Does prestige of program matter?

FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP · May 29, 2020

1 hour ago, ad2020 said:
Never mind it isn't letting me send one. Basically I was just wondering what your experience was like. I know it's a direct entry masters program but I am 100% certain that my career goal is to eventually work as an NP. I know there may be some benefit to attending a less expensive community college but was your experience there still overall positive?

Well, I did one of the last ABSN programs, then into the Hopkins MSN NP program. Yes, my experience was positive. Hopkins is a great school. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who can go for a reasonable cost. Good luck!

blueskiesandsunshine.prn · May 29, 2020

On 5/28/2020 at 4:39 PM, FullGlass said:
So, if you are worried about passing the NCLEX, and want to save money, the best choice is an ADN program, hands down. Then do an RN bridge program, which your employer will probably pay for.

Quick side note. In my state at least, the first time NCLEX pass rates in 2019 for ADN and BSN programs were 85% and 92%, respectively. So I would contend that this is not always true but of course can depend on location!

How 2 Become a Nurse, BSN, RN · May 31, 2020

On 5/19/2020 at 6:15 PM, ad2020 said:
I just graduated college but I am looking to get a second degree in nursing. I would like to apply to an ABSN program, work for a few years and then go back to NP school. I guess I'm wondering if there is a huge difference in the education and opportunities offered at the big-name schools such as Emory or Duke or if it's all just branding and cost. Any advice or opinions would be appreciated!

@ad2020

No! Avoid un-accredited and poor schools. But go to the cheapest, accredited, reputable school you can find. Once you get your first job it's all about experience. Higher education may matter, but your BSN doesn't matter. This isn't business, it's nursing.

Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2020

On 5/19/2020 at 9:15 PM, ad2020 said:
it's all just branding and cost.

Unless you play football for the Aggi team it dont mean a hill of beans to a dedicated bedside nurse.It might apply in the boardroom with the pumps and pearls crew but as the french once said "upside down ,all women look alike."

FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP · Jun 8, 2020

3 hours ago, Leader25 said:
Unless you play football for the Aggi team it dont mean a hill of beans to a dedicated bedside nurse.It might apply in the boardroom with the pumps and pearls crew but as the french once said "upside down ,all women look alike."

Sorry, but the program does matter to some employers. Bedside nurses don't make hiring decisions. Supervisors do. Hiring managers do look at what school a new grad nurse went to.

You also assume all nursing grads want to be bedside nurses forever. That is simply not true. Many nursing grads aspire to become an NP, health executive, nursing school professor, public policy official, and so forth.

I just don't get why so many nurses on this forum pooh pooh going to a good school. I want the best! I think I deserve it!

I bet a lot of you want "brand name" stuff. Yet you don't want to go to the best school? What is the wiser choice - the best education you can get versus paying extra to have some corporate logo plastered on one's butt, back, etc?

HandsOffMySteth · Jun 9, 2020

On 5/19/2020 at 8:58 PM, ad2020 said:
Can I ask what school's might have bad reputations? I feel like it's been easy to find schools that have strong programs, but harder to find ones to avoid.

Per the TOS we cannot single out a school or program and tell you about how bad they are.

If you go to a prestige or ivy you can wear a nice sweatshirt and have a nice degree on your wall, but that is where it ends. IMHO not worth 100k.

FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP · Jun 10, 2020

4 hours ago, juniper222 said:
Per the TOS we cannot single out a school or program and tell you about how bad they are.
If you go to a prestige or ivy you can wear a nice sweatshirt and have a nice degree on your wall, but that is where it ends. IMHO not worth 100k.

You keep thinking that if it makes you feel better. But you are wrong. And guess what, the people who get into the top schools hardly ever pay full price, as I have repeatedly explained, due to generous financial aid and the increased likelihood of winning outside scholarships. You know who does pay $100K? People who go to for-profit crappy schools that charge ridiculous prices that saddle graduates with crippling debt.

HandsOffMySteth · Jun 10, 2020

24 minutes ago, FullGlass said:
You keep thinking that if it makes you feel better. But you are wrong. And guess what, the people who get into the top schools hardly ever pay full price, as I have repeatedly explained, due to generous financial aid and the increased likelihood of winning outside Scholarships. You know who does pay $100K? People who go to for-profit crappy schools that charge ridiculous prices that saddle graduates with crippling debt.

For the most part it won't make a hill of beans difference to the place of employment as long as you went to an accredited school. That being said a prestige school will give you a much higher quality of education absolutely!

I had to go to a community college and it has many shortcomings but for a much cheaper price. I do know people that went to an ivy and paid close to 100k. You are quite correct about scholarships and grants but those will not cover that much of the tuition and they are not guaranteed.

I would tell anyone to stay away from those "instant" crappy schools where you pay more than a community college for certain. If attending an ivy is worth it to you then go for it. Will it give you an advantage seeking employment? No.

londonflo · Jun 30, 2020

On 5/27/2020 at 9:36 AM, TheDudeWithTheBigDog said:
Most schools will give you a couple attempts, but they won't send your information to the state unless you score high enough.
So what's this mean? You have a 98% graduation rate and a 98% NCLEX pass rate. Sounds like a great school. But when you look into the numbers, 49 out of 50 students graduated. But 10 graduates got below the minimum on their exit exam. So only 39 of those students were allowed to sit for their boards

This information is erroneous. If you graduate, your information goes to the State Board. If a school does not find you meet the requirements for graduation (for example - missing a 3 credit English course, not achieving the Exit Exam score) You do not graduate until that is remedied. I have known students who didn't complete courses that were required but were not prerequisites - the English course is an example and this was picked up when they applied for graduation. (This is WHY you apply for graduation so they can check you have met all the requirements) That student, not yet a graduate took the English course the next semester and then graduated. (Now because of computer record keeping programs, this probably would be caught earlier). For not achieving a certain score on an Exit Exam, the student is usually allowed a second chance prior to graduation and then if remediation is necessary, that is planned for expediently so that the student can graduate and take NCLEX ASAP. A new class of students is coming in. We need to graduate everyone who finished. BTW NCLEX scores are calculated for the college by the BON either quarterly or semiannually. They are reported as annual scores on the BON site. Usually, if a student has to remediate, their test outcome will be rolled into the other scores of their classmates. . Some students do not take the test promptly - say they are getting married and not sure if they are moving etc. Sometimes those get reported in another quarter.

I will say that the school I taught for moved away from EXIT Exams. Instead we used a system such as ATI that offered a test after each major area of study so a student was aware of strengths and areas to approve. Some potential students who may fail are the ones who are failing most tests in a course and bring up their grade to eck a pass on a couple of the last tests and final. If they have a pattern of doing this,like every semester, there may be holes in their knowledge base. If they are evaluated as having a minimal amount of knowledge for each course it becomes a major problem at NCLEX time. Another way a student passes a course is their paperwork is great but tests not so great.

Sorry I wrote so much..I just want to give the complete facts and this area of graduation versus remediation is often cited incorrectly on these boards.