Ask a Nurse: College vs. Technical School?
Credit: Fly View Productions / E+ / Getty ImagesIn our Ask a Nurse series, experienced nurses provide an insider look at the nursing profession by answering your questions about nursing careers, degrees, and resources.
Question: Would it be wiser to go to college or a technical school for nursing? Would going to a technical school interfere with the ability to find a job or affect compensation?
Answer: A successful nursing career begins with education, and prospective nurses can choose from a variety of schooling opportunities. Which option best prepares candidates for nursing practice?
Jenna Liphart Rhoads, Ph.D., a nurse educator, says that earning an associate degree in nursing (ADN) from a technical school should not affect your job security or pay. However, some hospitals prefer to hire registered nurses (RNs) with a bachelor’s degree.
Amanda Guarniere, a nurse practitioner (NP) and career counselor, also notes that your career goals should influence your program choice. “While there are some employers that favor bachelor-prepared nurses (Magnet hospitals, for example),” Guarniere says, “for the most part, those who go to a technical school should not face adversity when retaining a job or in regards to compensation.”
You should consider factors like cost, program length, and accreditation for any nursing program. When comparing technical school and college programs, however, the most important consideration is the type of degree you intend to earn. “Trade/technical/vocational schools more commonly offer practical nursing programs (for LPN/LVN certification) and will occasionally offer a bridge program for LPNs to become RNs,” Guarniere says.
Below, Rhoads and Guarniere offer some additional advice to help you select the ideal nurse education program.
What Is the Difference Between Technical, Trade, and Vocational School vs. a Community or Four-Year College?
“Trade, technical, and vocational are generally used synonymously when describing schools that train students in a specific trade or skill that is directly applicable to a job upon graduation,” Rhoads explains.
Most technical schools provide hands-on, career-specific training in a variety of fields, including health professions. Trade, technical, and vocational institutions most commonly offer licensed vocational or practical nursing (LVN/LPN) and certified nursing assistant (CNA) certificate programs. Most of these programs can be completed within 18 months.
Community colleges offer associate degree programs. Nurses who earn an ADN from a two-year degree program can take the National Council Licensure Exam for RNs (NCLEX-RN) and obtain an RN license. Four-year college and university programs award bachelor of science in nursing degrees (BSN), and some also offer graduate programs that confer master’s and doctoral degrees.