If you could go anywhere in the country for nursing school...

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Hello all,

Like so many others on this site, I'm trying to decide where to go to nursing school. I've considered local options, but my wife and I have been discussing moving away from our hometown, and we think this seems like a good juncture to do so. So I've decided to open my horizons to pretty much anywhere in the country. So where would you go if you could choose anywhere? Here's my scenario:

I'm 25, male, living in Missouri, I hold a bachelors in accounting, am married to a CPA, and am taking pre-reqs for nursing school, planning on beginning a nursing program Jan 2012. In my hometown, Springield, MO, there is a community college and a state university, as well as two hospital programs. I had been planning on applying to one of the hospital programs, an accelerated BSN for about $28,000. A couple of advantages are that most graduates are offered jobs at the hospital, and the hospital offers some student-loan forgiveness. I know the NCLEX passage rate is high, and graduates are offered jobs at excellent hospitals in the region. In all, this program seems like a no-brainer for my situation.

However, part of the reason for me becoming a nurse is so that my wife and I are less attached to our home town and can move to another city if we choose. So lately we've entertained the idea of moving to go to nursing school rather than waiting till after. So while choosing a school is the main concern, choosing a city where we'd like to live is just as important.

My wife and I have lived in our fair city our whole lives and fear we may never leave it. We'd like to move somewhere where we can "get a bit of culture" and get away from the midwest, perhaps the northeast, maybe NYC, perhaps the northwest. My wife should be able to find a good job while I'm in school, and I am open to a quick accelerated BSN program or an ASN program. I really don't want to spend 3 years in a university BSN program. I also want to avoid out of state tuition, either through scholarship or maybe a private hospital program where there is not out of state tuition.

Really, I have a blank canvas, but characteristics such as a great program, a good value, a cool city, beautiful country, program incentives, perhaps programs that are particularly male-friendly, these are things that could give me direction. My wife and I would like to be adventuresome and this seems like a good time to try something new. If we can't find a good fit, we'll likely stay in our hometown where I will go to nursing school. Baby-making years will soon be upon us, we'll become more attached to our hometown, and we likely won't ever leave.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

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University of Miami (Florida)!

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Specializes in ICU.

If your wife is working, stay put until you finish school. After you finish you can take the NCLEX in any state you want to work in. It would be very stressful to start nursing school and you and your wife be unemployed at first. Relocating to a new area is added stress you won't need when you start nursing school also.

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University of Miami (Florida)!

Is there a reason why? ;)

I'd go to either University of Texas, or Arizona State

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The first thing I thought about before even opening this thread was "culture" and where I could get the most of it. Then I read your situation and saw that you too wanted to be exposed to a lot of different cultures outside of Missiouri. Why not opt for CA? I currently live in CA and seriously, it's a completely different world. Los Angeles and San Diego are extremely diverse but because I have lived in Southern CA all my life I'm hping to get into San Francisco to experience life up there. It is absoloutely gorgeous plus there is a HUGE trauma 1 center there....being that there are not many hospitals in San Francisco and a lot of major situations get moved to one central hospital (hence lots of experience). I'm also looking at New York. Being on the other side of the country would be extremely different but the endless experiences and life chaning opportunites would be all worth it. Think about how much you could network in a larger city. Plus all of the cultures that are present in a big city really would be the melting pot experience I think you're looking for.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Rehab.

Wow, you have quite a few things to balance out in that decision, where to go, find the wife a job, find a place to live, apply and get accepted into a program and you have no family support in the new city. Good Luck. I think I would hang in MO for a few more years and finish up a program there. As others have said you can then figure out where you want to go. In the interim, you and your wife can plan some trips to check out different areas and generally do some research on things like cost of living, average weather, daily commutes and that sort of thing. Being a nurse is a very mobile skill, you can go just about anywhere once you have your license. But I would be hesitant to want to pick up and move with so many things in flux.

But if you are dead set on moving, I would look at VA, NC and FL as good states where the cost of living isn't as high as other states.

Good Luck with your decision.

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Maryland has quite a few RN program and 4 BSN programs around Baltimore(UMB, CSU, TU and JHU), 2 in the top 11 as ranked by US News (I know its not the best measure, but its all we have). Arizona State gives pref to in college applicants now so that will be hard to get into.

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SF State....because I couldn't afford to live in SF unless it was in a dorm.

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Interesting. If I could, I would go back home to Northern Michigan and attend Northern Michigan University's Nursing program, but I just don't have the money for a University education right now. I am getting ready to start a program through a CC in Seattle instead. Very competitive on the West coast I have found. I dont blame you for wanting to get away from MO. I lived in Saint Joseph for a bit. Yikes. lol. : )

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New York City. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.

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1. DUKE 2. Temple

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Salisbury University in MD has a very-high pass rate for the NCLEX-RN Exam! Good Luck! :)

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