So, I am a 24-year-old guy who recently realized that the jobs I have been doing recently are both unsatisfying and boring for me, and a recent illness in the family put me in contact with a number of great nurses, and after a couple weeks of spending every day in the hospital, I realized that nursing was something I could do and be happy with. I am now trying to get together a plan of what to do to get me from here (bachelor's degree in graphic design) to there (Nurse Practitioner).
My first thought was to look at the big names. I went to undergraduate school at a pretty fancy private college, and so my reflex was to keep that up. I live in NYC and don't plan on leaving, so I looked at the combined BS/MS programs at NYU and Columbia. I happened to meet on of the administrators of the Columbia School of Nursing through a family friend, and when I mentioned that I was considering his program for nursing school, he gave me an interesting piece of advice - don't go to columbia, it's expensive and you don't come out with any practical advantage over a cheaper state or city program, and it doesn't affect your job placement at all.
Needless to say, I was surprised. I started asking around, and to my surprise, everyone I spoke to, current nurses, professors, even a couple nurses finishing their MSs at Columbia - repeated what the professor said.
So now I find myself confused - where should I be looking for programs to get a BS/MS - I'm lost! People have mentioned a lot of places, and I don't know the pros and cons of any of them! If anyone could shed any light on schools in the NYC area that they have had great or terrible experiences with, that would be spectacular.
I am a firm believer that a higher priced education does not necessarily produce a better RN. If you are looking at run-of the mill provate schools vs. Community COlleges, the education tends to be better at the latter (at least where I live and have taught). The CC's are much more competitive, and because of their costs have many more applicants, and thus are harder to get into. I am not saying the other schools are a breeze (I don't think any nursing program is). But I know the 2 CC's in my area have a reputation as being militant-like.
There are also a few hospital-based nursing programs left in NY, that are less expensive than private schools. That might be worth looking into.
Just remember, wherever you go, you get out of it what you put into it. There are crappy nurses that come out of the 'tougher' schools, and excellent nurses who come out of the 'not so tough' schools.
ReinventingMyselfAgain, MSN, RN
1,954 Posts
I am a firm believer that a higher priced education does not necessarily produce a better RN. If you are looking at run-of the mill provate schools vs. Community COlleges, the education tends to be better at the latter (at least where I live and have taught). The CC's are much more competitive, and because of their costs have many more applicants, and thus are harder to get into. I am not saying the other schools are a breeze (I don't think any nursing program is). But I know the 2 CC's in my area have a reputation as being militant-like.
There are also a few hospital-based nursing programs left in NY, that are less expensive than private schools. That might be worth looking into.
Just remember, wherever you go, you get out of it what you put into it. There are crappy nurses that come out of the 'tougher' schools, and excellent nurses who come out of the 'not so tough' schools.