Getting Started

Things you will want to know about a school:

-NCLEX pass rate. Is it about the national average/above the national average/below the national average? A school that is about or above the national average is one that prepares its students to pass the exam.

-Local reputation. Are graduates hired by the local facilities? Have they been told not to return to clinical sites?

-Approval status with the state BON. Is it fully approved? On probation?

-Accreditation status with CCNE or ACEN. Some schools require graduation from an accredited program for graduate studies. Some employers in saturated markets are requiring applicants to have graduated from an accredited program. ACEN and CCNE are the two national bodies that accredit nursing programs.

-Type of school. Is it a predatory for-profit school that just wants your money and won't adequately prepare you? Is it a private school that means you're going to go into a lot more debt than you could realistically make in one year as a new nurse?

Things you're going to want to know about the job market before you make a decision on the school you attend:

-In the area where you live and/or want to work, what do job postings state? If it's BSN preferred, an ADN may make the job hunt more difficult. If it's BSN required, it's even more difficult.

-Understand that you may not be able to get a job in your preferred specialty right away. Be willing to either relocate to an area where jobs are available or take a position in one of your non-preferred specialties. Nursing experience in non-preferred specialty = gaining RN experience and an RN paycheck. Holding out for that perfect job = stale new grad without experience.

Moved to prenursing forum