Which school is better

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When thinking about doing a Master's in Nursing for example an NP program, is it better to go to a famous school like University of Michigan or go to a school like Wayne State, Oakland university?

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Specializes in Ortho and Transplant.

Always check the schools accrediations before making your choice and if you cant find it on there web site then call the department you are interested in.

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Specializes in Cardiac Tele, MICU RN.

All the schools you mentioned are very good schools. Wayne State University and U of M is really known for their CRNA and NP programs. Oakland University has a good NP program also. They are all accredidated too. U of D of Mercy also has an excellent CRNA and NP program, expensive though. Most hospitals here in MI will hire you regardless of which one you graduated from due to the shortage of nurses, but the inner city schools will probably have a better clinical learning experience which will give you a stronger knowledge base and background. Good Luck

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

I am a nurse practitioner and I received my degree from Wayne State. Personally, I think Wayne State has an established reputation both in the undergrad and grad programs in nursing. However, U of M does have the national renown and consistently ranks high not only in nursing but in most other fields of study as well. If you believe the rankings published by US News and World Report, Wayne State ranked quite well (# 40 nationally) but U of M is in the top 5. (See http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/nur/search/)

But these are not the only things you look at when considering a graduate program in nursing. For one, you may want to know if a specific NP program is offered in the school you are interested in? For instance, U of M and Wayne State are the only two schools that offer the ACNP and PNP option. Wayne State offers the only Neonatal NP and Pediatric Acute Care NP program in Michigan. FNP programs are offered in majority of schools but Wayne State does not offer it. Oakland and MSU offer FNP, ANP, and GNP. Another factor to consider is the cost of tuition. As you may already know, U of M has the highest tuition of all the state universities in Michigan.

Finally, as a nurse practitioner in clinical practice, I've worked with colleagues who graduated from U of M, Wayne State, MSU, U of D, and Oakland and it is hard to say without doubt that one is better than the other because of where they went to school. In addition, employers may want to look more into what nursing experiences and background a potential NP can offer rather than where they received their training from because all nurse practitioners in the State of Michigan are required to be nationally certified anyway.

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