How to tell if your school sucks

FNP2bMRL3 · Feb 1, 2016

For me, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation is the ONLY thing that mattered! CCNE is a national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate and graduate education programs in preparing effective nurses.

The rest of it is all relative and subjective relating to an individual's learning style. They all teach the SAME curriculum. Most all of them make you secure your own preceptors regardless of whether it's an online school or not. So the bottom line is your opinion is just that. There is NO "special" teacher alive that will help you pass the AANP or the ANCC if you do not take responsibility for your own learning. There is NO "special" school in existence that will help prepare for your first day on the job as an NP if you do not take the responsibility for your own learning. These truths are self-evident and debates to the contrary are intellectual laziness.

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 1, 2016

CCNE accreditation is a good thing to have -- and I wouldn't go to a school that was not accredited ... but it is no guarantee that the school is good. A lot of bad schools are accredited.

FNP2bMRL3 · Feb 1, 2016

CCNE accreditation is a good thing to have -- and I wouldn't go to a school that was not accredited ... but it is no guarantee that the school is good. A lot of bad schools are accredited.

What is a "bad" school anyway? That is an opinion and is subjective to the owner. I can attend any "bad" school, graduate and be just as prepared as any other student for the first day of work as an NP. I think what some people do is develop feelings that they paid too much and equate the price difference with the feelings that the school is no better than a cheaper school. If you want to have a talk about schools being overpriced then I might be open to hearing your side. But no one can make you learn if you don't want to. As long as they teach the same curriculum you can't make a claim they are worse or better? It's all subjective relating to your learning style.

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Feb 3, 2016

You do realize that a lot of schools are moving towards having students secure their own preceptors? The local university that costs 2x as much requires students to obtain their own preceptors.

MursingMedic, DNP, RN, EMT-P · Feb 3, 2016

While I agree with some of the items on your list, I also sense a level of hostility or resentment to some of the programs or people who apply to said programs which aren't as selective as others.

One point id like to bring up is the GRE. Some schools shy away from it in order to attract a larger applicant pool. It doesn't necessarily make their selection process easier. UW is the 5th highest ranked NP program in the nation with the 7th best AGNP track. They don't require the GRE and are extremely selective with a less than 20% acceptance rate.

Generalizations based on personal opinion can be caustic. I'm sure there are some who are proud to be in any program only because it allows them to attempt to fulfill a dream while still working full time. Who knows? Not everyone has the same opportunity.

Conqueror+, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2016

This thread reminds me of a nurse I work with. She admitted to just doing enough to pass in her BSN program because she thought she would never want an advanced degree. Three years later she realized she was wrong. Obviously her 2.6 will not get her into a top program. When I questioned her she said " I'm not dumb, I was just lazy". Now that she wants her FNP, she decided on a local pay to play school and said she will "fight for her career after she graduates since she didn't do it in undergrad". She is kinda like a walking Taber's so I think she will actually be ok. Just another angle to consider.

Conqueror+, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2016

I'd rather eat at the crappy table by the kitchen door inside than be pressed up against the widow standing on the sidewalk outside. But that's just me.

JJJ10 · Feb 26, 2016

Accreditation is what matters most. Don't be so irrational and closed minded. You can have a super methodical book-nerd graduate from a top class program with awesome grades, but lack confidence and common sense despite a high grade education. Inversely you can have a self-thought, higly motivated and whitty individual who will self teach and comprehend complex paradigms while going to a school that sucks. What's stupid is accruing massive debt. That I disagree on!