list of all nursing schools

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · May 15, 2012

Each state's BON (board of nursing) has a list of approved nursing programs listed on their respective websites. Nothing will ever be more legitimate than the website of your state's BON.

OKNurse2be · May 16, 2012

I agree. Check with your states BON ( Board of Nursing ). It's also a great resource to find out how well each school compares with the other schools in terms of NCLEX pass rates and things of that nature. You don't want to consider schools with crappy pass rates. Anything under 90% is unacceptable to me.

elkpark · May 16, 2012

NLNAC and CCNE also list, on their websites, all the schools that are accredited by them. Since there are distinct advantages to attending an NLNAC- or CCNE-accredited program, those are useful resources.

Re: pass rates, IMO it is a mistake to give too much weight to NCLEX pass rates without considering a number of other factors as well. While a low pass rate is definitely a bad sign, a very high pass rate does not necessarily mean a great program -- there are lots of ways that "questionable" schools can (and do) manipulate their NCLEX pass rates.

dbabklyn · May 16, 2012

you can check out this site that has a list of all accelerated BSN programs and MSN programs: American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Accelerated Programs: The Fast Track to Careers in Nursing

OKNurse2be · May 16, 2012

Re: pass rates, IMO it is a mistake to give too much weight to NCLEX pass rates without considering a number of other factors as well. While a low pass rate is definitely a bad sign, a very high pass rate does not necessarily mean a great program -- there are lots of ways that "questionable" schools can (and do) manipulate their NCLEX pass rates.

I definitely see your point. I am also a big proponent of asking around. I asked nurses when I went to the ER where they went to school. I would say something like " I am planning on nursing school, and I was wondering if you could tell me where you went and how you liked it" I know from talking to people, nurses and other healthcare professionals, that graduates from my school are very highly regarded. Choosing a school should be a decision made from researching as many angles as possible.

Stephalump · May 16, 2012

Re: pass rates, IMO it is a mistake to give too much weight to NCLEX pass rates without considering a number of other factors as well. While a low pass rate is definitely a bad sign, a very high pass rate does not necessarily mean a great program -- there are lots of ways that "questionable" schools can (and do) manipulate their NCLEX pass rates.

There's a particularly terrible school in our area with an insanely high NCLEX pass rate. Their secret is their insanely high attrition rate. The few people that can survive their program can surely survive the NCLEX, but that's a situation I'd like to be in.

Patti_RN · May 17, 2012

As far as a list of all the schools in the country, if there is one it's probably not much help. It would take years to fully explore each and every nursing program. Most people decide how long they have to devote, how much tuition they can afford, and where geographically they want to live. Then, they narrow their choices to the half dozen or so schools that meet these criteria.

Something to consider is the expense of school and your probability of finding a job after graduation. It might seem like you won the lottery when you're accepted at some elite private school, but when you graduate with $130,000 in student loans and no one really cares where you went to school--only if you passed the NCLEX, you may regret not going to a state school for 1/3 the price. Another option is to attend a diploma school or get an associate's degree. In two years you can work, have your employer pay all or a portion of your tuition as you finish a BSN completion program (usually takes a year to 18 months and you can do these easily online).

To address another comment, schools can't manipulate their NCLEX pass rates. What they can do is teach every class so students are familiar with NCLEX style questions and learn how to choose the right answer. When I graduated, my school had a 100% pass rate. It always was at 100% or close to it. We learned to think about the questions as if it were the NCLEX. That gave us an edge when we took the NCLEX, but it also forced us to think about prioritizing, patient safety, and reasonable interventions. We also knew our meds inside and out.

There are other factors to consider when choosing a nursing school. Attrition rate is very important. Schools can predict who is capable of passing and not. These predictors include previous grades, TEAS scores, the student's strengths in sciences, the ability to write coherently, as well as the recommendations they receive from former teachers or employers. When people grumble that they weren't accepted, my initial thought it, "aw, so unfortunate" or "that's so sad"; but really the school is doing that person a favor by not taking their money and giving them false hope. Nursing school is competitive and grueling; if it appears the applicant won't survive, it's worse to admit them and have them give up other opportunities when it's likely they will not make it through school or pass the NCLEX if they do graduate.

elkpark · May 17, 2012

There are other factors to consider when choosing a nursing school. Attrition rate is very important. Schools can predict who is capable of passing and not.

This is largely what I was referring to when I commented on manipulating NCLEX pass rates. I'm glad you went to a good program -- so did I. However, there are plenty of schools out there (predominantly the for-profit schools, but I'm sure there are others, as well) that admit people who don't really have much of a chance of succeeding in nursing school (or nursing), take their tuition most of the way through school, and then, when the class is getting close to graduating, find some way to kick out all the individuals they feel will probably not pass the NCLEX, in order to maintain a high pass rate.

Patti_RN · May 17, 2012

@elkpark... ouch! With all the other stories about nurses being mistreated and wronged, this is a new one to me! When I went to nursing school less than half the class graduated. Many simply didn't survive the demands, others realized early on that nursing wasn't what they wanted to do, some had unexpected family or personal problems... then there was the woman who yelled at her instructor during clinical (with staff and patients present), the guy who fell asleep (three times!) during clinical conference, the woman who was showing patient print-outs to her friends in the cafeteria (non-medical friends who would meet her for lunch), and two students who were caught smoking in the supply room. And, amazingly, all these students complained that they were unfairly dismissed from the program!

Sorry... a little off-topic, but I still laugh.