"Too many" nursing programs?

Nursing Students General Students

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I had to look something up on my state's BON website today and was surprised by the number of new nursing schools that have just recently opened up and are applying for initial accreditation. Most of the names were completely unfamiliar to me. Since I'm sure this is a nationwide trend, what are other nursing students' thoughts on the number of new nursing schools popping up?

While I'm glad that this will give more people the opportunity to pursue a career in nursing, I'm concerned about what is going to happen to the job market here... Especially since it's already saturated with new grads. As excited as I am to start my career, I'm not looking forward to the job search once I graduate. :anbd:

Too bad I am already starting a program in a month . . . otherwise, I can't think of a better reason to pack my bags and move from Ohio to Hawaii! ;)

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In my area we don't have wait lists. Our state BON doesn't accredit programs without a consistent 80% NCLEX pass (1st try, 1st 6 months). A school just shut down it's program in my town yesterday because of this very reason. We do have some schools that seem to let lots of students into the program and then weed them out in order to maximize the amount of tuition they are receiving and yet maintain their high pass rates. It isn't a problem every where though, some like my school just have very competitive admission requirements. We don't have the problems with finding jobs after graduation like so many here on the boards either. I don't understand why states with unreputable programs and practices and too many graduates don't tighten their BON requirements.

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As far as the comment that was made about the for-profit nursing schools, they are no worst than the colleges and universities. Their existance also depend on profit...especially financial aide assistance. Because without students, there would be no need for nursing schools. They would not exit !. Because let be honest...no one has THAT kind of money for college. But let me tell you how to eleminate the ''for-profit" nursing schools, and the colleges w/nursing schools w/ low graduation rates...cut out the financial aide to the nursing schools w/low graduating % numbers. If a nursing school has 100 nursing students and drops down to 30 % remaining students, that program need to be shut down !. THAT IS A BIG SCAM !!!. When the nursing schools get to the point to when they think they have the right to dictate who become nurses, then the nursing schools need to start using their own money from THEIR sources (if they have any). Stop using students financial aide money to keep their programs open.

So if you want to get rid of "for-profit" nursing schools, then colleges and universities need to stop running scams on good potential nursing students.

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Specializes in ICU + Infection Prevention.

Supply and demand... except the demand that actually counts is from employers. The demand that is driving the oversupply of nursing students is created by desperate students, unscrupulous for-profit schools, and incompetent news reporters.

My blunt message to the millions of clammering applicants: It is your dream to be in nursing? You can't get in? Keep trying! Still can't get in? Not competitive enough for merit admission? Can't wait for a non-competitive wait list? THE MARKET IS SENDING YOU A MESSAGE: THE MARKET DOESN'T NEED YOU AND THE MARKET DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU! Get that through your skull.

Schools are their own market and most do not care about their own students once they stop paying, or other students ever. Hordes of students who worked to get through school and then never use their degree, wasted money and time. The other thing that happens is that wages and working conditions go down for all nurses. Don't like making $24/hr after 10 years experience? You are fired. We'll hire new graduates buried in debt desperate to work for $18/hr and do the same to them in 10 years. Don't like rotating nights and weekends with an 8:1 patient to nurse ratio on this stepdown unit? There's 400 applicants for every open position, so we'll find someone willing to risk their license and personal sanity.

People get so caught up in their me-me-me that they can'd see how it screws everyone and themselves in the end. That includes all those for-profit "schools" looking to make a quick buck at the students' expense.

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.
Supply and demand... except the demand that actually counts is from employers. The demand that is driving the oversupply of nursing students is created by desperate students, unscrupulous for-profit schools, and incompetent news reporters.

My blunt message to the millions of clammering applicants: It is your dream to be in nursing? You can't get in? Keep trying! Still can't get in? Not competitive enough for merit admission? Can't wait for a non-competitive wait list? THE MARKET IS SENDING YOU A MESSAGE: THE MARKET DOESN'T NEED YOU AND THE MARKET DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU! Get that through your skull.

