Just out of curiosity, how many you have gone to schools that are not known nationally and have future employers ask about them? How many of you have gone to a school that are top ranked and known nationally and feel like you had a better chance of being hired due to your education?
I will be picking out where I am doing my RN-BSN and eventually my graduate school (my personal goal is DNP) within the next year or 2. I'm an army wife and I always have the possibility of having to move so I don't want to throw myself under a bus if I choose a more locally known, cost-efficient school as opposed to a nationally known, and probably pricier school.
So when it comes down to it, would you rather sacrifice money vs the school name?
It matters at the ends of the spectrum, but not in middle. By that, I mean that if you go to a school with an exceptionally bad reputation it can hurt you -- and if you go to a school with an exceptionally good reputation, it can help you. But if you go to one of the schools in the large "middle range" of perceived quality, it won't matter much -- particularly for degrees beyond your basic entry-level one.
As an army wife who has the potential to move every 2-3 years I can see this being your handicap when looking for a job--you wont be permanent. Is there anyone at the hospital or clinic on base you can talk to? Spouses usually get more "points" when applying for jobs on base and they understand the moving issues better.
I attended a fairly prestigious school and I believe that helped me land my first new grad job in the specialty I wanted. I think in the future it may not be as important as I think experience is overall more important but I think as a new grad in this economy and where I live-where you go to school matters, and leg up from the other applicants you can get is helpful.
Just anFYI... Im planning on getting my Masters, so I choose a less expensive, unknownonline RN-BSN program and decided to save my money for a more prestigious MSNprogram. If you have a master's degree from a University they won't care where you went for your BSN..... I hope!
itsnowornever - Thank you for understanding my handicap! I'm not really sure, but my hubby says that I should be able to get a job on base especially if I have a higher degree such as a NP or DNP as they are probably harder to come by.
katyb213 - Do you mind sharing your school you attended? I really like your perspective and thinking about the economy because I hadn't thought of that! Thank you for your opinions!
rnMomm - I obviously have no experience getting a job as an RN yet, but I'll give you my best educated guess. Have you already gotten a job as an RN prior to your BSN completion? If yes, I don't think it will matter as much. Was it accredited? If no, you may have issues trying to get into a Masters Program simply because they won't take the credits. I'd like to hear other peoples input on this
lig - I didn't want to leave you out before, but totally forgot to add you. What do you consider exceptionally good? The top schools on the U.S. News Nursing Grad School Rankings? What do you consider exceptionally bad?
I'm also noticing that it's almost a 50/50 on the poll. Very interesting. I'd really love to have actual hiring managers to comment on how important your school is or not.
I personally have accreditation on top of my list so I won't have to worry about that. So basically as long as it is ccne or nlnac acc. it doesn't matter whether if I choose a well known or lesser known school?
MLS- I personally am starting with an ADN then working my way up so I can start working sooner and gaining valuable work experience. Also, if I work someplace that will reimburse tuition if I work there during school, I'll be able to save money that way. However, if you choose to get an ADN I strongly encourage you to further your education always. We as nurses are responsible for making sure we are up to date on our knowledge.
Oh I plan on it, but I don't have the educational background right now to go to a university.
An RN is an RN, as long as you don't go to a school that is notoriously easy to get in to just because it's so pricey that nobody wants to go to it, I don't think it really matters where you actually attend school at. Try to pick a school with a good NCLEX pass rate.
You mean those places that advertise on tv when I'm watching Maury Povich?
lig - I didn't want to leave you out before, but totally forgot to add you. What do you consider exceptionally good? The top schools on the U.S. News Nursing Grad School Rankings? What do you consider exceptionally bad?
I'm also noticing that it's almost a 50/50 on the poll. Very interesting. I'd really love to have actual hiring managers to comment on how important your school is or not.
I'm actually involved in hiring. It can hurt you if you go to a school with a particularly bad reputation and help you if you go to a school with a particularly good reputation. Most schools fall in-between those 2 extremes, where it will neither help nor hurt you.
Reputations are often "local" as local cultures vary. The major universities, strong in many different fields are usually a fairly safe choice. So are the ones high on the U.S. News & World Report. The little, new, or for-profit schools are riskier -- and I would stay away from any for-profit that is not regionally accredited by the same organizations that accredit the major universities in the same geographic area -- and stay away from any school that is not accredited by the CCNE or NLNAC. With those schools, your academic credits may not be fully recognized by other schools.
It matters for your first job and maybe for your second job if you have a short tenure at your first. These are the hardest jobs to get and can shape the direction of your career for years. So, yes, it is important.
After that, nobody cares which school you went to, but what degree you earned can often still matter. Going on in your education, whether your school was CCNE/NLN and HLC accredited will matter.
I'm not really sure, but my hubby says that I should be able to get a job on base especially if I have a higher degree such as a NP or DNP as they are probably harder to come by.
llg, PhD, RN
13,469 Posts
It matters at the ends of the spectrum, but not in middle. By that, I mean that if you go to a school with an exceptionally bad reputation it can hurt you -- and if you go to a school with an exceptionally good reputation, it can help you. But if you go to one of the schools in the large "middle range" of perceived quality, it won't matter much -- particularly for degrees beyond your basic entry-level one.