at community college as well (Lonestar) and they're pretty good and easy to deal with. I'm curious as to your reasoning on the advanced practice nursing. I had understood that the UT program did not make you a nurse practitioner (or maybe that was just in my possible areas of interest?). The reason it didn't seem like the best option for me was 1) my undergrad GPA is not good AT ALL, but on the otherhand I haven't taken hardly any prereqs at all since I went to a private school. So, basically I feel like I would be an unlikely candidate. I'm pretty confident I could do well on the GRE though, so who knows (I don't really know how they weight things). It just seems like a lot of uncertainties, and since its the only program of its kind in this area as far as I can tell, it seems risky or I don't know. 2) the focuses seem like they are all in admin or teaching, and not in actual nursing work, so it seemed to me like it wouldn't be the best path to being an NP. If I'm wrong here, I'd love to know .
Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing more about this. Good luck with your prereqs! I am definitely going to check out that website, and maybe I'll post my findings for others. Thanks!!! This is so helpful.

With the alternate entry masters (AE MSN), you are not able to obtain a nurse practitioner certificate at the completion of the program. However, after working full time for a few years as an RN, you can apply for the certificate program to be come a nurse practitioner (NP). It is my understanding that this certificate program is not a 2 year long program since you have already completed their Masters program (you would just be taking the nurse practitioner classes/clinicals). If you decide to complete your BSN first, and then pursue your Masters after working full time for a few years, you would be able to practice as a NP.

I agree that, at first glance, UT's specializations were not too appealing for the AE MSN. I think it's simply because we are not eligible to take the NP classes since we are not yet RN's. I will probably chose a focus in public health since I have no desire to be in admin. Teaching is something I may evetually get into, but I would prefer to work full time first, so the public health focus is a better fit for me.

If your undergrad GPA is low, that may hinder your acceptance into UT. If I remember correctly, they look at your upper level class GPA and not your GPA as a whole. They also look at your prerequesite GPA. They are looking for a 3.0 in order to apply. Can you bring your GPA up to a 3.0 with the prereq's?

As for the GRE, I took it once in 1993 and I did not prepare for it (meaning I did not take any prep classes or study for it). I made a 948, which I don't think is very good for someone fresh out of college! I have to retake it since it's more than 5 years old, but this time I am studying for it. You can purchase study guides to help you prepare and there are also a few free online quizzes to see where you stand.

Good luck!

Miz Que