Verification of School accreditation for GA License by endoresement?

KateMiller · Aug 22, 2011

Thank you James. I just found some new information under the licensing application download section of the board's website that may help. We shall see!

zarali · Aug 22, 2011

Kate,

I just read the 320 hours of preceptor ship. It lists the hours in different nursing categories. Its if one doesn't have sufficient clinical or education experience. Is that the category the non regional accredited schools will fall into? The preceptor ship mentions RN's.

I am new to nursing, taking tiny steps at a time and trying my best to not get discouraged. Please keep me posted. I hope there is good news out there for both of us.

Zara.

jamesc · Aug 22, 2011

It is important to note that the preceptorship information that has been previously referenced in this thread is not a substitution for graduating from an approved nursing education program. The laws and rules governing preceptorships apply to applicants who have graduated from nontraditional education programs as defined in O.C.G.A. 43-26-7(e).

zarali · Aug 22, 2011

I found the following Q&A on preceptor ship on the boards site.

Why must I complete a Georgia Board approved preceptorship?

Graduates of a nontraditional nursing education program who do not meet the educational and practice requirements as stated by Georgia law O.C.G.A. 46-26-7 will be required to complete a Georgia Board approved preceptorship. Please refer to the Georgia Board of Nursing website at http://www.sos.ga.gov/plb/rn under “Download Forms” to review Instructions for Nontraditional Nursing Education Programs Applicants.

18. What is a Georgia Board approved preceptorship?

“Preceptorship” means a program of clinical experience or practice that is approved by the GBON in which an applicant for RN licensure gains a stated number of hours of clinical experience or practice in a health care facility located in Georgia. The applicant must be under the supervision of a preceptor who is a GA licensed RN who is: 1. located in Georgia; 2. has a minimum of 18 months of experience in an acute care practice setting; and 3. has no history of disciplinary action with a licensing board. Prior to GBON approval of the preceptorship, a written letter of agreement between the applicant and RN preceptor must be filed with the GBON that: 1. is written on letterhead stationary of the Georgia health care facility; 2. clearly states the location of the preceptorship; and 3. is signed by the RN applicant, preceptor, and a health care facility representative. Successful completion of the preceptorship must be verified in writing from the preceptor prior to licensing.

19. Can I do my preceptorship out of state?

No. A preceptorship must be located in the state of Georgia.

20. When can I do my preceptorship?

After the completion of the application process, the applicant may submit an application for a preceptorship. Once a proposed plan for preceptorship is approved by the Board, a six (6) month temporary permit may be issued to the applicant. The applicant is expected to complete the preceptorship within six (6) months. Upon receipt of a written request from the applicant and an updated clinical schedule provided by the Agency Coordinator, a temporary permit may be renewed only one time for an additional six (6) month period.

sferrell · Aug 29, 2011

I recently relocated here to Georgia with my husband. I'm having the same problem with the Regional accreditation. Thanks to all the info. you all have put out I'm more informed. So I'm gonna try to apply for Federal jobs....as I relocated worked in Juvenile Corrections as a LPN. It's really heart breaking to find out that after all of that studying for State Board and then passing to come to another state with a Multi state license to find out about a regional accreditation. As I understand their reasoning of wanting to assure qualification but if you've been a LPN or RN in another state for more than 1 year physically working with a clean record and highly recommended you should at least be given the opportunity to apply for a temporary license to work under a RN proving your qualifications. I pray that the Legislature makes a favorable decision. I came from VA. and if VA. is not making a big to do about someone coming from GA. with license not being regionally then the same courtesy should be extended state to state. I love it here in Georgia. Please you guys if you find out any update let me know...as I'm not really trying to go outside of my field of study and hard work for a career that's not my passion. Let's all Pray....for a favorable decision in January 2012.

dmilrn · Sep 15, 2011

I am from KY and in the same boat. I went to a school that wasn't on their list 11 years ago. Although I went ahead and got a BSN from an accredited school that was on the list I am still getting denied. I am still fight this one with the state of Georgia. I just hope it works out!!

KAMARAkamara · Sep 18, 2011

I am a LPN that just submitted an application for endorsement into the state of Georgia. There was nothing about this regional accreditation issue on the LPN application. I looked at the RN application online, and it's very different from the LPN application. I did easily find it on the RN application. My heart goes out to all you that have discovered your application was denied because of this unjust rule. Can someone please tell me if this regional accreditation issue only applies to RN's? I am freaking out about this right now and I have reread the LPN application 10 times and it doesn't mention this.

Thanks in advance, Carla.

