does it really matter where you got your degree from?

Nope.

I think the most important thing is to get some experience somewhere as a CNA. Hospitals are far more likely to hire from within, no matter what school you went to.

No, not really. As long as it has all the accreditations.

even though cna exp has little to do with nursing

nlnac or ccne is the key, anything else is a mistake

As much as I hate to admit this, it does not matter where you got your degree from but more so on two other entities; ASN or BSN, and if you have any experience in the area you are applying for? I have been trying to get out of getting a BSN FOREVER, and have come to the conclusion that if I ever want to get out of floor nursing, not that I don't like it all the time, I must get at LEAST my BSN. So I have recently started my RN-MSN bridge program as I have a bachelors in another field.

even though cna exp has little to do with nursing

not really, it kind of has alot to do with the basic nursing skills. Like patient communication and care.

My ADN comes from a school that was not NLNAC accredited and the grads (myself included) had no more trouble than anyone else getting jobs. Can't do military or VA though. This school has a pretty good rep in the area too with a good pass rate.

My BSN is coming from a place that is CCNE though, so it will matter even less.

My gut says that actually colleges/universities "look" better than trade schools, but I don't really know that for a fact.

It really depends on the situation. I live in a region in which there are a few nursing schools that have very bad reputations. We rarely even interview new grads from those schools -- unless they have something very special in the backgrounds that gets our attention. However, we have other schools that are excellent and we regularly interview their new grads and hire many of them.

Be sure the schools you attend are respected by the local employers before you invest your time and money.

Totally agree with this. It's true in my neck of the woods at least. I've heard from some of the people, that do the hiring for local facilities, that it absolutely matters. I've been warned to stay away from certain schools. I guess they have a reputation for churning out less than stellar nurses.

To be fair though, I had already decided where I was going to school. I had done some research online and found ppl complaining about the other schools. The horror stories were enough to make me run the other way. I'm going to a community college. It has a good reputation and a good program. One of the "horror" story schools is a community college as well though. So you never know. Good Luck!

In my current area yes. In other areas no. It all depends on the area you are in. Where are you?