Sariern

Well since both places are HOT, I would choose ASU. I worked in Phoenix for 3 years, and nurses that came from ASU were great and had good things to say about the program.

I personally like when nursing students ask a lot of questions. I know not every student will be a peds nurse, and most are afraid & sad when they go to peds. I would rather be a resource to the student than for them to directly give patient care if they know peds is not their forte. Parents and peds nurses are protective of the kids they take care of. They should know that most pediatric medication dosages are wt based, that's for sure! I work for a large teaching hospital and appreciate when instructors ask staff (if the instructor isn't already on staff) what they expect from students.

Go straight to Peds. I never did med/surg and haven't regretted it all! Bonus for you to cross train to L&D, so should you ever want to do adults, you get the best of peds & adult, IMO.

PCH is a teaching hospital & does offer tuition reimbursement. It is a great place for peds nurses, as they are very big on using evidence based practice. There are many opportunities to be on committees and such, and help shape nursing care delivered there. PCH delivers the highest level of pediatric care for the State of AZ.