Nursing is one of the fastest growing careers in the nation. With a robust job market and a sense of accomplishment in caring for others, it’s a highly regarded career with tons of benefits. Finding the best nursing schools in the U.S. can be challenging with such a rapidly growing field. Many people fail to realize that there are different types and levels of nursing. There are many exceptional programs for nursing and it can be challenging at best to find the one that is the absolute best. There are both traditional schools and those that are online, so it’s important to determine which will work best for you before you go looking for the best possible education in the field.
Programs And Specialties
Before you begin your search, it’s important to ask yourself if you’re planning to specialize in any particular field. For some, a simple nursing degree may be all that is required, while others will require a master’s degree in nursing to reach the particular field of specialty that they desire. There are many fields to consider including:
Midwifery
Anesthesia
Oncology
Pediatrics
Prenatal
Neonatal
Geriatric
Public
Educational
Schools
Endocrinology
Cardiology
Orthopedic
Psychiatric
Radiology
Critical Care
Dialysis
Clinical
Nurse Practitioner
Informational
Health Policy
Educator
Advocate
Researcher
Pain Management
Trauma
Travel
Each particular field will bring with it specif
ic educational requirements and some will require that the person be a registered nurse and then go on to a master program to further their education before they are given the title of the particular specialty that they’re interested in. Programs will be offered at the master’s level as well as the DNP level and more. Understanding the end goal can go far in helping a person to determine the best nursing schools in US before they go on to start their education.
Online Or Traditional
Nursing students will want to determine what is the best fit for them in an education. Will they do best if they go the traditional route and go to a university for their training? Or will they choose to go online and get their nursing degree?
Either choice they make will have some requirements for clinical and lab work. However, the online choice will allow students to choose when they do their school work. This may be important because some students will need to go to work on a daily basis while at the same time attending classes.
A more traditional school will have students attend classes several days per week and will require that they be in attendance and turn in their required work in a timely fashion. This method offers a program that works well for many, however, for some, it is too demanding and they can’t attain their goals due to the fact that they may still be required to work and provide for a family.
Online Graduate Programs
Many prefer to get their education at college and then go online for their graduate programs. This can work well if the person already has a career and needs to work around their daily schedule and attend classes in between their other tasks. As long as the student is turning in the work and reaching their goals in a timely fashion this can work well for many. However, it’s not the starting point.
The starting point is to determine what school or schools will work best to start their nursing career. For many, this will be the beginning college level. Students will begin their studies at a local college level where they will get the prerequisites out of the way. They will take the required courses that will allow them to transfer to a larger school where they can further their studies. These courses are designed to help them facilitate their education so that they can continue on to their chosen degree.
Finding The Best Nursing Schools In The U.S.
Once the basics are covered, it’s time to get serious about what the rest of the education will look like. Each particular school has its own set of pros and cons when it comes to education.
For some, it’s the location. There are many great nursing schools in the nation but it’s important to live within a decent commute time to these schools. However, it’s not always easy to get into such schools. Competition is fierce and many are vying for what they believe to be a top-notch school with a top-notch education. For this reason, many classes are limited in size and the criteria for getting an education there is stringent. This can make it a huge challenge to get into such a facility. If you’re seeking one of these schools you’re going to have to be the best of the best. Many students have found that to reach this goal, they must be able to focus full-time on their studies and not be working any side jobs.
This can be difficult for many and for this reason, many will take classes here and there and slowly work their way up to finding the best of the best for their education.
Top Picks
Columbia University in New York is one of the best ranking schools when it comes to nursing school. However, as mentioned above, there are some stringent entry requirements. As one of the top-rated schools for nursing, Columbia has some stringent requirements that make it more challenging to get into than others. Students are going to have to be the cream of the crop to enter here and attend school. However, if you can get accepted here, Columbia has endless opportunities and is located in the heart of a medical field. Students who attend here are able to learn from the best doctors in their fields of study and they have plenty of opportunities to practice their skills in the many medical facilities in and around the area.
The University Of Pennsylvania is another top-notch school that offers up a variety of options when it comes to a nursing degree. Students can opt for a baccalaureate, master’s or a doctorate in nursing as their degree.
The University of Pennsylvania believes in a low student to teacher ratio. The students learn in smaller sized classes and this gives them an edge in their educational goals. When the ratios are so low, students will greatly benefit from the one-on-one student to teacher ratio and it can show in their education. With flexible degree options, students are able to take advantage of the other subjects that are offered and get minors in literature and other subjects while pursuing their nursing degrees.
The west coast has many great options as well with major universities in California, Oregon, Washington State, and Colorado having excellent health care educational opportunities available.
Finding the best school for your educational needs is part being in the right location, and part understanding the pros and cons of each particular university. Setting your goals can help to define and determine which school will give the best possible educational opportunity for the requirements for the particular degree that is being sought.
Focusing on the end goal can help a person to go far in achieving their goal without having to give up on their dreams.
Finding the best nursing schools in the U.S. will be much easier when a student has taken the time to define their goals and do all of the prerequisites that are required before they attempt to gain entry into the more major universities. The educational opportunities are available for each and every student in nursing who desires to reach higher for their degree. Specializing will help them to reach the desired level of earning and their degree of interest in nursing.