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How to Select a Nursing School |
Useful advice for those looking to get into nursing on selecting the right nursing school.
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When you’re considering where to attend nursing school, your first consideration should be your own needs. Are you the sort of person who needs a traditional, classroom-focused structure for learning, or will you need a program that can be fit around your existing job or other responsibilities?
You’ll also want to think about the end result of your education – are you hoping to work in a small clinic, for a large hospital, in a nursing home or care facility? One way to get an idea of what it is you want is to take a part-time job or volunteer in a hospital or other healthcare environments, and talk to the nurses who work there about their jobs
Once you have a couple of nursing schools in mind, make an appointment to visit, get a tour, and talk to a guidance counselor about the program. You can ask about job placement, financing and other matters while getting a feel for the school and its teaching style.
One way to choose a school is to figure out if you want to pursue a speciality – say, pediatrics, oncology, obstetrics, etc. – and then choose a program that best serves that field of study. School size is another consideration, with some students wanting the individualized education of a small school, while others feel more comfortable in a larger school with more students and teachers. Ask the school representative about the student-to-faculty ratios for both classroom and clinical instruction – small class sizes for clinical rotation and nursing courses is much more important than for the non-nursing specific prerequisite courses.
Make sure the school offers plenty of clinical rotation time, allowing students enough laboratory instruction and hands-on experience. You should also ask about the “pass-rates” for the NCLEX exams – how many graduating students pass their board exams, and how many don’t. This will give you a very good idea of the efficacy of the nursing staff’s teaching.
The school should, of course, be fully accredited by a national education organization. This is one of the most important signs that you’ll be getting a top-notch education. Also, make sure you understand how much tuition will be – and what it covers – before signing up. Prices vary private schools and public schools, and tuition is very different for local residents as opposed to non-resident students at state schools. Talk to the counselor about your financial aid options. Availability of financial aid can also vary significantly between institutions.
Ask the schools as many questions as you can before choosing a program – like, How committed is the faculty to keeping their own education up to date? How much clinic time will be needed for graduation? What kind of counseling is available to students form the administration and faculty? How are the program’s computer facilities?
Finding the right nursing school is, perhaps, the most important step on your journey to become a nurse. So ask a lot of questions, decide what sort of learning environment you need to succeed, and look for a program that careers to your specialty of choice.
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