OHSU Nursing Campus Rating

nwnursing · Jun 16, 2012

Oreo,

Hi there! There are a bunch of great nursing schools in Oregon, and national OHSU ranks among the best. What is best for each person? I didn't even apply, even with a 4.0 and many other positive factors, to OHSU's 3 year program due to cost. So quality may be the best, but it wasn't the best for me. I think it's a personal decision, and getting in anywhere in the state to the non-profit schools should be considered a huge achievement, given how tough it is.

Oh, and NCLEX scores aren't necessarily better at OHSU Portland, compared to the other schools.

http://www.oregon.gov/OSBN/pdfs/passrates.pdf?ga=t

Good luck, and I'm glad that you are happy with your choice.

NW Nursing

Sartorius1 · Jun 16, 2012

You got in the first year you applied and then applied twice again? I work on a unit with nurses from OHSU, PCC, UP and they are all equally great. I personally don't think the prestige of OHSU Portland makes someone a better nurse- it has to come from within.

tyvin, BSN, RN · Jun 16, 2012

You got in the first year you applied and then applied twice again? I work on a unit with nurses from OHSU, PCC, UP and they are all equally great. I personally don't think the prestige of OHSU Portland makes someone a better nurse- it has to come from within.

Well said. I am a 95' grad from OHSU's Ashland program. I will say that all my professors (nursing and non-nursing) were/are the best in the world "IMO." I feel fortunate to have been able to live in Ashland. It's a small town of yuppies, college students and intellectuals. The free spirit and feel of comfort & comradery flow through the town. The wind rustles the towering trees that line the main street and Shakespearean banners flow to welcome all that enter.

I chose the Ashland program because of Ashland (I also had my pick of where to go with my 4.0 and got in the first time). Only applied to two programs because I really wanted the Ashland program. I didn't want to live in a big city like Portland.

Be with us; be happy...be happy for any RN that graduated from college. Ratings or not; if you took probabiltiy and statistics you would know how skewed the data game is. It's always adjusted to meet the needs of who is doing the data. Welcome to politics.

portland medic · Jun 17, 2012

I don't know that OHSU Portland is any better a nursing program than all the others. I think the main reason it holds the prestige is that it's a foot in the door to a level 1 tertiary teaching hospital with vast opportunities for a variety of acute patient care environments.

Sartorius1 · Jun 17, 2012

Tyvin, you paint Ashland wonderfully! My best friend is lucky enough to live there and visiting her is always a treat. I have been three times for the Shakespeare festival alone and am always sad to leave!

buttercupp85 · Jun 17, 2012

I believe that the Portland campus is more popular because Portland is a popular place. Everyone wants to live in Portland. They have more applications for only 24 spots, since most spots go to the accelerated nursing program. And yes, you get to train at OHSU hospital which is an awesome and prestigious hospital.

I don't believe NCLEX scores are higher in Portland necessarily. In 2010, when I visited OIT in Klamath falls, I was told that the year before Klamath falls had a 100% pass rate. And overall OHSU's pass rate is close to a 98%.

I got into OHSU Ashland and am starting in the fall and couldn't be happier. Out of all the campuses, I would want to either live in Portland or Ashland and I knew that Portland it's hard to get into. But I think most of that is because everyone wants to live in Portland. It's the city of Oregon. I have heard great things about Ashland and the clinicals around the area, so I am super excited. :)

matsalleh · Jun 17, 2012

I did my first two years at a Portland CC OCNE program and then transferred to OHSU's Portland Campus for my final BSN year. I have to say that I feel that I got the best of both worlds through this option. I believe that the CC I chose was excellent. It offered supportive faculty who really wanted to help us succeed, and it had clinical spots at all the major hospitals in PDX (including OHSU, Providence Portland, Kaiser, and Legacy). The school was well-prepared to cover the OCNE curriculum and I honestly felt that the transition to OHSU was easy. My CC program also started emphasizing NCLEX preparation from the very beginning, and I never worried about passing the exam. I saved a lot of money by paying community college fees for 5 terms and OHSU fees for only 4 terms (instead of OHSU fees for 9 terms). In the end, I graduate with the same BSN from OHSU Portland, with the same advantages.

I felt there were many positive advantages to completing my BSN at the OHSU Portland Campus. The lecturers are great, and they have a lot of connections at the hospital, which can be helpful if you are looking for employment guidance. There are also a lot of excellent guest speakers at OHSU and you can become involved in a lot of extra activities and programs that have the potential to enhance your learning (and also your resume). I also feel like OHSU Hospital prefers to hire its own graduates, so going to OHSU does help you if you want to work there.

