Campus-Based Nursing Schools

Campus-based schools of nursing are the traditional format in which to learn the skills and academics necessary for the field. But in efforts to make education and training as convenient as possible many programs have moved a few nursing degrees online, or at least offered “blended” programs—a balanced mix of online and self-paced study, with campus-based seminars and hands-on clinicals. Since not every nursing degree is suited to an online format, for obvious reasons, many students shop carefully for a campus-based program that is a best fit.

Types of “Campus” Nursing Schools

A number of types of brick and mortar venues support various nursing programs:

• Community Colleges – are renowned for teaching two-year Associate degreed nurses. The ADN degree is one of the most popular avenues to a nursing career. In a community college nursing program students are heavily directed in practical skill-building with less emphasis placed in academic theory. The ADN offers a flexible stepping-stone to a BSN. Community college faculty are culled from the local workforce—which means student nurses are often getting the benefits of a nurse educator who also works in the industry, and availability to the latest nursing skills and industry issues.
• Four-year Colleges and Universities – by far the most traditional post-secondary educational venues in this country. Most offer the very popular Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. At the university level you will find Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees.
• Hospital Programs – believe it or not some of the more traditional nursing programs were offered right in hospitals. Diploma programs, of which there are still about 70, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, thought putting nursing students in the hospitals to learn was the wisest and most productive choice. Over the years the programs have thinned, but those that continue to serve diploma degreed nurses remain regionally popular.
• Vocational Training Programs – such as those provided to Nurse Assistants and Practical Nurses may be offered through vocational training centers. In recent years specialized alternative campuses like these, offering more clear-cut and singular career-training, have sprung up in direct response to the massive nursing shortage and as a solution to the short-comings of the traditional campus nursing school.

Advantages of Campus Nursing Schools

During undergraduate and vocational training student nurses divide study time between academic study and practical hands-on skills. Campus programs serve a more interactive mix of academic study and clinical skills than those served online or in blended programs.

• Students have access to communities of nursing students and attention of faculty.
• Students that study on-campus typically are not dividing time with work and family.

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