Does it matter what nursing school you go to?

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  1. Would you transfer to the better Nursing Program?

    • 4
      Yes
    • 2
      No

6 members have participated

I have a decision to make on whether to stay in the current program I am in or transfer to a better program. I'm in my 1st semester of nursing school and I'm doing well in the program I am in, but I know it's not the greatest program in the world. So my question is, does it really matter what program you go to, as long as you do well in the program and graduate? I keep thinking, "Upon graduation, will I be prepared to take care of patients efficiently if I stay in this current program?" The program I am in now is close to home, and if I were to travel and transfer to the better program (which is hands down, a better program), it will put financial strain on our family and be hard on us, but if going to this program could make me a more efficient nurse upon graduation, I would make that sacrifice. I just don't know if it is even worth it in the end, because I have heard you learn most things after you graduate and start working as a nurse, so my question is, does it really matter where you graduate from? Would you transfer to a better program if you had the opportunity? Or would you stay put at the current program you are in because you will learn so much more once you graduate and start working. By the way, both programs NCLEX results are nearly the same. The only huge difference is the better program has a higher student retention rate than the program I am currently in.

NICU Guy, BSN, RN

4,161 Posts

Specializes in NICU.

If both have high NCLEX pass rates (>85%) then it doesn't matter. You might want to talk to a nurse recruiter at a hospital that you are interested in working at and ask them the same question. They may give you some insight as to how your current program is perceived by hiring managers.

TurkeyPotPie

7 Posts

Honestly if NCLEX passing rates are the same I wouldn't be worried about it. You do learn a lot in the field from what I hear, and in the 2 clinicals and 3 screeenings I've done, I can tell thats where you set everything in stone. You'll be a great nurse either way! If you truly want to move to "the better program" go for it! It's really about what you want. Who you are as a nurse really depends on the kind of person you are and how much you put into your program. Best of luck!

llg, PhD, RN

13,469 Posts

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

It depends on the programs. How much better is the one than the other -- a lot? or just a little? Do your local employers favor graduates from one program over the other? If so, by how much and is there anything you can do to overcome that.

There are some schools in my area that my hospital will not hire new grads from -- almost never. Is the school you are going to as bad as one of those? I don't know.

Find out from your local sources whether the job opportunities are OK for the graduates of the cheaper, easier school. If you are happy with those opportunities (meaning that local employers are satisfied with the quality of the graduates), then it is probably OK to go there. However, if local employers don't like to hire those new grads -- transfer.

Scuba_NurseBSN

56 Posts

Yes it does sort of. As long as NCLEX pass rates are good then stay. Also is it ADN or BSN? You can get your ADN first then go to a better school online for BSN. Personally, from what I have heard (I am in the second best nursing program in my state) that students that graduate from my school have no problem finding jobs. When it comes to employment students from other schools may have a leg up on you. But that also depends on the job market where you live. Nursing school is hard enough, do what works best for you.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN

1 Article; 20,908 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

When my daughter was looking at schools we had 2 well respected programs one ADN with a direct BSN affiliation/acceptance upon graduation and one BSN. They both had good NCLEX. The BSN was better the NCLEX 98% the last 5 years but the ADN/BSN was more expensive although over all shorter.

We chose the straight BSN state school.

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