I didn't feel like the OHSU students were of a higher caliber than the students at my CC. Nursing school is hard to get into in Portland and all the programs are challenging. I really just felt like the BSN program at OHSU extended my learning and gave me some more opportunities. Everyone has to make their own decision about which program best suits their needs, but for me, I honestly think the CC OCNE transfer to OHSU Portland Campus was an excellent choice.

claireclaire · May 17, 2013

I did my first two years at a Portland CC OCNE program and then transferred to OHSU's Portland Campus for my final BSN year. I have to say that I feel that I got the best of both worlds through this option. I believe that the CC I chose was excellent. It offered supportive faculty who really wanted to help us succeed, and it had clinical spots at all the major hospitals in PDX (including OHSU, Providence Portland, Kaiser, and Legacy). The school was well-prepared to cover the OCNE curriculum and I honestly felt that the transition to OHSU was easy. My CC program also started emphasizing NCLEX preparation from the very beginning, and I never worried about passing the exam. I saved a lot of money by paying community college fees for 5 terms and OHSU fees for only 4 terms (instead of OHSU fees for 9 terms). In the end, I graduate with the same BSN from OHSU Portland, with the same advantages.
I felt there were many positive advantages to completing my BSN at the OHSU Portland Campus. The lecturers are great, and they have a lot of connections at the hospital, which can be helpful if you are looking for employment guidance. There are also a lot of excellent guest speakers at OHSU and you can become involved in a lot of extra activities and programs that have the potential to enhance your learning (and also your resume). I also feel like OHSU Hospital prefers to hire its own graduates, so going to OHSU does help you if you want to work there.
I didn't feel like the OHSU students were of a higher caliber than the students at my CC. Nursing school is hard to get into in Portland and all the programs are challenging. I really just felt like the BSN program at OHSU extended my learning and gave me some more opportunities. Everyone has to make their own decision about which program best suits their needs, but for me, I honestly think the CC OCNE transfer to OHSU Portland Campus was an excellent choice.

Hey matsalleh, I know this was last year's post, but I hope you could answer some questions for me. I'm on the waitlist at PCC, CCC, and OHSU. Congrats on everything as well! So I could go to CCs and transition to OHSU. Or take up my spot at OHSU if I ever get called in from the list.

I'm hearing quite a few contradictory things about the CC transition to OHSU's BSN program. What I know is that it is automatic after I get my AS degree and is always completed done down in Ashland, not in Portland.

Can you tell me if you still had to compete to get into the BSN program? and is it offered at different campuses other than Ashland?

Your reply would be very much appreciated!

matsalleh · May 18, 2013

Hello Claire,

This is a bit difficult for me to answer, because, from what I understand, they have changed the OCNE transfer conditions and system since I transferred. During my time in the program, I had the option of graduating from my CC with an ASN, taking the NCLEX, and then working and/or continuing on for a BSN from OHSU through the online program. Alternatively, I could do the first 2 2/3 years at my CC, and then transfer to OHSU Portland for the final four terms on campus and graduate from OHSU with a BSN. This was the option that I chose.

From what I understand, if you choose an OCNE CC program now, you can still finish your BSN, but you can only do it online after graduating with an ASN. There is an option to transfer, but only to the Ashland campus (not Portland) and it's not an automatic given...they've said that they will only accept a limited number of transfer students.

For what it's worth, here's my opinion: If you want to work in a hospital in Portland, you need a BSN. That's just the reality of where the profession is heading in a city where new grads are fighting for jobs. Without a BSN you may be able to get something at Tuality or out in MacMinville, but not at Legacy, Providence, Kaiser, or OHSU (I know there are exceptions to this rule, but it's pretty rare. I know a few people with ASNs who got hired by Legacy, Kaiser, and OHSU but they were all already employed there as CNAs or HUCs). Otherwise, with an ASN your options are LTCs, prisons, and home health (and even those jobs are very competitive).

OHSU Hospital in Portland employs thousands of nurses. They like to hire their own grads and if you go to OHSU, you have a chance to network and your senior practicum is twice as long as any other school. OHSU Portland also gives you a lot of preparation for answering the interview questions at the hospital by having nurse managers from different units work with you to prepare. I don't think that you would have this advantage at OHSU Ashland. The hospitals there are small and aren't capable of hiring a lot of new grads.

If I were in your shoes, the decision would come down to whether or not I was wanted to do the online BSN program. If so, go to a CC and finish your BSN that way. If you don't want to do the online program and you value the benefits that can be gained from OHSU connections to the hospital, go for the three-year OHSU program.

I hope that this was helpful.

claireclaire · Jun 19, 2013

Thank you for your input on this matsalleh. I appreciate it. I just got back from the nursing orientation at PCC. Somebody asked about the OHSU transtition, and what people are saying just added to my confusion. I got home and phoned OHSU admissions. So for now, they are only offering the online program to ADN graduates with current RN licenses. The Ashland in-campus program of 72 seats has been off the table for a long time now. And the admissions also told me that this 2013-14 school year, they only offered 20 positions for the OHSU Portland campus to transitioning students. She apologizes for the sudden and constant changes to the program and wished me luck at PCC.

I just think that the OCNE schools and OHSU should clarify the path to completing the Bachelor's degree. The smooth transition seemed too good to be true. Their websites should be updated with full and current information. As a student, I would totally prefer an in-campus more than the online option. I learn more through actual interaction and classroom settings. And I'm sure the online is best for other people with family and other extra baggages or financial needs and such. I'm just disappointed that the chances of me continuing through that path in two years are hazy. That's what Anyway, so blessed to be at least starting nursing school sooner than later. Thanks for your help!

klat · Jul 25, 2013

If you get your associates at PCC first you can finish your BSN through Linfield too. I think it would be on campus. I don't like online classes either and Linfield has a great partnership with Legacy. I was in the last class to be able to transfer after five terms at a CC. They were going to limit it to 17 and then they got a ton of push back and opened it up, but they also gave the option to transfer in the Fall after getting an RN and that's what most people are doing. I chose transferring early because of the back to back practicums. Just get that BSN any way you can because we will do most of our learning on the job and for the rest of our careers.