Which school to choose?

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

I'm a new BSN looking for continuing my education with the goal to work in adult ICU one day. There are two MSN Adult care programs in my area; I know from internal sources that each of them would accept me any time after I get at least one year of bedside acute care (it is not an official requirement but both places included in their "internal criteria" and known to avoid applicants without experience).

Place #1:

- one of the top 10 programs in the country by every rating I found

- 2.5 years; Adult Acute care MSN-NP

- large (90+ student/cohort)

- campus-based; most of clinicals are on-site in that world-famous hospital (which means 2.5 h one way commute twice a week)

- curriculum is very heavy in research and clinical-related subjects

- price is 40% over the place #2 (manageable without loans but just barely)

Place #2:

- outcrop of the #1 (same institution but other campus); the diploma is different from the first one; rated high enough but still way below the former one

- 16 months; accelerated Adult Primary care MSN-NP

- small (only 16 students/ cohort)

- all classes online; campus meets only 2-3 times/semester; clinicals arranged "near the place convenient for the student"

- claim they can, "under certain circumstances", arrange required clinicals/research in the Place #1 but give no evidence of that.

- curriculum is half full of "theory of advanced management strategies in nursing" and the like online courses. Research and clinicals are what required at baseline for such programs and nothing more.

- relatively cheap

Both places have close to 100% boards passing rate and their former grads working all over the state, but I may have to move across the country or abroad after I finish.

I would appreciate the honest advice about where to go. I see that it isn't seem to be absolutely necessary to complete Acute care program to get ICU job for NPs where I live but I am a bit concerned if it will be the same in other states. I have no interest at all in management and leadership and would not like to spend a year paying for useless fluff and then have to pay for post-Master's certificate.

[UVA Grad Nursing]

If you want to be a NP in the ICU setting, then I recommend the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP program. Pursue the role and the certification that you aspire to. A primary care credential would hinder you from working in ICUs at many health systems in the US now.