“Does It Matter What Nursing School I Go To?”

Each year, almost 1/3 of qualified applicants to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs are rejected due to limited spots in nursing school. Simply getting into nursing school is a monumental task in itself. But how big of a factor is your alma mater when it comes time to apply to nursing jobs?

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This is a common question I see on message boards from both pre-nursing students as well as recent nursing school graduates. Many people apply multiple times to get into nursing school and thus end up going to school wherever they get accepted. Some students are okay with going to any school, while others are dead set on attending one of the top ranked programs in the country.

If you look online, you can find multiple lists of different rankings, including Best College Reviews Top 35 Best Bachelor’s Degrees in Nursing 2020. While many programs have a solid history and reputation in the nursing community, there are only a limited number of spots at these prestigious schools. So what is a student to do if they can’t attend one of these high-ranking programs?

My first piece of advice: don’t panic. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 7 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations”. This equates to an increase of over 221,900 job openings over the next decade. According to the US BLS, there are currently just over 3 million nursing positions in the US as of 2019 with a median annual wage of $73,300. The fact is, the US has an aging population with increasingly complex medical issues that will require nurses well into the future. The small number of elite schools can’t possibly create enough nurses to fill even a tiny fraction of these jobs. So even if your school isn’t ranked in the top 10/20/30/etc, you won’t struggle to find a job after graduation.

What is important to remember is that receiving a top-tier education in nursing is not the same as becoming a great nurse. What will set you apart from your peers, and even above those students who graduated from top programs, will be your clinical skills, critical thinking abilities, and drive to become a better healthcare provider. In my experience, hospitals only care that you received an education that prepared you to pass the NCLEX and thus received your license to practice nursing. I would even go as far to say that your GPA, while it may be brought up in interviews, will not define you as much as your professional presence, attitude, and experience. As an ICU nurse, I’ve worked with nurses from a range of schools from community colleges to top tier programs, and I have never once assumed that a nurse is any less skilled based on their grades or the reputation of their school. I trust in my co-workers who are always open to learning and are passionate about their career.

So stop worrying about what school you go to or went to and start focusing on becoming a better nurse; your work ethic and attitude will take you further than a degree ever could.