Does the University you get your BSN from matter?

AngelMama · Feb 24, 2015

Hi Sarah, if you can get an athletic or academic scholarship, look at Case Western's Francis Payne Bolton school of nursing :)

OUxPhys, BSN, RN · Feb 25, 2015

I wouldnt waste money on Case. It doesnt matter if you get your degree from any of those schools you listed above, all that matters is that you have that BSN.

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Feb 25, 2015

I have a slightly different take. Your job and salary prospects are considerably enhanced if your degree is from one of the Ivy's (Penn, Yale, etc), Ivy-equivalents (e. g. Stanford, Johns Hopkins) or some of the "state Ivy's" (UVA, maybe UMich).

These schools, perhaps numbering 30 in total, are perceived as top-tier by many and in my experience, grads from them typically find getting jobs and moving up the ladder much easier. Again in my experience, it doesn't seem to much matter if your degree is from elsewhere - OU, Ball State or any of the hundreds of schools not in the categories above. I readily admit that I have no hard data to back these assertions up.

So the answer to your question about whether it matters where your degree is from is a heavily qualified "yes." If you can go to one of the perceived elite schools, you should certainly do it, if for no other reason than the robust alumni network they offer. If, like thousands of us, you can't, then pretty much any school with both regional (Middle States, North Central States, etc) and national (e. g., CCNE) accreditation is as good as any other. Full disclosure: Bobcat BSN.

HOPEforRNs, ADN, BSN, MSN · Feb 26, 2015

Look at OSU... They are VERY well received nationally for top tier lobs and new grad residencies. However, if you get scholarships somewhere, take it. Large debt isn't worth the name of a school. It'll only matter for that first job and even then, it's not all they care about. Just make sure the program has both national (CCNE or ACEN) and regional accreditation.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Feb 28, 2015

As a parent and nurse, take the money where you can get it! All the schools you are looking at are good. One of my kids is in OU's program and loves it, one of my nieces is at Akron and loves it too.

Make sure you visit the campuses, you will figure out if it is a good fit. You may prefer a smaller campus over a bigger one.

anh06005, MSN, APRN, NP · Feb 28, 2015

As others have said I'd go where the scholarships are.

If the school offering the scholarship is accredited, has good NCLEX pass rates, and you like the campus then GO! It's so nice to graduate with minimal debt. Because of that I was able to buy my first house within a year of graduation.

NicuRN628 · May 17, 2015

Check out Walsh University. I was told in all of my interviews that they chose to interview me because I had my degree from Walsh, it is arguably the best nursing program in the state. I also received a job offer from every interview I went on, and ultimately got my dream job. It's also a D2 school so you can get athletic scholarships which saved me a lot of money.

mindofmidwifery, ADN · May 20, 2015

Definitely try for OSU :) one of the top universities in the country

guest901464 · May 29, 2015

From talking with friends who are students and also nurses currently working...Mount Carmel has a wonderful program. I was told that OSU medical center actually prefers to hire Mount Carmel grads of their own.

HOPEforRNs, ADN, BSN, MSN · May 29, 2015

From talking with friends who are students and also nurses currently working...Mount Carmel has a wonderful program. I was told that OSU medical center actually prefers to hire Mount Carmel grads of their own.

I'm faculty at OSU and I used to work at the Medical Center. From my experiences, OSU med center loves to hire their own. Granted they put out great graduates. But the favoring is pretty major. I personally wasn't a huge fan of being a nurse at OSU. I'm much happier teaching and working bedside at OhioHealth.