Does it matter...?

[salarany]

does it matter what school you go to for nursing? do hospitals look at your school and does that have any weight in getting a job?

[guiltysins]

Not really. They all follow similar cirriculum. However, private universities are more expensive but usually have easier admissions than the public schools and community colleges. Some people will believe that going to NYU means you have a better shot at getting a job but it really doesn't matter if you went to NYU, Hunter or Bronx Community College as long as you pass your boards and become registered. The only thing I could think of as far as a hospital looking at the school is if they've have a SIGNIFICANT number of nurses graduate from that school that they personally felt were ill prepared but I don't think that happens too much.

The only thing that matters when it comes to school is to make sure it's accredited. As for the individual it does make a difference. Most people want a college with helpful faculty, an organized administration and has a consistent NCLEX pass rate. These are things that a hospital won't look at but a nursing student will to help them with their decision of which school to pick.

Personally, I chose to go to a private school because it fit me better. The public school I had attended didn't seem all that great to me. The school I go to now was less of a competition and had higher pass rates. Another big thing with nursing schools is the admission. The public school I went to only had fall admission so if you don't get in or don't finish your pre-reqs, you're behind an entire year, while most (not all) private universities have fall and spring admissions. Aside from the obvious economic recession, my friends have had no problem finding jobs, they're just as prepared as nurses of other programs. It just goes by your taste. Some schools have small lectures and some have it where every student in the nursing program have that one class together. I didn't like that so I went for the school that didn't do that.

[salarany]

Thank you for your reply, guiltysins! I appreciate you insight! Do you mind me asking what school you currently go to? I'm going to start applying to nursing programs soon and would love to learn about as many programs as possible. Thanks!

[elkpark]

Sometimes it does matter. If a school has a particularly good or bad reputation in the immediate area, or in the larger region, that may make a difference in someone getting offered a job or not. Nursing administration types in hospitals are usually pretty knowledgeable about the caliber/quality of nursing programs at least in their immediate area, and some schools' good or bad reputation spreads farther than that (statewide or across an entire region of the country). Nursing tends to be a pretty small, interconnected "club," and people within nursing generally have a pretty good idea of what's going on elsewhere in nursing in their neck of the woods.

I know that when I graduated, many years ago, I found that people all over the state commented v. favorably on the school I had attended and let me know that it gave me a definite edge in being hired. Even years after I had graduated, it still made a difference to people that I had attended that particular school. (I didn't know that when I applied -- it was purely dumb luck on my part. :))

I think that may be a bigger factor these days, with the economy so bad, than it has been at times in the past (when, as the old cliché went, anyone with "a pulse and license" could get a job :)). Healthcare employers have many, many applicants for every opening these days, and not only can afford to be v. picky, but have to come up with some way to distinguish among large numbers of new grad applicants. Who went to which school is one way to "narrow the field."

[llg, PhD, RN]

Yes, sometimes it does matter. As elkpark said, if the school has a particularly bad reputation among the people doing the hiring, it can really hurt your chances of being hired there.

Graduating from a school with a really good reputation won't guarantee you a job, but it may get you an interview that someone else might not get.

[salarany]

Hi Elkpark & llg!

thank you both for your replies. elkpark, do you mind me asking which nursing school you went to? I tried to PM you, but for some reason, i do not have the option to do so.

thanks again for both your responses! :)