LSU School of Nursing or Charity School of Nursing

Published

I am finishing up my pre-requisites at the moment and am starting to think about what nursing school to apply for in New Orleans. My two options are LSU and Charity. I know that Charity is an ADN and LSU is a BSN but I plan to get my BSN either way. If I end up at Charity I will do the RN-BSN bridge program at LSU afterwards. I would love to hear some feedback from people that have gone to either of these schools and what they did/did not like about them and also as well as prospective New Orleans students and what school they plan on going to.

I like that at LSU they have a cadaver lab but then at Charity I have heard that nurses come out prepared due to having a lot more clinicals vs. the lectures that LSU has. I also plan on being Nurse Anesthetist and am wondering if being at LSU all the way will help me get in since the program is at LSU.

Would love to hear anyone's thoughts about this subject!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg.

Apply to both.

If, heaven forbid, you don't get accepted into one, at least you'll have a backup plan already in place rather than having to start the application process over and playing the waiting game again.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I really didn't give Charity any thought. I decided on LSU nursing for reputation, location, price tag, and such. This is mainly because I want to go straight for the BSN, in case I never go back to school to further my education. I am certain that Charity is a superb program, and while doing my research on schools in the area, Charity was the most recommended by locals, mostly by people that never went to nursing school. :uhoh3: I would apply to both in your case. I truly believe that you get what you take from these programs. After all, there isn't a HUGE market for NCLEX study guides, for no particular reason. Best of Luck to you and your future endeavors!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

@Kristennola

I'm currently enrolled at Charity. The perks of this program are the price, the very close relationship with your instructors, as well as getting out and beginning to work while obtaining your BSN. If none of those things are an issue for you then I would say go for the BSN. Just know that CRNA is a long road with a high debt rate. I'm a second career student with a BA and I'm at charity and plan to continue to my masters in nursing, so student loans are something I avoid at this point in my life. There are many factors to consider. That being said Charity has been one of the BEST education experiences of my life and I would recommend it to anyone no matter what level of education you plan to achieve. I hope this helps ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.
@Kristennola

I'm currently enrolled at Charity. The perks of this program are the price, the very close relationship with your instructors, as well as getting out and beginning to work while obtaining your BSN. If none of those things are an issue for you then I would say go for the BSN. Just know that CRNA is a long road with a high debt rate. I'm a second career student with a BA and I'm at charity and plan to continue to my masters in nursing, so student loans are something I avoid at this point in my life. There are many factors to consider. That being said Charity has been one of the BEST education experiences of my life and I would recommend it to anyone no matter what level of education you plan to achieve. I hope this helps ;)

I am so glad I read this ... I am about to apply to both LSU and Charity. I am leaning more heavily on going to Charity (if I get the choice). I already have a BA and an MPH. Plus, I have a toddler so time and money is a big concern for me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.

How many students are accepted to Charity's program each year?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm about to start my second semester at Charity and I have nothing but positive things to say. I considered LSU Traditional Program and LSU's CARE program. I decided on Charity because of their reputation for preparing you for hitting the floor, and the ability to work while I earned my BSN. I want to continue on to do NP. I plan on doing LSU's RN-BSN program.

Charity provides you with many resources for success. They are very focused on students. My clinical instructor was so awesome. She was really focused on making sure we had the fundamental skills down and then some. She would pull us in to see everything we could and do as much as possible. In my first semester (in addition to the basics) I was about to observe neurosurgery (for four hours lol), an autopsy, and I was able to follow the wound care nurse for half a day. I think these are the things that build your confidence at Charity. It's about learning, not intimidation. I've read about other schools where they scare you into learning. But I guess Charity is the opposite of that. At least that's been my experience so far.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion