stellasaurus

The FNPs pay $26K/year starting June 22. Nurses who work at the UWMC and Harborview and attended the program and/or worked as TAs used to pay less, depending on their union contract. That's all over though. Now all FNPs pay $26K/year. It's more than med students.

Oh definitely go check it out for yourself. And ask around what nurses in the community think--you'll hear a lot about the fantastic nursing program... at Shoreline. Also remember, just because you go to UW does not guarantee you a clinical placement at UWMC or Harborview. And remember what the UW has done to their FNP students. By the way, they still haven't even notified the incoming FNP students about the tuition hike. That's how much they think of their students.

I don't know if Seattle U. is more expensive than UW anymore. Maybe for the BSN... That No. 1 nursing school business has nothing to do with the NCLEX pass rate. (UW nursing students get NO REVIEW FOR THE NCLEX. We have to pay for that on our own.) The U.S. News & World Report editors do the ranking and they've admitted that it is fairly random=just for marketing purposes. What better way to sell a publication to an eager student audience year after year? Think about it. The only reason UW is No. 1 is because of their enormous amount of research funding. The research is done by old school nurses who are so entrenched in academia that they will never retire or make way for the next generation. Never. Just look at their online faculty profiles. This No. 1 business has nothing to do with teaching or education. Trust me. When my fellow classmates and I talk about how we are at the "No. 1 nursing school" we are being facetious and cringing.

I don't know about "good" jobs, but I think people make more money per hour as a BSN. (Of course that hardly matters because THERE ARE NO JOBS...) The coursework between the bachelor's and associate's degrees is similar, and we all take the exact same RN licensure exam in the end.

Try WSU. At least the President of WSU took a pay cut before raising tuition. The President of UW is the second highest paid public university president in the United States. Greedy greedy greedy. I've also heard rumors that community colleges in WA state will soon offer the BSN, if you can wait it out.

Yes, I am a current student. I sincerely hope members of the incoming classes are getting the message. We were told by the admin to apply for more financial aid and that "...adapting to change starts with loss, grief, and the ending of what was..." That's a direct quote. RETCH. But yah, the UW definitely misleads students with that No. 1 nursing school spiel. Nobody cares!!! There are no jobs in Seattle for nurses who don't have experience=new grads. NPs, CNSs, or RNs--we're all screwed with a half-a** education and stuck with these enormous student loans.

Not to burst any bubbles, but the University of Washington is on the decline. They've just raised tuition for their family nurse practitioner program to exceed that of medical school. We're talking they JUST told students to come up with $7000 in the next 2 weeks. Sure, all public schools took a hit in this economic downturn but UW didn't lay off even ONE faculty member. Instead, they're sticking it to the students with a 43% tuition hike. (And they've warned students that the FNP program is just the tip of the iceberg.) So while students are required to take numerous classes about health care disparities and access--when it comes to actually providing an affordable education... the UW prefers rich kids only. Reconsider UW: You aren't guaranteed even a day of clinical work at the UW Medical Center (or Harborview). Nobody but nobody hiring nurses knows or cares about the UW's No. 1 rating. And you have to pay to access the library on the weekends! So not kidding about the library. Nursing students at UW are treated like a nuisance. Most of the faculty have not even set foot on a hospital floor since the 1980s. They're mostly researchers who hide out in their offices writing grants. Remember, UW is a research institution. That's where they get their No. 1 rating. NOT FROM EDUCATING STUDENTS. If you want to be an FNP: Go to Seattle U. Go to PLU. Heck, go to the University of Portland. If you want to be an RN: Go anywhere but the UW.

I can tell you about UW. I've heard of one person not being allowed to continue in the program because of failing the TOEFL (English language competency) exam. Otherwise, as far as I know, everyone who starts the program has completed the program. We were told that "a few" didn't pass the NCLEX last year. Some of these people have said that they didn't study for it: Didn't think they had to study for it after all the classes; Went on vacation instead of studying, etc. All passed it the second time around. In terms of being supported as a nursing student... you're really on your own at UW. They tell you this from the beginning, but it can be a frustrating reality to come to terms with. UW is a research-driven institution and sometimes researchers aren't the very best teachers. So there are classes we've had to basically teach ourselves from a book and soak up everything from clinical preceptors (who are FANTASTIC). If you aren't getting what you want out of a class, you have to take the initiative and form a study group and/or get extra help from TAs. I think it forces students to be assertive and to (I hate to say it) think critically. I'm pretty sure all the schools in the Seattle area are the same. We all take the same licensing exam in the end, and I've been told that no hiring manager will EVER ask you about your GPA in nursing school. So it's really about you getting the most out of your classes and carrying that into practice (where you learn everything anyway). Good luck!

Wow, what are you even doing on this Web site?

The UW GEPN program is rigorous and very competitive. It's pretty old-fashioned to think that nurses need to be an LPN then a CNA then an RN, etc. In Washington at least, RNs do not do the same thing an LPN does. Same with CNA. There are other ways to get experience working with people. Also, PAs are trained using the old-school medical model. Not the way more holistic and patient-friendly nursing model. I think most of us on this site agree the nursing model is far superior and personally fulfilling ;-)

I've heard from more than a few nurses that working as a CNA can lead to burn-out. If you want patient care experience, work as an EMT or even a medical assistant. There's also the nurse tech option (=more pay than the CNA) after your first med/surg rotation in nursing school.

I came from a similar ed/career background and I'm about your age. I'm in nursing school now (visiting this site on a break from studying for finals). I took one prereq at a time at night while I worked full-time. And I've had to revisit info from every single prereq in nursing school: it only gets harder. Much, much harder. I think it's worth the extra money to build this core knowledge. (And to make friends with the A+ students in those classes, as they will be your classmates in nursing school.)

People don't usually move away from Seattle. So many folks have had their same group of friends since high school. If you are really assertive and put yourself out there, you will find some other nonnatives to hang around with. Also, if you're a gal and hetero, know that Seattle men have had PC values beaten into them by hippy moms or something. (Not that there's anything wrong with hippies .) That's simply the only explanation my friends and I have come up with for their total lack of initiative in terms of dating. Again seek out nonnatives. If you are a hetero man with a spine or a lesbian--you'll be in heaven. You should be fine living in Seattle on an RN salary.

I'm in a nursing program that I worked very hard to get into. It's tough and it's expensive--and I know this. I also know it's a very highly regarded program, and it suited me. Yet I can't even tell you how many times nursing students (in other programs) have gone out of their way to tell me why my program sucks and why they decided not to attend/apply to it. Is this not rude? Do these folks not realize that they are being transparent and insecure? I try to support my fellow nurses, no matter what their training. I think collegiality is very important to moving this profession forward. What do you say when someone is intent on putting down your program?

UW no longer requires the GRE for the direct-entry program. But PLU does. Not sure about Seattle U. Also, the national nursing associations are pushing for a bachelor's degree (BSN) to be required to be an RN in the next few years. The existing ADNs will be "grandfathered" in. But be careful that you either get into a bachelor's program OR you get the ADN before it is obsolete.