KAMARAkamara · Sep 18, 2011

I think we need to figure out away to bring some media attention to this issue. Maybe it will shame the state of Georgia into changing this unjust law ASAP! I can't imagine being a nurse that graduated from a top notch school like Duke, Harvard, or Yale, moving to Georgia only to be told you can't work here because Duke is not regionally accredited. That's such a tragedy!! I understand the need to discourage fly by night schools from popping up everywhere, put excluding qualified applicants from highly credible colleges is ludicrous.

Larisaell · Oct 13, 2011

Please, help me!

I'm a US sitizen and I live in GA.

I recently passed the NCLEX test and I have to get this week my RN license for New York State. I graduated from Ufa Medical College, Russia, which is 3 year nursing program.

16 years’ experience as an Emergency/Anesthetist Registered Nurse in Russia (1990-1996)

(All Russian Medical schools, colleges and Universities, are free and governmental (nonprofit and has the same medical program proved by Moscow all over Russia)).

Education approved and validated by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and has been evaluated as similar to an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) in US. My Russian education doesn’t have problems for New York State Nursing Board.

I know that TO BE INDORSED to the GA Board I need to show 500 hours or 3 months of work from New York State ,and I thought it is ONLY MY OBSTACLE( I DO NOT HAVE ANY NURSING EXPIRIENCE IN US and secondly, I should travel from Atlanta to NC and be far away from my family).Yes , it will be challenging for me to get a job , but I have hope.I woul like to hear from someone any suggestions about how to get any job in NC in any RN position.

By searching this site and how to get GA RN license I read these very bad news from all of you. Please somebody, who can understand this new GA law, can explain me paragraph (E).I think that none of those (A, B, C, D) could be related to the nurses who was educated in another countries.

Four-year Institution is Bachelors in Nursing in USA as I know. So they want that a nurse, who is not related to A, B, C, D paragraphs has to be graduated from four year nursing program? And then the GA Nursing Board will check her educational curriculum, and if it meets “their” criteria the Board will give the license? I just can’t understand: will they give license to the nurse from another country if she has Bachelors in Nursing? Sounds like total discrimination. So my education is a 3 year program, in US Associate degree takes 2 years. Why would they doubled our education (out of being”regional accrediting”)

The next question is if I get US education now in Bachelors, which is total 4 years, will they accept then my total Russian-American education (3 years in Russia + 2 years in USA Bachelors)? If I need do that I will. Thank you for any help.

It is a copy from the new GA law:

In order to be approved by the board, a

nursing education program must be one that is offered by:

(A) A unit of the University System of Georgia accredited by the Commission on

Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools;

(B) An institution of the Technical College System of Georgia accredited by the

Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education;

or

(D) A proprietary institution of higher education that is accredited by a regional

accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education; or

(E) A nonprofit postsecondary institution of higher education that is a four-year

but whose curriculum has been determined by the board to meet criteria similar to and

not less stringent than criteria established by the board for other approved nursing

education programs."

elkpark · Oct 13, 2011

I think we need to figure out away to bring some media attention to this issue. Maybe it will shame the state of Georgia into changing this unjust law ASAP! I can't imagine being a nurse that graduated from a top notch school like Duke, Harvard, or Yale, moving to Georgia only to be told you can't work here because Duke is not regionally accredited. That's such a tragedy!! I understand the need to discourage fly by night schools from popping up everywhere, put excluding qualified applicants from highly credible colleges is ludicrous.

Is there any evidence that graduates of "highly credible colleges" are being turned away? Duke is regionally accredited, and the OP, a Duke graduate, didn't say that s/he was being refused by the GA BON, just asking how to identify the school's accreditation status.

I, for one, am extremely happy that at least one US state is taking a stand against the unaccredited proprietary tech/voc schools that have been offering nursing programs because that's how they can make the biggest profits for themselves. I would love to see more states do this. There has been a lot of controversy around the country about a lot of these schools and the caliber of education they offer. I hope that GA won't end up weakening its position too much in the new regulations.

Larisaell · Oct 13, 2011

James, hello!

I saw your messages and I really would like to hear from you. Please read my message. Will very happy to have your responce.Post n.20.

Thank you for you time.

Larisa.

jamesc · Oct 17, 2011

O.C.G.A. 43-26-7 requires that applicants for licensure by endorsement or examination have graduated from an approved nursing education program as defined in O.C.G.A. 43-26-3(1.2). You are correct in assuming that most nursing education programs located outside of the United States will not meet the requirements of paragraphs (A) through (D) of this code section. Unfortunately, at this time, if an applicant graduated from a nursing education program that does not meet the requirements of this code section, he/she is not eligible for licensure in the State of Georgia. The Georgia Board of Nursing is currently drafting language to submit to the Legislature when it convenes in January 2012. Amendments to Georgia law can only be made by the Legislature. Based on the current law, your nursing education program must meet the requirements of O.C.G.A. 43-26-3(1.2) in order for you to be considered for licensure.