Originally Posted by P_RN
Every school has a listing of their accreditations available. Certain ones are important for certain fields. Some employers will look at the school you wen to and will only hire you if you went to a properly accredited school. The ones I have seen require NLN. There may be problems getting your nursing license also if your school is in question.
Some accredited schools that are not nursing-specific accredited might be ok for continuing ed, as long as your nursing degree came from an accredited program to start with. Don't make a mistake and go to a cheap, convenient school and waste your education because you can't get hired. Also, if you decide to go on for an advanced degree, universities often will not accept any credits from a school that is not properly accredited.
One way to help differentiate online schools is to see if they also have a regular campus program. If they are only online, this can be a signal to beware. Lots of universities and community colleges have online classes now, but nursing is not something that you can just learn online. There are lots of practical skills involved that you have to learn in a nursing lab, then practice under supervision in a clinical setting. Look for weekend or evening programs too if you need flexibility.
I strongly suggest that you look for NLN accreditation for a nursing school. Being accredited as a college or institute of higher education or something just means it is approved as a school- not just some place that "sells" degrees. NLN accreditation means the nursing program itself has been scrutinized and is approved to be a sound program.
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