Nursing Schools in the U.S. that Students Should Consider
Nov 19, 2014 | 10:00 am
Nursing is a job that even in tough economies offers viable employment. There will always be a need for nurses. Because of this, nursing is a career that many consider when going back to school for retraining and beginning a new career. There is job security in nursing. There are also some schools that rank better in the United States and as a graduate of a high ranking school, your resume will stand out.
The Top Ranked Nursing Schools
Top Ranking on the east coast goes to John Hopkins University in Maryland. They boast specialties in Community and Public Health, Geriatrics, Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner and Administrative Nursing.
On the West Coast, The University of Washington in Seattle is also top ranking with Specialties in Psychiatric Nursing, Community and Public Health, Adult and Family Nurse Practitioners as well as Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. They also offer a Nurse Midwife program that is top ranking in the U.S.
In the Midwest, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor ranks sixth in the nation in this year’s U.S. News reports. The University of Michigan’s nursing program specializes in Nurse Midwives and has the added benefit of being close to both Michigan and Illinois teaching hospitals for rotation placement.
Other Great Nursing Schools
If you are looking for smaller class size and more personal attention, Columbia University, located in New York may be for you. They have an average class ratio of six to one. (Students to teacher.) It is the number one nursing school in the state of New York and also is a part of one of the oldest colleges in America.
Columbia University is a private college, which is why they are able to give more attention to student and have a smaller class size. If being somewhere where history and architecture is important to your decision, Columbia is also for you. The Architecture itself stands out and has won many awards. You are also in the city of New York affording students access to city life and all that the “city that never sleeps” has to offer.
Another historical college that offers a top notch nursing program is the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It was the first United States University to offer baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees in teaching. It began training nurses in the 1850’s. The University Hospital is one of the top employers in the state. Here the student/teacher ratio is low. In 2012, there were only 554 students enrolled in the nursing program.
In the south, Duke University offers an excellent nursing program in a research hospital setting. Duke is in Durham, North Carolina and is only a two-hour drive from the highly visited historical town of Charlotte. The architecture here has won awards with its castle-like setting. Methodists and Quakers whose idea was to bring charity and good health to the masses originally funded the school. This idea has moved along to modern day and is still a basic tenet of the University. It is one of the few schools that offer a post-doctorate program in Nursing.
Finding the right university can be about different things for different people. Being close enough and being able to afford it, is often one. But, if you are looking for something extra and are able to move for your nursing degree, top colleges like these can give you a leg-up.