School Selection Advice

[TheMurseChronicles, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

Hello,

I am a high school senior with ambitions of becoming an Emergency Nurse Practitioner. I have been accepted to Lynchburg College and Averett University. I am also applying to JMU. Has anyone attended these schools for their BSN programs? What was your experience like? Does it matter where you get your R.N. as long as the program is accredited? Did your program make you a competitive applicant for grad school? I (hopefully) have the grades to get into a good program (4.7 GPA, 88% on the TEAS, and graduating with an associate's degree through a dual enrollment program), but I am trying to stay local (Southside area). Lynchburg and Averett seem the cheapest after scholarships, but JMU's program is more prestigious. The private schools are also smaller and less intimidating, but I feel the clinicals wouldn't be as enriching. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

[beachmedic]

This might not apply to you if you aren't going to work as an Associate degree RN before getting a BSN.

I got my AAS in Nursing at J. Sargeant Reynolds in Richmond. Now I am doing RN to BSN at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg. It's about 16 months, with one night a week in class. 18 people started it last year and 14 are still here. We are all working nurses and love it.

If you want great challenges and prestige, stick with VCU or UVA, in my opinion. If you are working and going to school you just want the one that fits your schedule, meets all accreditation requirements and is not extremely expensive. Good Luck.

[TheMurseChronicles, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

This might not apply to you if you aren't going to work as an Associate degree RN before getting a BSN.

I got my AAS in Nursing at J. Sargeant Reynolds in Richmond. Now I am doing RN to BSN at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg. It's about 16 months, with one night a week in class. 18 people started it last year and 14 are still here. We are all working nurses and love it.

If you want great challenges and prestige, stick with VCU or UVA, in my opinion. If you are working and going to school you just want the one that fits your schedule, meets all accreditation requirements and is not extremely expensive. Good Luck.

Thank you for your advice!

[KellyMPH]

IMO go to the cheapest place you that also offers the best NCLEX first time pass rate. That is the true measure of a program's worth. You can see NCLEX pass rates here: https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/nursing/programs/2016_NCLEX_PassRates_Baccalaureate.xls

and https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/nursing/programs/2016_NCLEX_PassRates_Associate.xls