<p>I'm a senior this year and have been considering a premed path since freshmen year, however, I have been doing some shadowing and have realized nursing is more what I really want to do. I'm looking at eventually Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. </p>
<p>My major concern is picking a college that will provide me with clinicals and a strong education. Does anyone know of any colleges/universities with programs that really produce well-rounded nurses? I perfer small to medium class sizes, but I want the school that prepares me best. Any ideas?</p>
<p>I have already applied to and been accepted to University of Minnesota- TC and St. Catherine's University</p>
<p>Yes, I realize that the state I want to work in is important, but honestly I'm fine living anywhere in the US. I know that there are a lot of good programs out there, I'm just wondering if you guys know any schools that are really good and/or schools with strong Neonate care.</p>
<p>Nursing schools are very competitive and applications are already in for many schools. Please read through the entire nursing forum as there is quite a bit of information already shared. If you want a nursing space for fall of 2013, you better apply soon. Nursing schools are already accepting students for the fall and the clock is ticking. good luck!</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about midwest colleges. There is lots of discussion on this site about northeastern colleges. As noted above, apply ASAP. Some direct entry programs have stopped taking applications for nursing.</p>
<p>Some people on this site have had good things to say about Duquesne University’s program. It is east of center city Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh actually has become a popular college town, and it is a major health care center. Other people have had good things to say about Case Western Reserve’s program in Cleveland.</p>
<p>Many programs south of Pennsylvania are not direct entry - you need to apply to be considered for nursing in your sophomore year.</p>
<p>D hasn’t gotten any clinicals in neonatal care at Duq, so it might not be a good option for you (also - new Dean and we’ll have to see how their NCLEX scores improve), although it’s a very patient-oriented program with clinicals in top teaching hospitals. You might look at Pitt for neonatal, although the new Childrens Hospital is not close to their Oakland campus anymore.</p>
<p>You could contact some childrens’ hospitals. If they’re teaching hospitals, you may find that they have departments of residency and teaching that coordinate the student programs. They might be able to tell you if student nurses do clinicals at their hospital, and from which schools. You might also look for nursing internships in neonatal nursing and see what credentials they look for once you’re in nursing school. Plan ahead to try to apply for them in your Junior year.</p>
<p>I agree that your applications should be in by now, although it’s always worth a try especially if your credentials are exceptional.</p>
<p>4 Year BSN Programs educate students to be “generalists” in Nursing. You don’t specialize in any particular area of Nursing as an undergraduate. BSN curriculums provide some education in Pediatrics but I suspect this does not usually include very much in the area of Neonatology. You might want to google “Neonatology Nurse Practitioner Programs” to identify colleges that provide Nursing Advanced Practice degrees (MSN/DNP) degrees in this area. Most, but not all, such programs also provide general BSN training at the same college as well and perhaps may offer some Nursing electives in Neonatology to undergraduates. In any event, as previously noted, if you plan on applying to any more BSN programs you need to do so ASAP. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>If you work in a Children’s hospital as a nurse, you may eventually get placed or bid into neonatology as an RN, where you will receive hands on training within the unit. My relative is a neonatal RN and she ended up working there as part of her rotation in the children’s hospital where she works. Pediatric Nurse Practioner is an MSN specialty, but I am not sure how much of it is neonatology focused. My D shadowed in the NICU as part of an internship and it was a good experience. Nurses in NICUs are very protective of their specialty and work very closely with neonatal MDs.</p>
<p>Most Neonatology Nurse Practitioner Programs require a RN to have 1-2 yrs. experience working on a Neonatology Unit (most commonly a NICU) before they can apply for admission to the Program. So once you have your RN you will need to eventually find such a position in order to apply. This may take some time but obviously is doable. A few Programs might allow students to gain some of this experience while working in the Program but is generally recommended you get the experience prior to applying. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>My d did one of her clinicals in the neonatal unit at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania when she was at Penn. Not sure how you find out specific clinical options at the various nursing programs though… maybe email and ask…</p>
<p>Yes, to become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner you do need about 2 years of experience as a staff RN in the NICU. And I know there is a huge time crunch which is why I’m on here trying to get information fast. I’ve heard that the city you work in is usually in the city or area you go to school in, so I’d like to pick a good nursing school that may have a Neonatal program. But most importantly I’m looking for a college/university with a program you know is good. Online just doesn’t give you the feel for a program like people who are in the feild.</p>
<p>Most nursing students start out thinking they want to go into pediatrics. Keep an open mind. If you are serious about neo-natal, I’d look for a school that is near a large pediatrics hospital. However, many large general hospitals also have a neo-natal unit. </p>
<p>One of the reasons why many hospitals have expanded their pediatrics is because a higher percentage of the patients are insured (because of government programs).</p>
<p>Look all the information you guys are giving me is great, but honestly I need schools! I know I’m in a time crunch and I don’t have time to research every single school, I need to apply to schools now before deadlines come up. I know a lot of deadlines have already passed. </p>
<p>I would just love to know some schools that provide a solid amount of clinicals and have highish pss ratings.</p>
<p>How competitive are you and how much can you pay?</p>
<p>Penn and Michigan both have top notch Children’s hospitals. Here’s one list of top neonatal hospitals - you could see if schools have clinicals at them:</p>
<p>I do think having a clinical rotation on a floor where you’d like to work is important - keeping in mind that you could totally change your opinion after working there! My d didn’t like working in the NICU - CHOP had extreme cases with just a tiny chance of survival and she felt so sad and helpless…</p>
<p>Dr Renee, it is late in the application cycle to apply to schools that are possibly better than either St. Kate’s or U Minn TC. Both – particularly tha latter – are terrific choices. You couldn’t go wrong as a Golden Gopher. If you felt the need to put in one more effort, it would take you maybe a morning of research and phone calls, then the rest of the day in re-fashioning an essay or two, and sending out the apps, hopefully via commonapp (if not, then be sure you can get your LOR writers to respond).<br>
I would consider running through the list of Direct Entry schools that this group on CC has compiled over the past couple of years, then compare to USNWR Grad School Nursing list. Call the schools you’re interested in (undergrad admissions and nursing departments). They’ll let you know whether they’ve filled rolling admissions for next year’s Nursing class or not. I’m from the West Coast, and I know that schools like Gonzaga, Seattle University, U Portland, Saint Mary’s or Mills College (all girls like St Kates), and USF have strong, improving programs that will be very responsive to someone applying a bit later. But none of these programs are close to U Minnesota’s program.</p>
<p>The above link is the brand new updated results of RN test pass rates for graduates of colleges in PA. This info includes tests through September of 2012. Most programs are seeing improved pass rates - apparently the test had changed, and it took a couple years for the schools to adjust their teaching. </p>
<p>Click on the link in the center of the page for NCLEX Pass rates for RN test. It will open as a pdf.</p>
<p>There are some schools that make it hard to take the test if they don’t think you will pass on the first try. If the percentage pass rate seems too high to be true (97% and above), it probably is.</p>
<p>Some other states publish the same information online, while others apparently do not.</p>
<p>I agree with the other comments. Get your BSN, work in the NICU for at least 2 years. If you decide to pursue a NP , find a school that already has preceptors. I have friends that had to set up their own clinical preceptors and found out it was a nightmare. Many did not graduate on sched as they could not complete their clinical hours due to not finding a preceptor. Also keep in mind their is a push to require the DNP degree for NPs by 2015. Who know if this will pass or not but many NP programs are changing to DNP.</p>
<p>So I have been accepted to Creighton University School of Nursing and Loyola University Chicago School of Nursing. Both programs are 4 year direct entry BSN programs. Any opinions on which is better?</p>