Quality of Nursing Programs in Southern States

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Psych, Community/Public Health.

Hello all. This is my first post since joining All Nurses. I have been a fan for about a year now but just recently joined. So, here's my thought and question.

I am currently a student at a community college in Rochester, NY. I am working on completing the typical prerequisites for nursing programs. It has been my hope to finish working on the prerequisites and apply to a nursing program in Charlotte, NC. I was speaking with a friend of mine the other day and I told her my intent. To my surprise, she stated that I was better off completing a nursing program here (up North) and then moving rather than going down south to complete a nursing program. She stated that I would be better off as Northern States has higher quality programs and that I won't have a program finding a job if I do it that way.

Now, I have done my research. Both the community college I am attending now and the community college I hope to attend in Charlotte are regionally accredited and state approved with their nursing program accredited by one of the two nursing accreditation bodies. So, I am wondering - Are the quality of nursing programs in Northern States better than the ones in Southern States?

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

I'm going to be blunt: Your friend does not know what she is talking about.

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Just like every other region of the country, there are good, bad, and mediocre nursing programs in the Southeast. Is your "friend" by any chance one of those Yankees who believes that all Southerners are, by definition, stupid and incompetent? (My mother is one of those).

However, I'm not sure I would consider it worth relocating to another region of the country just in order to attend a community college nursing program in NC instead of a community college nursing program in NY. Is there some additional reason you're interested in Charlotte?

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Psych, Community/Public Health.
Just like every other region of the country, there are good, bad, and mediocre nursing programs in the Southeast. Is your "friend" by any chance one of those Yankees who believes that all Southerners are, by definition, stupid and incompetent? (My mother is one of those).

However, I'm not sure I would consider it worth relocating to another region of the country just in order to attend a community college nursing program in NC instead of a community college nursing program in NY. Is there some additional reason you're interested in Charlotte?

I think she might be. She is also interested in nursing and she is adamant about staying and getting her nursing education here in NY State before relocation. I want to move to Charlotte, NC for many reasons! I absolutely love it there! I contemplated moving there after completing my nursing education but then I realized I could relocate sooner and pay the same amount to go to the community college there. They happen to cost about the same amount ($8000 for the nursing program). While I love Charlotte and plan to relocate there, I do not know how long I will reside there (I love traveling). I would hate to complete a nursing program in the State of NC and have issues when it comes to moving to another State. For instance, I know that RN's who complete the Excelsior College Nursing Program (online) out of Albany, NY has had some issues when trying to get an RN license in other States that do not recognize pre-licensure nursing programs which are delivered online.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.
I think she might be. She is also interested in nursing and she is adamant about staying and getting her nursing education here in NY State before relocation. I want to move to Charlotte, NC for many reasons! I absolutely love it there! I contemplated moving there after completing my nursing education but then I realized I could relocate sooner and pay the same amount to go to the community college there. They happen to cost about the same amount ($8000 for the nursing program). While I love Charlotte and plan to relocate there, I do not know how long I will reside there (I love traveling). I would hate to complete a nursing program in the State of NC and have issues when it comes to moving to another State. For instance, I know that RN's who complete the Excelsior College Nursing Program (online) out of Albany, NY has had some issues when trying to get an RN license in other States that do not recognize pre-licensure nursing programs which are delivered online.

Please make your friend aware of the delicious irony of the Excelsior situation (a 'northern' nursing school)

PS: Not dissing Excelsior- just making a point to OPs friend.

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There is an element of academic snobbery found in the Northeast. Of course, not everyone believes that way, but there is nevertheless a strong bias. Yes, many of the most prestigious colleges are found in the Northeast. That is where settlement began in the US, so some of those schools are the oldest and most established universities. However, not every school in the northeast is of the same caliber as the Harvards et al. But as illustrated here, there are people who would believe every school in the northeast is superior to any school found in the "south." It always sounds strange to me to call North Carolina the "south," lol. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the top schools in the nation. I could name umpteen prestigious schools which are found from North Carolina to Virginia to Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, etc. And in the midst of those prestigious schools are also many many EXCELLENT schools of nursing which do not have the same name recognition but are nevertheless top notch.

In a word, your friend is elitist snob who also happens to not know what the hell she is talking about. Ignore her.

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For Christ's sake.

You know North Carolina is home to many EXCEPTIONAL schools. Not just high quality. Exceptional.

Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, UNCC, Campbell, etc.

Charlotte alone has many schools with great reputations and, even better, high NCLEX pass rates. Mine had a 100% pass rate for years.

So sick of people who think Southern means ignorant.

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Oh, and Charlotte rocks. I lived outside of it for years.

You'll love it. I know lots of people from New York, upstate and City, who transplanted and stayed. Cost of living is better, traffic is better, shopping isn't as bad as you would think, and you're a short drive from mountains and ocean.

The takeout isn't as good, though, if that's a deal-breaker. ;)

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