Program jumps 60 spots from last year; faculty, job placements, and student support credited

Leaders in the School of Nursing have consistently believed the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is one of the best around, and now there’s a national ranking to prove it. U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of BSN programs places the MGH Institute tied for 26th in the country and tied for 2nd in New England. The ranking is a whopping 60 slots higher than last year; a total of 686 BSN programs were ranked. 

“I'm not surprised, said Rebecca Hill, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Nursing. “I've said it since I started working here in 2013 that this is the best school to prepare nurses. We have the most incredible faculty in the classroom, lab, simulation and clinical settings, the most dedicated students, the most supportive administration, and the most invested academic support staff. It all comes together. And even all our support services — enrollment services, the registrar's office, the Bursar’s office, financial aid—they all come into play to get our students where they need to be: get them in, get them through, and have wild success.”

The wild success of the ABSN program includes a high job placement rate; in the last year, 100% of graduates had jobs within six months of graduating. 

“Most of our students have job offers before they even graduate because hospitals see an IHP nurse and they know they're getting an exceptionally well-prepared new graduate nurse,” said Hill. “And now we have more tangible evidence in this ranking to demonstrate what we’ve known and been so proud of all along.”

Other factors contributing to the program’s overall success include: 

  • Mass General Brigham affiliation — over 90% of students complete most of their prelicensure placements within MGB
  • Massachusetts General Hospital relationship — every student who had a clinical placement has been provided opportunities to interview for new-graduate positions
  • Practicing faculty — 87% of faculty work clinically, which keep them fresh and up to date on the evidence-based nursing care, latest nursing technologies, and the realities of the nursing workforce

“We're so excited,” said Interim Dean Patricia Reidy. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved, and I’m grateful to our faculty and the entire team who support our students. We’re producing outstanding graduates.”

While the rankings of master’s and doctorate nursing programs has been conducted for years by U.S. News & World Report, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing is a recent addition, and a welcome one. 

“As we know, there's a nursing shortage nationwide,” observed Hill. “But when institutions are making hiring decisions, they know what they're getting in terms of quality of BSN programs. It's an important metric.” 

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