What education does UVA hospital look for?

[amm27441]

Hello all!

This is my first posting to allnurses.com and I have been struggling over some dilemmas the past several months about which nursing program to pursue. I graduated from UVA with a Psychology BA so I am able to do a concurrent program or accelerated program. I have three options that I am looking at:

1) attending PVCC (local Charlottesville community college) for 2 years and receiving my AAS in nursing, passing my NCLEX, then doing the VCU online RN-BSN program in a year and a half...this is the option that I am really considering, even though it would take awhile

2) attending VCU's accelerated program that takes 5 semesters

3) or attending PVCC while doing the concurrent ODU program that would take about 2 years.

The first option is the one I want to do because I want to get a job after I pass my NCLEX and finish my education online through VCU. That way I can start making at least some kind of money but also getting that renowned VCU education. Another benefit to this route is that the VCU online program allows guaranteed admission. The second option is my last preference since I live in Charlottesville and commuting to Richmond would be pretty awful since the schedule for the classes go all day, not to mention if I had clinicals to do as well as time to study, etc. I don't want to move to Richmond because that is money I don't really have to spend on housing, etc., which would also mean I would have to quit my job here in Charlottesville and find another one in Richmond. The third option I have just recently been considering a lot. I saw on a different forum where someone was accepted into this program and he/she said if you get accepted into the community college program, the ODU acceptance is almost automatic. So that gives me high hopes and would allow me to finish a good year and a half sooner on education BUT how does the education from VCU compare to ODU? VCU is the second best nursing school in the state and is, what, 14th in the nation? I also have a few friends who work in human resources at UVA hospital and they say that UVA definitely considers where you go to school and get your education (they have been hiring nurses from Yale recently), so that is daunting. I know that I want to attend grad school after I get my BSN and get some experience, and VCU would be an excellent school to attend, so would it be more wise for me to go to VCU? Would I possibly be a better candidate if I had done my undergrad there? If I do PVCC to VCU, after I pass the NCLEX I can start working and get that year of experience while finishing my BSN, but if I do the ODU 2 year program I will still have to work at least a year after that and then apply to grad school...the PVCC to VCU route would then really only be about a half a year longer.

What it boils down to is:

Are other hospitals (like Martha Jefferson or other Sentara hospitals) as picky as UVA about education and would it really benefit me that much more to get my VCU education instead of ODU?

Is the extra year and a half worth it to get my BSN degree from VCU since I know I want to go to grad school and the amount of time to finish the program and the experience for the PVCC to VCU route will only be a little longer?

Ah, please help!

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Welcome to allnurses, we have a huge community so I am sure you will find answers to any nursing questions you may have!

[kapowren]

Hello, I'm practically in the same dilemma as you. I'm also a graduate from UVA with a BA history! I recently figured out that nursing is my calling, and I'm trying to figure out what is the best option for me to get my BSN. Albeit, I'm mostly looking at accelerated programs. Good luck to the both of us on our endeavors!