Schools

i graduated from marshall in 2003 and am on staff teaching icu/cardiac stepdown clinical. marshall is a great program, and i loved my experience there. you would graduate with your bsn from there as well. i would suggest that you go to the nln website and check out accreditation and pass percentage rates (my class had 98%) and you can also call them and ask them about programs you are interested in.

i am a huge mu advocate, but i also realize that what is good for me isn't always good for everyone else. so, my advice is check out all of your options by looking at their websites, clincial sites (a school with access to larger community hospitals will give you better clinical time and more of an opportunity to see sicker pts. and have better technology), and also check out the accreditation agencies like the nln. if you want to e-mail me feel free to do so through this site. marshall also offers a rural health rotation so you can see rural medicine at its best.

just keep in mind to always check the accreditation because there are schools in or near large cities that are on probation frequently or in trouble with the agencies for poor pass rates on boards. don't go to school for 4 or 5 years only to be set up to fai your boards, and always remember that people's lives ar ein your hands...you want a great education.

hope this helps,

jenny

Thanks for the reply, Jenny.

I've always dreamt of going to Marshall, and I think it's a definite possibility for me. I live in the Charleston area and I don't want to go too far from home.

Do students at Marshall do clinicals at CAMC? I know I'm thinking waay into the future here, but I am extremely interested in being a labor and delivery nurse someday. So if I could do clinicals at Womens and Childrens, it would be great.

Thanks again.

marshall is wonderful, but no they don't do clinical at camc. clincal rotations at the hospitals are cabell,st. mary's, and the va. you do l&d at cabell which has a nicu and a great l&d department. cabell's l&d is a high risk unit so you can see multiples, emergency sections, etc. as well as healthy deliveries.

i think that your thinking is the future is great....if you are a planner then you will make a great nurse. make sure to keep your grades up and have a strong science background. if you need anything else or have any other questions feel free to get in touch anytime.

jenny :monkeydance:

Oh yeah, I completely forgot that Cabell has L & D. Around here, it's all about CAMC and Thomas when it comes to delivering babies. But I'm excited that Cabell has that, I would love to do clinicals there.

I'm trying hard to keep my grades up, I think I have a 3.5 overall GPA, and my ACT score is 23 which is okay. As far as science goes, I'm taking most of it this year. So, I'm a little behind. But I plan to have took physics, chemistry, and hopefully biology by the time I graduate.

Thanks for all the help Jenny.

anytime, and if you have any other questions about the mu program, i would be more than happy to help you out. your gpa is good, and i'm happy to hear that you are getting the sciences under your belt...i would definitely take biology before physics....nursing schools would rather see that anyday than physics. take care and good luck.

jenny

Marshall and St Mary's has a great nursing school but I would really consider trying to stay in Charleston if you are going to live there. It is about 45 miles or more from Charleston to the Huntington hospitals, probably a good deal longer for the Huntington VA. In nursing school if you are like most of us you will value a few things such as time and money. With gas the way it is and with the commute taking 45 minutes to an hour (or longer with construction) you will really appreciate the 5 minute drive(if that is your case) to CAMC or Thomas.

My personal opinion is looking into Southern's nursing program. One it is relatively cheap, it is nearby, and it has or had a good NCLEX passage rate from what I hear. I know of some nurses that went to private colleges like The University of Charleston or Mountain State College and get out of school with loans over $40,000 to $50,000 dollars.

Again though it depends on your situation, if you are going to live on campus, Marshall or WVU would be a fine choice.

Noryn, you are correct about Southern. The entire program costs less than $10,000. The pass rates are the best in the state. Southern only admits students at the Kanawha Valley site every other year. The pass rate last year was 100% from that site. Southern will be admitting a new class in the fall of 2007.

Pass rate this year for the Logan campus is also 100% with only one student yet to test. The good thing about Southern's program, you can graduate in two years, go directly to work as an RN, and enroll in WVU's MSN program, by passing the BSN. The MSN program is completely on line and most hospitals reimburse for education.

No matter where one decides to attend, the final choice needs to be based on pass rates on the NCLEx-RN and the status of the program with the Board of Nursing. All this is public information and students applying to the programs need to be informed.

If anyone needs information about Southern's program I would be happy to assist. Applications will be available on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 and the application deadline is January 31, 2007.

