Will you get a job not matter what school you received NP degree?

zenman · Feb 13, 2013

I don't think it matters much, not like being a lawyer or business grad.

sav3alif3RN · Feb 13, 2013

A co-worker told me yesterday I should choose Georgia State over Walden University because It's well known. He said that employers will choose applicants with degrees from more prestigious reputations. I assumed it didn't matter as long as I passed my boards.

elkpark · Feb 13, 2013

Well, the thing is that it might not matter most or all of the time, but you never know when it might actually matter to some potential employer where you went to school, and when that might make a difference. Lots of times people are familiar with the familiar schools in their area or in their state, and have a more positive impression of those schools than schools they don't know anything about (or may have heard negative things about in the media). And then there are the schools with (good) reputations nationally. People post here all the time about how it doesn't make any difference, only your license matters, but I've never in my career been on a job interview where the interviewer didn't comment (favorably, fortunately :)) on the schools I've attended. Did it make a difference in whether I got the job? I have no idea. But they were certainly paying attention.

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 13, 2013

I went to a school with a well-known name. I am trying to find a job out of state. I find that it does help me at least get looked at twice, despite not being a local applicant. If you plan to stay in the same area after graduation then the name of the school may not matter.

But in addition to reputation you also want to think about the quality of education you'll be getting. Will the school set you up in clinical sites or do you need to find your own preceptors? Will you get well-rounded clinical experiences? Will staff be available to mentor you through the program? What is the program's overall pass rate?

myelin · Feb 14, 2013

Why are nurses so scared of the GRE? Not applying to a good program because you have an issue with the GRE is ridiculous. It's just a test. I see posts like this all the time "oh well, X program wants the GRE so I'm not going to apply"... come on. It's just a test and nursing is a field that is extremely lenient when it comes to GRE scores compared to other graduate fields.

Go with the program that has the best reputation for where you want to practice. Choose one that provides the entirety of your education (including clinical rotations) and yes, bigger name programs have far more networking opportunities.

mylojoRN · Feb 14, 2013

I don't necessarily agree with "bigger programs have far more networking opportunities". I see students from "big" universities, such as the University of Cincinnati, U of M-Flint, and Frontier, begging for preceptors. Contrary to popular belief, most schools both brick and mortar as well as online are requiring students to find their own clinicals and preceptors. My advice to you to is to go with the school that works best for you. Start networking within your current facility where you work to find preceptors. I attend Walden U and have already set up my preceptors,clinicals and have a position within my facility when I graduate next year.

Although there are some job opportunities that will look at where you went to school, more will look at your past nursing experiences and how you conduct yourself on an interview. When I obtained my ADN degree from a community college here in Detroit, Michigan, people told me that I would not get hired because of the schools reputation, however, I applied and was offered a position in the ICU at the University of Michigan Hospital, even before I passed my boards. Also, the school I went to never came up during the interview, go figure. We all know U of M is a nationally recognized school and health system. So my advice to you is do what is best for you, stop asking for peoples opinion, cause they will sure give it to you, many times negative if you didn't go the exact same route they did. My experience with Walden has been positive, it is a very challenging program thus far. In addition, all of the instructors have their doctorate degrees and all teach at other well know Universities,imagine that an online program having instructors that also work at reputable brick and mortar schools and online programs. I guess they will come back and say that the instructor teaches differently and offers the students less of an education at Walden then they do at the other universities. Again, do whats best for you and stay strong in your choice, I did and it has paid off.

coast2coast · Feb 14, 2013

Why are nurses so scared of the GRE? Not applying to a good program because you have an issue with the GRE is ridiculous. It's just a test. I see posts like this all the time "oh well, X program wants the GRE so I'm not going to apply"... come on. It's just a test and nursing is a field that is extremely lenient when it comes to GRE scores compared to other graduate fields.

Thread jack: I, too, HATE this attitude. Nurses are afraid of a standardized test but not of becoming responsible for life-saving patient care decisions. What?! Lookit. The GRE is just about the easiest standardized test out there. Just being a literate adult gets you about halfway through the material. Re-learning geometry and basic arithmetic gets you another 25%. The minimum score you get for showing up and putting your name on the test is almost enough to meet nursing school standards. Just take the test already!/thread jack. OP: graduating from a 'name' school definitely helped me get hired across the country. If you are planning to stay local, just pick a decent school that gives you preceptors and isn't a diploma mill and you will be OK.

Agrippa · Feb 14, 2013

Hi all, I'm currently applying to some NP programs. I've completed Georgia State's and Walden University's application already. GA State required the MAT (which I did not do as well on) and Walden did not require any testing. I'm looking into applying to at least two more that does not require GRE/MAT. However, my concern is picking a school to make me more marketable when I'm done. Should this be a concern? Do you think going to a well known school increases your chances of getting hired? Or will I be able to find a job no matter what program I complete? Thanks for your advice/input.

If you had a candidate who went to say your state's flagship university's NP program vs. Walden/Phoenix/whatever other online university - who would you hire. I know that I would hire the one that went to the brick and mortar university. I really think that nursing is really hurting the profession by allowing such programs that are mediocre at best enter into the field. You don't see any online for profit MD, PT, DSS, etc programs.

Trauma Columnist · Feb 14, 2013

Didn't matter for me.

elkpark · Feb 14, 2013

Contrary to popular belief, most schools both brick and mortar as well as online are requiring students to find their own clinicals and preceptors.

Maybe "most" schools do, but my school didn't, and I wouldn't have considered attending a school that did. If people in nursing weren't so willing to put with this, schools wouldn't be able to get away with it.

IMO, this is another factor hurting nursing's image in academia and healthcare. Can you imagine a medical school, dental school, physical therapy program, law school, etc., that expected students to find their own clinical/practical experiences?

zenman · Feb 14, 2013

Maybe nursing schools don't have a choice since they aren't getting government money to have students run around in a hospital.