would you enroll here to start sooner

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 13, 2006

no wait list. but...
40% NCLEX pass rate was their highest in recent years
all other local schools have 2-3 year wait lists
you wouldnt fit in socially
other degrees, private schools, etc. are not an option

No. There is a similar school about 2-3 hours away from me. They have a poor pass rate (60% I think) and just received additional grant money. People barely pass classes and get accepted. It is probably open only because it is in the middle of nowhere and the community desperately needs nurses. However, they are not going to take my time or money because I will not spend a day with substandard students.

Even if the education opportunity is good (meaning the instructors and clinical skills taught are excellent), the quality of the student nurses they admit is poor. Therefore, the education experience will be poor as well. :madface:

We all have experienced students who whine and complain when they are expected to meet high standards. Those students also manage to convince teachers that the class is not ready when the problem is the complainer is not ready. Imagine an entire class of students like that!!! :trout:

That is what a group of students who manage a 80% or lower pass rate is made up of... the I-just-want-to-pass-this-class-I-will-worry-about-knowing-the-information-later, and Why-does-this-have-to-be-so-hard-just-pass-me types. :uhoh3:

Cerebrum · Aug 13, 2006

cerebrum: do you know such a link for ny? i'm curious now :)

[color=plum]sorry, i spent the last hour looking... i really bugs me... like peanut butter stuck to your hard palate that just won't come off....

the state of new york is so damn secretive...

all you find in nursing schools or programs talking about their pass rates...

how can i trust their numbers?

new york board of nursing can easily provide the information cause they are the ones that grant the licenses! pathetic!

lazy staff or they have something to hide (someone is pressuring them to keep it secret to keep enrollment up).... sad...

looked at the department of eduaction... what a mess...

and ncsbn...

sorry, the taliban controls the info!:angryfire

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Aug 13, 2006

Cerebrum: LOL! Yep, I had Googled all kinds of things, trying to find the right combination of key words to get that info....the same info that the SBON should have readily available, right?

All I've ever found is the pass rates for individual schools, and even THEN I don't know that I'd trust them. There's a college not too far from me that boasts a 96% passage rate on the NCLEX, but only after you ask how many pass the FIRST time WITHOUT a review course (or courses) do you find out it's really more like 40% as well! Sorry, but that doesn't cut it. Glad to find that you can eventually get almost all your students through the NCLEX, but I don't need that kind of substandard education to worry about come NCLEX time!

Ah well.....thank you for your effort; I guess I was hoping you had that Magic Link that's been eluding me for some time now :)

Nurse-To-Be-Joy · Aug 13, 2006

There's probably a reason WHY there is no wait list. Only a 40% pass rate? I'd stay far, far away.

NoWaNrN, ASN, RN · Aug 13, 2006

Where exactly did you get the 40%? I was just wondering because the school I went to always has like a 96-98% passing rate but in 2005 the BON says it only had a 50% passing rate because of the way classes fell only 4 people took boards during this time (people who graduated put off testing for a long time) so really only 2 people failed but that doesn't look good for the yearly rate. Also that really will drop the 5 yr passing rate so you might want to look into that. But some places are just plain BAD. If you dont think you will fit in socially that is going to call for a long time and you will dread going to school and that lowers your chance of success.

Cerebrum · Aug 13, 2006

Where exactly did you get the 40%? I was just wondering because the school I went to always has like a 96-98% passing rate but in 2005 the BON says it only had a 50% passing rate because of the way classes fell only 4 people took boards during this time (people who graduated put off testing for a long time) so really only 2 people failed but that doesn't look good for the yearly rate. Also that really will drop the 5 yr passing rate so you might want to look into that. But some places are just plain BAD. If you dont think you will fit in socially that is going to call for a long time and you will dread going to school and that lowers your chance of success.

California Board of Nursing website:

http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/passrates.htm

Look for Compton... I see a crappy trend... look at the figure of test takers and ratio of pass rate...

The OP is from California

shock-me-sane · Aug 14, 2006

how can a school stay accredited with those pass rates?

br107 · Aug 20, 2006

okay...compton officially the list.

(as if i were ever really considering them...:chuckle )

what about this...to get in sooner...

(this one I actually am considering...)

private school
2-yr adn tuition @ $46k
most recent nclex pass rate @ 65%
average for 4 years before that @ 78%
location, social factors, etc. all okay
would start spring 2007
have to fuss with letters of recommendation, etc.
commute is 40 minutes longer than closest program A
i am eligible for (but not interested in) entryMSN, xcelBSN programs which cost 1/2 or 1/3 as much as this private ADN

compared to top 2 choices that have me waitlisted:

program A = neighborhood CC; tuition is insignificant; 94% pass rate; expected start date spring 2008
program B = 2nd closest kind of local CC; tuitition is insignificant; commute time 20 minutes more than A; 97% pass rate; expected start date fall 2007
Private program starts me 1 year sooner than A, 1 semester sooner than B
Private program is 44k+ more expensive than A or B

br107 · Aug 20, 2006

also...

low estimate for 1 year working as RN: $52,4160

....(28/hr x 36hr/wk x 52 weeks/ yr)

ie, cost for waiting 1 year

low estimate for 6 mos working as RN: $26,208

ie, cost for waiting 1 semester

expected gas cost differential compared to A: @ $2070, ttl 2 yrs

NRSNFL · Aug 20, 2006

br107-

I like the way you are very methoidical in your thought process regarding this decision, personally, I'd go with option B. It will cut some of the time off, get your in your program, the commute really isn't that big of a deal (well to me, but I commute 50 min to work so who am I) yet gets you going sooner so you don't suffer loss of income from not working. Do you agree or disagree?

br107 · Aug 21, 2006

I agree that what youre saying is correct. Do I agree that its the course I should follow or the best compromise - not sure...cant decide. Though it is what I'm inclined to do. There are other factors though. For example, I found that the private $chool does clinicals at hospitals that are generally "better rated" and with communities/populations I'm most interested in; not to mention one of them is the hospital I'd like to work at. So maybe better education/experience/networking for me. (Or is it? 65% pass rate, remember). The local school (A) iswhere I'd like to go most, but most of their clinic sites are not even the local hospitals, which I'd also be interested in. Weird.

br107 · Aug 23, 2006

nrsnfl,

i've been doing alot of really geeky quantitatve analyses and it turns out that out of 12 schools (i even included a couple of BSN programs just for the hell of it) option B is my best overall bet.

good call! :yeah: