Since there are many distant learning opportunities for nursing schools, prospective nursing students must consider the advantages of attending a local school, preferably a hospital nursing school. It is clear from statistical evidence that the best-ranked nursing schools are hospital nursing schools. Thus attending a prestigious school, like the number one ranked University of San Francisco, may be beneficial in pursuing a nursing career.
One distinct advantage of hospital nursing schools is being able to pursue practical learning aspects with ease of scheduling. Large hospitals will also offer students a variety of specialties in which to practice their profession before attaining a degree. As well, the hospital nursing school is usually a teaching hospital, which means training exists for not only nurses but also doctors. Teaching hospitals tend to be more tolerant of those learning how to practice medicine. In fact, such hospitals are frequently on schedules that are specific to the training of the next generation of medical workers.
Another advantage to the hospital nursing school is that many graduates may decide to further pursue their education. Frequently the hospital nursing school will offer more degrees and higher degrees than for example, a trade school or community college.
Opportunities exist for not only higher degrees but changes in professions. One can learn how to be a teacher of nurses in a hospital nursing school, or pursue one’s education to become a nurse practitioner. Frequently opportunities to gain both Master’s Degrees and PhDs exist. Advanced education translates to much higher pay in a field that is desperate for new workers.
A hospital nursing school also offers one quick access to jobs in specialized departments. Often new nurses have little trouble finding work, since so many opportunities exist for nurses. Yet, in some cases, nurses may have to work in a department that holds little interest for them.
When a person has done well academically in a hospital nursing school, the likelihood of getting a job in one’s specialty increases. Recommendations and personal knowledge of the hospital are likely to carry more weight for those hiring nurses. Many who train in a hospital nursing school end up working in the hospital in which they trained.
Virtually all of the top nursing programs are attached to a hospital, suggesting that the overall advantage of attending a hospital nursing school is great. This does not mean that those receiving an education elsewhere won’t find jobs. However, since the hospital nursing school can offer specific education and is designed to train new nurses, this may likely hold the best opportunity for pursuing a satisfying nursing career once school is completed.