Should you attend nursing school where you want to get a job?

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Hi!

I am currently figuring out where to apply to nursing school. I will be living in my current city for two years after nursing school (while my fiancé finishes medical school) and then possibly moving to another location for his residency.

My question is this: should I attend the most reputable accelerated BSN program in my current city (where I am an out-of-state student) since I will be looking for work here after graduation? I will have done my clinicals at most of the hospitals here. OR, do I attend my home state's accelerated BSN program which is about $10,000 cheaper and risk hiring managers not being familiar with that program when they come across my resume? The school in my home state is also a well-known university with a good ABSN program, but I am sure most graduates of that program don't look for work in my current city. I am just wondering if it's better to go to school where hiring managers are familiar with the students of certain programs--or if it doesn't matter at all and I should just try to save my money :) I would like to hopefully find a job at a reputable hospital in this area.

Thanks!

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Will it really be $10,000 cheaper? Will some of those savings be off-set by the cost of your driving back and forth to see your fiance? ... or bigger phone bills because you may be on the phone a lot with him? etc.?

Assuming that both schools are good schools with good reputations, I think there is some advantage to getting your education in the same town as you will be living after graduation. Unless there is a noticeable difference in quality or cost (or some other advantage you have not mentioned), I would choose the one in the same city.

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Thank you! Yes, it really is that much of a difference because it is a private school vs. state school (may actually be more like $20K difference when living expenses are included). My fiancé and I will have to move to a more expensive area for me to attend this school as well since it is about an hour away in an area known for awful, unpredictable traffic. We will both be putting lots of miles on our cars to attend our respective schools. But I think living together makes more sense than paying for separate places an hour away from each other.

This private school is also 1500 miles away from my home state school. So in order to see my fiance I would be flying to see him. These are accelerated BSN programs (one in finance's city is 12 months, one in home state is 14 months) so we wouldn't be apart for too long. However, since I want to be in the best place to secure a good job post-graduation I will pay the additional tuition if more job opportunities will be available to me going to school in the area.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Have you talked to the Financial Aid Office of the expensive private school? A lot of expensive private schools offer a lot more financial aid than state schools. Their sticker prices may be high, but sometimes, the actual amount you pay is less than you assume when you first see that sticker price.

Get all the financial information from both schools and sort it all out -- living expenses, travel expenses, travel hassle, included. If the money difference is really great.. then the cheaper school may be your best choice for you. In the OP, you said there would be a $10K difference. In this post, you said $20K. Get all the information sorted out before making a decision.

Is there a possibility that you could get your foot in the door of hospitals where your fiance is by doing some volunteer work or something? You might even be able to get a summer externship in your current city or arrange a clinical practicum there even if you attend the cheaper school in your home state. Investigate before you decide.

Right now, you don't have enough concrete information to make a truly informed decision.

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Thank you for the advice! The reason I changed the difference from a $10K to $20K difference is that I was not including the cost of living expenses. Staying in finance's city means I need to pay for housing. Attending school at home means I can live at home rent-free. I have definitely done my research on costs--maybe a little TOO much! I don't have much information aside from cost on my state program so you are right that I should learn more so I can make an informed decision. I was purely wondering if nurses on this forum have found in their experience that it isn't necessarily where you went to school that matters but if you have gotten your foot in the door and have known people which has helped you land your first job as a new grad. The private university does offer many scholarships and has a work contract with the university hospital that covers tuition (very competitive) so I will definitely apply for as many as I can! Unfortunately, since I will be an accelerated BSN student, they discourage working during the program and I won't have a summer break (one program is 12 months, other is 14), so I don't think an externship would be possible. My only hospital experience will be during clinical. I am going to try to get a CNA or volunteering job in a local hospital during the semester before I start nursing school though! Thank you for your responses :)

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Specializes in NICU.

I took a job 3 hours away (and out of state) from where I went to school and still got the job. I also had an offer from a hospital 800 miles away, so they definitely didn't know about my school. I think what is in your resume is more important than the school. Doing clinicals at the hospital that you want to work in has a slight advantage, but only if you really make an impression with nurses and managers at the hospital. If it is a large teaching hospital with many nursing students coming through each semester, you would really need to stand out to be remembered post NCLEX.

My advice would be to go to the state school (unless you can get scholarships and grants for the private school), get an externship in a specialty that you want to work in post graduation, and get a part-time job at a hospital while going to school.

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Thanks for the advice Guy in Babyland! It is a large teaching hospital so I may not be as noticed as I would like to think LOL. The good thing is the application deadline for the private school is earlier than the deadline for the state school, so I'll know if I have been accepted and if I have been awarded any scholarships or grants before I would apply to the state school. I will apply and see what happens! Since I haven't visited the state school yet, if I end up liking that program more, maybe I will just go there and not worry about not finding a job down here. I am a hard worker, pretty good at networking and will find work if I keep trying and am open to all opportunities :) Thanks!

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Specializes in ICU.

They don't always remember you in clinical. Go to the cheaper school. Have a great resume and stellar interview skills. That is what is going to land you the job. Not that you did a clinical rotation there. We do our clinicals at many different hospitals and it will not be in the city I am moving to. Get your education for as cheap as you can. You are overestimating a clinical experience which is exactly what I did.

I suppose if I was going to work here I would worry about contacts in the hospital, but I have done well in all rotations so far and I really don't think the specific nurses remember me. Unless I worked with one more than once. If you connect with some use them as a reference. That would be an awesome help.

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Your degree is a BSN. The "A" is just the amount of time it took to complete. You will be taking the EXACT same classes as a traditional student. You will be taking around 21 hours a semester.

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