What are the Best Nursing Schools? Top Degrees
RSSThe 2010 Collegiate Ranking Survey conducted by US News and World Report has developed into a sophisticated set of ratings, analyses and subcategories that delve into student issues such as size and affordability along with specialty rankings for professions with dedicated schools such as nursing, law, business, and other highly focused career choices.
These are national rankings without regard to cost or accessibility; however nine of the top twelve are public universities (top nursing universities). Led by the University of Washington, the list also includes California nursing schools at Berkeley and UCLA; and the state schools in Oregon, Michigan, Illinois, Maryland, Iowa, and North Carolina.
One of the critical components of a nursing degree is the clinical hours put in as a student nurse. Because of the need for supervised local training in a medical facility it is difficult for online nursing programs to offer a degree leading to the national exam every RN must pass. All of the schools mentioned above have major medical centers either on campus or as partners.
But there are still some online nursing degrees that are highly regarded, particularly for practicing nurses who are looking for an RN to BSN degree. Chamberlain College of Nursing offers a fast-track RN to BSN program and an LPN to RN bridge program, both of which are available online. The University of Phoenix and Grand Canyon University both have a bachelors degree in nursing and an LPN to BSN degree available online as well.