Schools are their own market and most do not care about their own students once they stop paying, or other students ever. Hordes of students who worked to get through school and then never use their degree, wasted money and time. The other thing that happens is that wages and working conditions go down for all nurses. Don't like making $24/hr after 10 years experience? You are fired. We'll hire new graduates buried in debt desperate to work for $18/hr and do the same to them in 10 years. Don't like rotating nights and weekends with an 8:1 patient to nurse ratio on this stepdown unit? There's 400 applicants for every open position, so we'll find someone willing to risk their license and personal sanity.

People get so caught up in their me-me-me that they can'd see how it screws everyone and themselves in the end. That includes all those for-profit "schools" looking to make a quick buck at the students' expense.

Truth.

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Is this truth you speak of true for all majors/professions or is it specific to the healthcare field? Would you find the same problem with medical school students?

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.
Is this truth you speak of true for all majors/professions or is it specific to the healthcare field? Would you find the same problem with medical school students?

How many unemployed doctors do you know?

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How many doctors do you know who graduated from itt tech?

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Specializes in ICU + Infection Prevention.

The AMA has been pretty good about controlling the number of residency slots and thus preventing a glut of doctors. Perhaps a little too good.

But what about all those poor premed students who are CALLED to be a doctor, who WANT IT IN THEIR HEARTS so much? But they couldn't pass O-chem and have a 2.0 GPA? They just want to be a doctor as soon as possible because they have two kids and don't really want to take statistics or retake any classes or sit on a wait list? They want to be a doctor RIGHT NOW!

Good news:

ITT-Tech will be opening a medical school. It will be 90% online, your clinical rotations will sub-Saharan Africa and North Korea. (*please note that not all your professors will be real doctors). You will receive your Associates in Medicine from ITT and be elegible through articulation agreements to enter DeVry's Bachelors of Medicine completion program. From there, you can enter into University of Phoenix's Masters of Medicine program.

Here's the best news: it will be affordable at only 250K/year. **Please note that defaulting on this loan gives ITT-Tech rights to your first born child and/or your right or left kidney (your choice!).

***In accordance with Federal Law, ITT is bound to reveal that its medical school is not accredited by the AMA and graduates will only be licensed to practice in North Korea and some sub-Saharan African countries.

**** The US Department Of State travel warnings state that all students who received the North Korean placement have not been allowed to leave North Korea. They are currently serving at the behest of the Glorious Leader.

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.

I almost choked to death on a chili dog!!!!

Hah!

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The price of college tuition keeps going up every year. Profit, or higher education. Sounds to me like profit. Like i said...Colleges are NO different than the for profit schools. It's all about the money.

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Wow....for a bunch of Student Nurses, most everyone sound pretty tough and mean...talk about eating your young.

Why would anyone be concerned about too many nursing schools? If you are at the best school for you then don't worry about the others out there. If you are going to be the best nurse you can be, then don't worry about the other nurses trying to take your job.

I am a student at Breckinridge School of Nursing @ ITT Tech and I am very happy to be going to this school. I was accepted to this school based on merit. Also, I have to take all of the same classes that everyone else has to take for an AS degree. No they are not accredited yet, but that is not because they are a crap school it is because they are a NEW school and can not be accredited until they have a graduated class. I am in Florida and they have been accepted to the FL BON. I am sure that as time goes on they will get the accreditation that you all seem to think is so important for job searches. In my area, the hospitals and other medical offices seem to be opening their facilities for clinicals with open arms. In fact, 2 of the major hospitals in my area are reimbursing their employees for their tuition costs at this school.

Someone also posted on a previous thread that they never hear back from an ITT student....why would anyone want to say anything about going to Breckinridge (ITT), so many people seem to be so hostile about the school. I agree that my school is expensive, but included in my tuition are my books and my lab fees. I have not been asked or required to come up with hundreds more dollars to go there. My uniforms are not outrageous in price either.

Every college in my area is getting more expensive, that unfortunately seem to be the way of education.

So please everyone be respectful of everyone's choice of schools and unless you have first hand knowledge of a particular school or program please do not spread rumors or talk it down. I did do my research before choosing my school and I am very happy with my choice. It works for me.

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