[agos]

Got 300 ucas points. Just wandering which uni's best for nursing?

[zippyRN]

(Original post by agos)
Got 300 ucas points. Just wandering which uni's best for nursing?

despite what some people will tell you there is little in the way of 'best' unis in health professional education, nor is there a huge advantage to be gained from courses such as the pre-reg undergraduate Masters offered by Nottingham becasue despite having a master's degree you are still a buckshee inexperienced RN when you graduate.

For a student Nurse attending a HEI assocated with lots of Teaching hospitals may in fact be detrimental to your development as a Nurse as the corporate culture is towards Medical student and junior Doctor teaching and the impact of the EWTD on 'on tap' junior doctors may not be anywhere as acute as it is in other Hospitals.

[CaseyJ]

It's an extremely personal choice to be honest and it's3 years (and a tough one at that), so you need to choose a university that you are happy to go to. I have not heard of a certain prestige attached to any particular nursing university. Like zippyRN said; degree or master's degree, you're a newbie RGN on graduation.

I think the idea of "the best university for nursing" really depends on the student and what they want to get from their training, in particular where you want to do your placements.

Placements make up 50% of nursing courses so they are important and if you have a particular hospital or community you would like, or even love, to work for you would be best going to a university that could offer you those placements.

For example, if you want to get a placement in Great Ormond Street or at least gain work experience there while studying, you should look at universities in and around London that work in partnership with that hospital.

For me, the University of Greenwich was my one and only choice because I wanted to have the opportunity to work in London and the University campus is an ideal commute to where I currently live.

Financially, the bursary and loan you receive will be slightly more if you are living and studying in London. This shouldn't be the number one priority when choosing where you want to kick start your nursing career but if you will be living independently it is an important factor you need to consider. I think the reduced-maintenance loan in particular can vary depending if the university is in London.

Good luck with making your choice!! As long as you are happy with your choice that is seriously all that matters.

Please keep us updated!

[glf2110]

A couple of things that affected my choice were the placements on offer and a sound record on teaching. I was also recommended to choose an established university by a couple of paediatricians. The final decision makers were the attitude of the staff at Open days and at interview and just the feel of the university. Good luck!