"Prestige" Nursing Schools

TriciaJ, RN · May 13, 2017

How do employers decide who to hire if, hypothetically, there are several candidates vying for a nursing job and they all passed the NCLEX and can do the job? GPA? Personality? Something else given that what school the candidates did their nursing program doesn't matter? Hypothetically, if I've passed the NCLEX (not the case haha, I haven't even started nursing school yet!) and I can do the job, what should I work on that will set me apart and help me secure the job compared with other qualified candidates? I've heard there's no longer a nursing shortage, in many areas and cities there is a surplus, so I'm already nervous about job hunting.

Study hard, get good grades. Apply yourself in your clinical rotations. Try to make connections with people you encounter there. If they can't help you get employed in that particular facility, they might be willing to give you good references. Learn how to present well in an interview. Employers want candidates who are respectful, reliable and conscientious. Exemplary written and oral communication skills are a huge plus. It also doesn't hurt to be willing to relocate to where the jobs are. Good luck.

Cvepo · May 14, 2017

Interviews and references, folks. They can be very influential

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 15, 2017

I went to college 14 years (only 7 of them full-time). Worked in a variety of great
jobs. Until now it never occurred to me that floor colleagues would make snide remarks regarding my choice of an Ivy for nursing degree. Petty and demeaning to the colleagues who utter this tripe.

I wouldn't put anyone down for going to school. I think the only snide remarks was in regards to somehow thinking an IVY league education when it comes to being an RN somehow makes one a better nurse. When it comes to getting your RN and finding an acute care job, the IVY league degree isn't going to mean anymore than the the no name degree.

There are many other professions that it very well can matter. But when it comes to ours, and RN is an RN.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 15, 2017

Interviews and references, folks. They can be very influential

Exactly!!! This and your in hospital clinicals. NETWORK! People do not understand the power of networking. It's how I got my first new grad job, good job in an acute care setting in region that it was unheard of for new grad nurses to get acute care jobs that weren't already employees of hospitals under contracts. I had NO experience previously, and hadn't had a job in years and no medical experience. But I can network without even trying.

subee, MSN, CRNA · May 15, 2017

I wouldn't put anyone down for going to school. I think the only snide remarks was in regards to somehow thinking an IVY league education when it comes to being an RN somehow makes one a better nurse. When it comes to getting your RN and finding an acute care job, the IVY league degree isn't going to mean anymore than the the no name degree.
There are many other professions that it very well can matter. But when it comes to ours, and RN is an RN.

Yes and no. In the early 70's, NYU was interviewing new grads in groups of 5! We boomers were creating crowds everywhere:(. I think my choice of schools definitely helped get me a position on the day shift through the intervention of a professor with the DON. That was BIG for me not to have to ride the subway back to Brooklyn on nights. I was able to work on a teaching unit. Unfortunately, sometimes who you know is more important than who you are, but it worked for me and I was making a HUGE $8,400 a year after coming off of food stamps.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 15, 2017

Yes and no. In the early 70's, NYU was interviewing new grads in groups of 5! We boomers were creating crowds everywhere:(. I think my choice of schools definitely helped get me a position on the day shift through the intervention of a professor with the DON. That was BIG for me not to have to ride the subway back to Brooklyn on nights. I was able to work on a teaching unit. Unfortunately, sometimes who you know is more important than who you are, but it worked for me and I was making a HUGE $8,400 a year after coming off of food stamps.

Well I will certainly give you that then. I can't speak for how things were in the 70's. I was only speaking currently within the last 10 years. So back then it absolutely might have carried more weight.

I absolutely agree who you know can play a very big roll. Still to this day!

Laurensbyrd · May 17, 2017

I have quickly learned that "prestige" means little-to-nothing in the real world of nursing and obtaining jobs in the field. Many nurses I encounter in my clinicals have attended schools that have zero reputation and they're fabulous! I have BS in Psychology from a top 25 public University and I am earning my BSN from a NFP school that even people in the area know nothing about. I don't expect that the reputation of the institution(s) I've attended will get me a job or benefit me in any way. I'm prepared to humble myself, get dirty, and learn and grow as a student nurse so that I will be able to obtain a job on my own merit.

ukuleleCat · May 19, 2017

I am noticing an increasing number of posts lately by soon-to-be graduates (or prospective students) casually mentioning that they are attending a 'prestige' school. I'm not sure where this is coming from. (Besides bragging of course)
Just know that nursing school rankings (if that's how you are determining the prestige of your school) matter not a whit to the overwhelming majority of employers. What employers care about is:
Did you pass NCLEX?
Can you do the job?
PERIOD
Dropping $80 - 120K on a 'prestige' school when you can get the exact same degree from your state university for half the price is just plain foolish.

Thank you for this. I was worried that my ADN program would hinder me, but in reality, it's the best option financially for me.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · May 19, 2017

... my ADN program ... is the best option financially for me.

Which will give you flexibility in finding that first, crucial nursing job - which flexibility makes it more likely that you will find a suitable position from which to launch your career.

Purple_Clover · May 19, 2017

It depends on what their priorities are. For some people, saving money may not be the highest priority. It's like buying a Lamborghini or even a brand new mid-range car when you could save a lot of money by buying a hooptie. They'll all get you from point A to point B and they're all street legal. I do think buying a Lamborghini just to impress people is vain. Obviously some people are going to go to these schools either just because they have money, to impress people, or both. However, they do rank nursing schools for a reason. It's kind of silly to say that you're going to get the same education at all schools (not that anyone has said this). Some people may prioritize their education over a low money spent to possibility of getting a job ratio. I do think that most of these people are going to these schools for the same reason most people buy Lamborghinis, especially if they "casually" mention it, but not all of them. For example, I almost went to Yale but I just couldn't justify the cost. It was my dream school, but I also like not drowning in debt. Then again, that kinda proves my point that some people are money conscious and some are less so.

That being said, I know of at least one hospital in my area that will not hire new graduates from Galen. So just because you've passed the NCLEX that doesn't mean you'll be eligible to work anywhere.

ukuleleCat · May 19, 2017

Which will give you flexibility in finding that first, crucial nursing job - which flexibility makes it more likely that you will find a suitable position from which to launch your career.

I already went to a "prestige" school for undergrad and it was a big mistake. The professors there were not good instructors and I regret going there. I already have a lot of student loans and I do not want to put myself into another $50-100K in debt for nursing school.

MisfitBSN · Jun 6, 2017

And amazingly enough, the FNG newbies who enthusiastically blurt out, "I went to TCU! I have my BSN!" while flashing their horned frog fingers and tossing their extensions are the same nurses who get paid the same as me and my BR-549 Local Yocal degree. Now, Prince/Princess Prestigious, put some gloves on! We've got a Go-Lytely Code Brown to mop up in 5.