Great nursing schools

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2014

Great nursing programs produce horrible nurses, too.

No matter how 'great' the nursing program is, you will always have nurses who graduate from these nursing schools who do less than the minimum, lack basic knowledge, and are generally dangerous at the bedside.

A great nursing program doesn't create a great nurse. Rather, a great work ethic, curiosity, and a thirst for lifelong learning are some of the ingredients that create a great nurse.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2014

All true, but it is also true that overall, better schools produce better education. And better education means, in the long run, better nursing.

There are a number of metrics looking at nursing school quality. None is definitive if taken in isolation. However, if their prerequisites for application to the nursing program are strict (SATs, prerequisite science GPA, etc.), if their application to acceptance ratio is very high, if a high percentage of graduates pass the NCLEX on their first try, and a high percentage of their graduates are employed, these are all good indications of a solid program. Also look at faculty qualifications and course requirements for graduation. You don't want the easiest program if you are looking for the best ones.

Your responsibility in this process is to get excellent grades before you apply, and to do your due diligence by visiting, discussing the program with the admissions counselors, speaking with students who are in the program and who have graduated recently, and looking up the above statistics.

Good luck in whatever you decide!