I will report back what I find out! I may also just call admissions before to try to see what they say as well
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Yes, I’m curious to know what they say to you as well. I certainly asked about it last year… I was told “everyone admitted is guaranteed a seat,” and the rep I spoke to denied any knowledge of any fine print suggesting progression in the program being “competitive.”
Imagine that?! It was literally so weird! 
Here is URI’s nursing major curriculum:
https://web.uri.edu/advising/files/Nursing-6.5.12.pdf
What apparently is competitive is entry into the clinical sequence of courses starting with NUR 203 after completing the prerequisites (biology, chemistry, etc.).
Other than the competitive admission to NUR 203, progression requirements are only a C (not C-) or higher in all NUR courses and a 2.20 GPA.
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Yes…!
My daughter and I agonized over this…and the reps and AOs were talking in circles when we asked about it. Something is just “off” about it! This weirdly worded progression policy is the reason she did not accept her offer from URI.
Bring a printout of https://web.uri.edu/advising/files/Nursing-6.5.12.pdf and ask them about the competitive admission to NUR 203 described there.
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This 2019 thread actually has the same discussion- includes multiple posts actually confirming URI not DA nursing.
I would also ask the percentage/number of kids who do NOT get into clinicals on the first run. That will tell you something about how hard that really is. They will know those numbers. If nearly all get in - or only 20 percent get in - it’s telling.
Clinicals are the heart of a nursing program - so just the fact that there is a competitive process to get into them says it’s not DA.
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Anyone applying to nursing school should look closely at where the clinicals are in relation to the campus in terms of distance and what the quality of those clinicals are. I would rule out schools like UConn, UMass Amherst, URI, and Penn State on this basis alone. The best clinical experiences will be found in big city hospitals. So, colleges located in big cities or in other locations with teaching hospitals nearby are the best bet.
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With all due respect, the most important factor is to make sure the school has relationships with the local hospitals and if all the students in the cohort will have a definite slot. Size of hospital or big city vs community hospital will not matter to future employers with regards to the typical BSN degree clinical rotation experience. Unless it’s changed, BSN clinicals include med/surg, peds, maternity, psych, and community health. Those experiences will be similar at most hospitals. Nursing students might be able to “observe” more at a large teaching hospital but hands-on experience will be similar no matter the site.
What can matter are nurse externships, nursing assistant experience, etc when looking for a job.
If your clinical sites will not be close to campus, make sure your school allows you to have a car on campus the semester your rotations begin.
Good luck!
Or that there is some means of transportation that is not excessively inconvenient or expensive.
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My daughter had clinical rotations near her college. She could take public transportation, use Uber/lyft or carpool with her nursing friends. In the end she used carpool the most because it was easier to be with her friends especially 5am. She did not have a car but the kids that did were actively looking for other students so they could share gas and parking expenses (especially parking!) There are so many parameters choosing a college. Of course if a student has lots of acceptances and are all affordable he/she can nitpick and choose the “best”. But in reality, something has to give. My daughter would pick “best” college over “best” clinical location so I can see her picking Conn and Amherst over Simmons. I put best in quotations because students look for different things and all are valid. Nothing against Simmons which is a great college.
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Very interesting… Just to add to the discussion, any applicant with the stats to get into the HIGHLY selective nursing programs at UCONN or UMASS-A, as examples, will certainly be in the fantastic position have his/her CHOICE of schools. Those schools have fantastic programs, as many others do, and just because it’s a commute to the clinical locations does not somehow make those clinicals low-quality. Community nursing is a HUGE part of the career field, and a very traditional training ground for nurses for decades. Certainly inner-city Level III trauma centers offer intense and valuable training, but to say those locations are the “BEST” might diminish the skills and training offered by the experienced teams anywhere else. Plus, as was stated earlier, not every applicant has as many options as others when it comes to DA BSN programs. They are all great!
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@OceanAir Agree but also to add that some high stats students have the financial part to strategize about and that might lead to a choice that is not “best” in everything but good enough for the student’s goals.
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We spoke with URI regarding the possible issue of not being able to be considered for clinicals if you met all the requirements. They said that this has never happened and they think it never will but they put it in as a sort of “disclaimer” on the albeit rare chance they have too many students and too few clinicals.
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Interesting. My student is very interested in URI (we visited) but has all but ruled it out (reluctantly) because of this policy. Was the person you spoke to in the nursing department or admissions? Thanks for the info.
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What a shame that URI indeed has this sneaky policy, and when pushed they dance around it and talk in circles. URI should not be considered a direct entry nursing program or market the program as such.
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Nursing
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Thanks for sharing this. I guess I’m not sure what to think on this one. Definitely a consideration, for sure.
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It would be interesting to see the following numbers for a given entering cohort:
- Nursing entering frosh.
- Nursing students at the point of taking NUR 203 who meet the base requirements (3.0 college GPA, no grade lower than C.
- Nursing students enrolled in NUR 203.
URI’s class schedule says that fall 2022 NUR 203 had a nominal capacity of 120 (two lectures of 60 each), but actual enrollment of 145 (77 and 68 in the lectures).
If the numbers shrink significantly between 1 and 2, perhaps there is weeding by harsh grading in the prerequisite courses. If the numbers shrink significantly between 2 and 3, perhaps there is additional competition to get into NUR 203 among those meeting the base requirements.
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Thanks for sharing the information.
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