Thanks Noryn and pama, for the information about Southern.

This is my first time hearing about the program, I've only started to browse schools recently. I've thought a lot about getting my ADN first, then later going back to school if I choose.

Honestly, I come from a single parent home and we don't have a lot of money. My dad's on disablity and worker's comp, which doesn't pay a lot. The only way I'd be able to pay for a school (especially expensive ones) is through scholarships and loans and if that fell through, I'd be screwed. So if I have a stable paycheck after two years, it would be great.

Where is Southern's campus located?

If I go my ADN, how long would I have to work before going back to school for a MSN? How long would the MSN take to complete?

Also, I know this is a silly question, there is still plenty opportunities for ADN's right? In the West Virginia area? I'm definitely not trying to start the BSN vs. ADN discussion, I just want to know if I'd probably be able to secure a job if I choose this route.

Thanks again for the info! :wink2:

Oh one more thing, where do I find NCLEX pass rates for schools? Is there a website?

It depends on your scholarship, I mean if you get a full scholarship for a 4 year program that pays everything by all means go that route but if you are paying with student loans I would really consider going to Southern or even WV state university. Both programs are located in Institute, although I am not sure if Southern's is based somewhere else like Logan. Southern's program is at the rehab place in Institute I think.

The thing to remember is this, while loans and scholarships pay for the actual college there are so many out of pocket expenses like clothing, gas, food that you have to take into account and although I did it, I was the only one in my class to work more than 8 hours a week. General college is a breeze for the most part but the nursing program takes a lot of time. If you go directly into the 2 year program from school, I honestly dont see how anyone could work there are just too many classes.

I think once you have your ADN it will take you about 3 years to do a direct RN to MSN thing otherwise it is generally around 4 years depending on the program which also depends on how many classes you take.

A BSN is great to have, I am trying my best to complete mine but in WV it is nowhere near mandatory. Out of school the one thing you need is experience. An associate degree RN will have an easy time finding a job. A lot of the management jobs though do want you to have a BSN and teaching jobs (not clinical preceptors) now require a MSN or require you to be working on it, unless this has changed in the past few years. It depends on the job but most people look at your background instead of degree. For instance critical care and er experience are really sought after for a lot of jobs.

You can go to http://www.wvrnboard.com I think and email a request for the NCLEX passage rates. Southern kind of surprised me, when my mother and myself were in college St. Mary's and Bluefield State were the best schools consistently it seemed. Now Southern is up there which is great.

I have just worked 12 hours and quite tired so sorry if my post is kinda disorganized.

Southern's nursing program is in Logan, where 90 students are admitted each year; in the Kanawha Valley, at the Rehab Hospital at Institute, where 24 students are admitted every other year; and in Moorefield, where 16 students are admitted evey other year. Southern also offers A.A.S. programs in Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Technology, Radiologic Technology, Surgical Technology, and will begin offering a Respiratory Therapy program fall 2006.

Everyone at Southern has worked very hard to be the best. This includes all programs. Yes, St. Mary's and Bluefield consistently have high pass rates. They both are very good schools.

Don't limit your application to just one program. Apply to as many as you can. If you get admitted to multiple program you will be able to choose the one that is best for you.

As for the MSN, you can graduate from the associate degree program, pass the NCLEX-RN and go directly into WVU's MSN. You will finish in 3 years, the program is totally on-line, except for the support courses.

I started with an associate degree in nursing, worked several years before going back to school. I obtained a BSN and an MSN from WVU. The ADN program was the best option for me right out of high school. Without the opportunity to achieve my first degree I would never be where I am today.

Thanks for the replies.

It looks like I have a lot to think about. I wish I could get into Southern, I would really treasure the opportunity. I live in downtown Charleston, so a drive to Institute wouldn't be bad at all.

I guess my decision will have to come down to whether I want a two year program or four, provided I get into any of them.

My goals now are just to be a "regular" nurse, I'm not interested in management positions or advanced education. I do want to keep my options open though. I would want a MSN just for the security.

I've taken a couple of CNA classes at my school and we spent the majority of the time in nursing homes. I loved that experience. We basically just fed the residents and helped them into their beds, but it was so fun for me. It was also kind of heartbreaking. If I couldn't work in L&D, I think I would want to work in a nursing home or even a hospice.

Well, I'm just rambling now. Thanks again for the help. :kiss