Central location for ABSN/2nd degree BSN information

Published Dec 16, 2008

3 Posts

I am actually a software engineer, however, my wife has recently decided to return to school to become a nurse (she is current an oncology research assistant with a BA in Biology).

Since I enjoy researching things online, I took up the task of at least making a preliminary list of programs she might be interested in. Thus far, the best centralized list of information I've found is a PDF from AACN that simply lists the schools with accelerated BSN programs. This is completely insufficient.

I've gone through the painful process of looking up many of the schools from the list individually and begun to compile important information on each school (e.g., program length, overall GPA requirement, pre-req GPA requirement, science GPA requirement, total cost, etc.).

Thus, my question is, have I overlooked something? Is there a resource I simply haven't come across?

I'm envisioning a simple site, where you can view (with filtering and search) a list of all ABSN programs, as well as the slower paced 2nd degree programs. Essentially, an at-glance view of all programs someone going back to school for nursing (that already has a bachelors) should consider.

Information on each school I think would be helpful:

1. Name

2. Location

3. required overall, pre-req, and/or science GPA(s)

4. # recommendation letters required

5. essay required or not

6. program length

7. previous class NCLEX pass rate (more if possible)

8. previous class GPA range (more if possible)

9. job placement at graduation

10. required entrance exam(s)

11. link to program website

12. top 3 acceptance criterion

13. total cost of program

If such a resource exists, let me know.

If not, I will begin creating it, and would love some suggestions. I think it would help anyone considering going back to get a BSN more quickly create a list of programs they have a realistic shot of attending and save them a lot of time.