Choosing a nursing school is an important career decision for those who aspire to become nurses.
Choosing a nursing school is one of the first decisions that nurses make regarding their careers. Preparing for a phone interview or coming to a campus tour with a list of prepared questions will help prospective nursing students better evaluate the school or schools at which they are considering studying.
Regional Accreditation
The Nursing School at Jacksonville University in Tampa, Florida, stresses on its website that a crucial question to ask of any nursing school is whether the nursing school and the university with which it is affiliated are both regionally accredited. According to the website, "Regional accreditation is the highest level of accreditation a college or university can obtain, and it's recognized throughout the United States." Such accreditation is especially meaningful for a student who wishes to pursue a master's degree in nursing. Accreditation not only ensures the quality of a particular nursing program, it also typically is required by employers who offer tuition reimbursement to employees studying nursing.
Clinical Requirements
Clinicals give hands-on experience to nursing students and are an important component of any nursing program.
Clinical rotations enable nursing students to demonstrate the skills that they have learned. Since clinical requirements vary, it is important to ask what will be required by a particular nursing school. Ask how many hours of clinicals are required by the school, if students will need to travel to another city to complete clinical requirements, if travel costs are included in tuition costs, if students can fulfill clinical requirements with their own employers and if students can choose a preceptor---a physician who will give practical experience to a nursing student---whom they already know. You should also ask if students can choose to fulfill clinical requirements in an area of medicine that interests them, such as pediatrics or obstetrics.
The All Nursing Schools website also suggests asking current students at a nursing school about clinicals. Questions to consider asking include the following: Is enough clinical rotation time provided to students? Do clinical placements provide hands-on experience? Are clinical placements varied, allowing students exposure to several different areas of medicine?
Online Program
Ask if lab materials, such as a microscope, can be shipped to your home address.
If you are considering an online program in nursing, there are special questions you should consider. Prospective students should ask if tests are offered online, or if students will need to drive to a testing site or pay a fee to take tests. They should also ask if the classes involve simply reading materials and then taking a test, or if there are streaming video or MP3 lectures to watch.
Interested students should find out if lab courses are offered online or are part of an on-campus component of the online nursing program. You should also ask if materials for online lab courses can be shipped to your home address.
NCLEX Examination Pass Rates
The All Nursing Schools website suggests asking prospective nursing schools about the percentage of students who pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), described as "a standardized exam that each state board of nursing uses to determine whether or not a candidate is prepared for entry-level nursing practice." Students should ask for data over the last five to 10 years. If the school can boast of a high percentage of graduates who have passed the NCLEX, the school is likely to prepare its students well for entry into the field of nursing.
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