Diploma Program ?

krisssy · Apr 13, 2006

Years ago, they had diploma programs where you would live at the hospital and get a diploma in three years. I guess they still have some, but most nursing schools used to be like that. The hands on experience was great. You got great clinical experience. An AD program is a two year program where you get an AD, and a BS program is a four year program where you get a BSN. I went to a 4 year program and got a BSN. If I had it to do all over again, I would go to the diploma program first to get good clinical experience. Then I would go to a progrram for RNs to get a BS degree. Krisssy PS There are not many diploma programs left, but I think the experience they gave you was invaluable. They would have students running the floors by their senior year.

suzanne4, RN · Apr 13, 2006

I graduated from a hospital based Diploma program, and am extremely proud of that. I would not have traded my clinical training for anything else.

elkpark · Apr 14, 2006

I graduated from a hospital based Diploma program, and am extremely proud of that. I would not have traded my clinical training for anything else.

Ditto.

And it wasn't just the clinical training -- years later, when I went through a BSN-completion program, I found the BSN program was pretty much a joke because literally every subject they presented/covered except public health nursing (which wasn't mentioned at all in my diploma program) had been presented/taught better in my diploma program. The BSN completion was just an annoying "hoop" I had to jump through in order to be able to go to grad school ...

krisssy · Apr 14, 2006

You know how things keep fading out and coming back? It happens in education a lot. For instance, phonics and the whole language approach keep changing places in the realm of what is better at the specific time.

Do you think hospital nursing schools followed by college will ever come back?

Krisssy

SueNYC · Apr 14, 2006

I love and appreciate all the responses but simply I want to know will I be able to walk away from a diploma program saying I have my associates in nursing or will i only have the opportunity to get my rn license?

suzanne4, RN · Apr 14, 2006

Each program is different, you will have to get that information from the school directly.

You will only get the ADN if it is offered by your school.

Back in the dark days when I attended school, I already had my BS, so it did not matter to me where I went, and I chose the Diploma program for the best clinical training. And it has never made a difference as to what I have wanted to do. The clinical training that I received was the best that was around.........and that was the most important to me. The thing that made it stand out was that the instructors were full-time employees of the hospital, and so even with other nursing programs doing their training there, we got the best of the patients, etc., to selelct from. Our instructors were not guest visitors coming in.........................