Questions to ask potential schools before you apply

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

Here are a few questions to ask a nursing program before you apply:

Clinicals- what sites are offered? How many total clinical hours do students attend snd how does this compare to other similar programs? What is the faculty:student ratio at clinicals? What education/experience is required for faculty supervising clinicals? Are they taught by adjuncts or full time faculty? Will the majority of my experience be acute care or community-based? What do graduates and employers say about their skill level after graduation? How far is the expected commute? Is simulation a part of clinical hours?

General- what is your NCLEX pass rate over the last 5 years? What is your retention rate? Tuition cost? Do you use hesi/ATI or similar tests to determine retention/promotion to the next course/graduation? Average debt carried by grads? Job placement rates over last 5 years? Opportunities to find work in the area? Do they recommend working during school? Are there state/local scholarships? Who is my advisor? Do you offer remediation/assistance for those who need it? Is the program accredited, and if so, by what agency? What is faculty educational level/experience? What are typical class/lab sizes? What student support services are available? How long does it take to complete the program? How do you select candidates (GPA, lottery system, TEAS scores, etc).

Meet with faculty/staff. Attend the nursing student club meetings. Are current students happy? Are employers happy with grads?

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WONDERFUL POST!!! :D

I think prospective students really do need to be asking more questions when considering nursing school! I think it is really important to do more research than just how much it is going to cost, if there is a wait list, what scores do I need to have (I know these things are important).

I also want to add, try to speak to current nursing students at the schools you are interested in. You can get really good insight about the program from students who are already in and have experiences with the instructors. Current students and students who have already graduated will also have insight about the clinical experience.

Another important aspect for me when I was considering a school was the class size. Currently I am finishing my 1st Bachelors Degree in Exercise Science at a large university where the average class size can range from 150 to 250 people per class. I considered their nursing program; however, they accept close to 200 people for the nursing program each year. Their class size for the nursing classes is 200 people per class. Then, the skills lab and clinical groups are divided up into you standard 8 people per group. I ultimately decided to attend a smaller university with a class size of 40 students per class (Only accepted 40 students this semester). I know that I do better when I am in a smaller classroom setting with more one on one attention from the instructor. Plus this university is also affiliated with a large teaching hospital. I spoke with a friend of mine who is a nurse and just graduated; she recommended going to a program that was affiliated with a teaching hospital. She had clinical rotations at both a non-teaching hospital and a teaching hospital and while she learned at both hospitals, she felt the teaching hospital provided a better environment for training student nurses.

Also when considering nursing programs, I suggest making a list of what is important for you to get out of your education. Once you make that list, make sure you ask those questions of the nursing program and speak with students who have either graduated from the program or students who are currently in the program those questions so that you can make an educated decision.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

Yes, you're very right, it is important to ensure that the programs goals and student outcomes align with your own focus and goals. This can ensure the "right fit" between student and program.

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I couldn't agree more that the program goals should compliment the student goals in order to ensure that the program is a good fit for both parties. It seems that there are so many things to consider when applying to nursing school, and as a 2012 applicant, I thank you for your advice!

Another question that I'm interested in asking is how many students from the program participate in externships prior to graduation? Externships not only provide students with additional experience, but they also give student nurses an additional opportunity to network. I know a few RNs that got their first nursing job at the hospital where they did an externship and would love to have that opportunity.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

Cortisol, externships are a great option. I've had many students start in nursing school as a tech on scholarship, participate in summer externships, and have the first pick of jobs. In this economy, it's a foot in the door when it can be difficult to find jobs in some areas.

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How is the curriculum structured? Is it "integrated" or "block." (I am struggling with a diploma school program that is positively insanely arranged just to get people through the facilities that the hospital has. We often find that major and important clinicals for the term are far out of sequence with the lectures: For example, some of us had to do labor and delivery without ever having had a lecture in anything related to L/D. In Nursing III, we just had an exam that encompassed problems with 3rd trimester of pregnancy, fetal monitoring, meds for L/D, diseases of the eyes and ears and meds for those, and all of the cardiac theory and meds for the entire term! Seriously. I am not making it up. The program is just that sh itty.) It's a shame, but some of these schools are so bizarre that you'd do well to avoid them. If everyone teaches nursing by block curriculum of med-surg, LTC, mom-baby, etc., and you find some school that's in the minority with it's own peculiar curriculum, run away.

How long have their instructors been there? How long has the Director been there? It might be an indicator of financial or other problems with the school. This particular school I had the misfortune to choose just lost 2 or 3 good veteran instructors, and also fired the Director and replaced her with a new one.

Computer sim work, and how do you get it done: Is this available via remote access, or do you have to physically be sitting at the school's computers to do it? We have constant probs with the nursing school IT/IS and computer hardware not being a priority for the hospital's IT Dept. They did stuff like replaced all of the computers in the ns student computer room, and then didn't install the sim software or MS Office on them. So, we all had sim work due by a deadline, and reports to write, and no tools to do it with. Did the broads at the school care? Naw. They just shrugged, refused to move the students' deadline out farther to compensate for the software not being available. And said "Well, we've never been a priority for IT." Really? Then your students, your customers, your reason for having a job, are not a priority either? Really?? Dumb twits!

Hours in lecture: How many per week, and is are the times and rooms fixed, and predictable, and constant through out the term? At this diploma school, we get 6-8 hours of talk, 3 days per week, then two days of clinicals. I don't know about y'all, but 3 hours at a stretch is about my limit. After 6-8 hours of sitting and concentrating, I am DONE for the day and will NOT be sitting and grinding away at it some more that evening! That's probably why I am not getting passing grades anymore, LOLOLOLOLOL! I HATE HATE HATE this ns and will be reapplying to the others that also accepted me.

How much role do religion and holism get in the curriculum. If there's a lot of religion tossed in, and it's not YOUR religion, it can get pretty annoying, pretty fast. Small town schools seem to be big on those. Like, their target market is small town homemakers who want to get a job now, and the whole curriculum can be slanted to kind of play to that audience, which is very annoying if you want to get technical skills and enough child and family development to pass the NCLEX but religious-extremist small town homemaker is just not any part of your interests or lifestyle. Ditto for being Protestant, and getting browbeaten with Catholic dogma at a Catholic nursing school. Some people just don't know where to draw the line between nursing as a religious calling vs. as a profession, so buyer beware.

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If they list just Nrusing I, II , III, etc. with not a lot of detail, make them give you the detail before you commit to anything, also.

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hello, I am wanting to inquire about teaching facilities in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I am a program director for surgical technologist...and I am looking for facilities that would let students do their externship at their facility. Do you know of any in the area? Thanks

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Hi there all! I'm happy to see people keep trying to better their lives by going to school.

But , does any one have any tips on how to juggle work , school , wife mom and friends?

(BTW, I'm an lpn who works the 3rd shift at an LTC center.)

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