crouthers

Yea, an aside that is in small print on many of the combined MSN/BSN programs is that before beginning graduate level courses you must have at least one year of experience as a RN. So in order to get said experience you go through the first year, attain your license, work a year, and then I suppose continue your studies. Very deceptive in my opinion. Anywho, it does seem like an accelerated BSN is a good option. Is there a consensus on whether the school you attend has any bearing on job outlook, median salary, or anything of the like. I know when pursuing say an MBA that unless you go M-7 or higher then many consider the degree to have little value, but is the situation similar in nursing? As in, would it be advisable for me to go to Duke/Yale/etc, or would a lesser known school suffice where I would pay a fraction of the cost in tuition.

I'm about to finish my BS in Biology this December, and I've decided that the path of a NP with a pediatric specialty really seems like my cup of tea. I see there are numerous 'accelerated' programs out there; then there are also some that allow you to take the BSN and MSN coursework simultaneously. Would I be better off choosing one over another, or for that matter, is the college at which I receive my BSN/MSN relevant at all? I've got a 3.9 and superlative exam scores, so I don't think I'm limited by that. I'd just rather minimize costs as much as I can while not sacrificing my exposure to excellent medical facilities that some schools boast they provide.