Apollo College RN bridge program

U.S.A. Idaho

Published

Anyone here attending Apollo's LPN to RN program or have any info/advice? I missed the ISU deadline and am looking at other options....I'd like to hear the good and the bad, and whether they are accredited.

Thanks!

CWI is fully accredited through CSI. I start the LPN progran 1/19/10. The competition to get into the R.N. program will be very stiff. CWI will have 400+ students applying for 30 seats (imo having completed all my pre/coreqs with many classmates all in for the RN) for their RN program and that is just from their own student pool (not including transfers). Admission to the program depends heavily on previous experience in the field followed up by above satisfactory to perfect grades. If anyone has any questions about the programs at CWI send me a msg i have asked every question their is to ask of them 10 times over.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, med/surg.

First, the good: I have worked with Apollo students (both RN and LPN) at my workplace during their clinicals, and all I have to say is WOW. The work ethic is amazing, they will do anything to help, and don't just spend time hovering around the nurse watching. They roll up their sleeves and get to work. The instructors (at least the ones I have work with) are amazing, and really push things like pharmacology to the students.

Now, the bad: $19000 for an ADN is really extreme, especially since the magnet organizations (St. Luke's and soon to be St. Al's) are really only hiring new grads with a BSN, as this is part of the magnet process. ADN's who already work at these facilities will be grand-fathered in, but getting a job as an ADN at a manget as a new grad, is in a word, impossible.

I tend to be a little biased on the bases of an ADN. Yes, they are nurses and nurses are needed. Just not right here and right now. If you have the time and qualify for the financial aid, try a BSN program. It gives time for the job market for nurses to make a bit of a comeback and gives you options later in life if you get tired of nursing; you at least have a bachelors degree. Also, BSN's start out at higher pay and generally have a more in depth education. Don't misunderstand, I am in now way bashing ADN's or LPN's or anything else. I work some really AWESOME nurses who are both ADN's and LPN's, but right now, there just isn't a market for those nursing licenses right now.

So, a little alumni plug. NNU is an AMAZING nursing school. Yes, it is also horrendously expensive, but if you stay in an underserved/rural area, you still get 65% of your staffords written off. The program is run by nurses of the highest quality, the classes are smaller, and getting into the program is easy. Have the pre-req's done? Have a 3.0 GPA? There you go. You're into the program. Plus, they just got an awesome new building that is super high tech. Try them out, but if you decide that a cheaper program is for you, great. Just make sure that the decision you make in the long term is a viable one.

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Specializes in LTC.

FYI, Apollo college is contracted with Chamberlin College to accept all classes taken while attending Apollo and offering BSN online to all ADN graduates of Apollo:yeah:

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Charmandar has a good point. Currently, Apollo is not a Nursing accredited program. Nor is CWI.

I am currently in CWI and they are accredited. They do not have their own, this is true. CWI is however partnered with CSI and is piggybacking them. A degree from CWI will show as a degree from CSI. I even enroll for classes through CSI's website. You are correct in saying CWI is not accredited, but their nursing program is however as well as all their degrees. All classes are regulated through CSI's standards, even book choices have to be approved through CSI before an instructor can use it in their class. When I graduate from CWI it will be with a ASRN from CSI which is accredited by the NLNAC.

http://hshs.csi.edu/registered_nursing/accreditation.asp

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Specializes in LTC.

I think the bottom line for all of us who have been waiting many years to get into nursing school is, are we happy and satisfied with where we are getting our education. Different people feel differently about all programs. At the end of the day potential employers are going to care about how we performed in school and making sure we pass our boards. Yes, Apollo is in the process of getting accredidation from NLN, but is already accredited by another body. ALL nursing programs MUST be accredited in order to operate per the Idaho Board of Nursing. Apollo doesnt have the NLN yet due to the fact that they require each program they look at, to have had 5 years worth of statistics on order to even book looked at by the NLN. So they arent accredited, yet, by the NLN, but they are accredited. We all want to be nurses and help people. I am happy for anyone that can get into any program that will help them achieve their goals. I have waited a darn long time to get into a program and the end of this year I will be an RN and I am very proud of that. So what if I go to Apollo. My work is going to speak for me. I think Apollo is a wonderful program. I have worked with students from nursing programs across the valley and EVERY program has negatives and positives. Just remember, when we are all working together, where we went to school is going to be the last thing on my mind.

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Specializes in Operating Room.
Actually Apollo is accredited. As a matter of fact,it is the only nursing school in Idaho to recieve an 8 year accredidation. Both of the programs are 1 year long and other than being an LPN there aren't any pre-req's that you have to take. Apollo's nursing program has been accredited since it began. I am so tired of hearing how poor apollo's program is. 80% of the instructors here are from BSU and left due to the poor quality of the program at BSU. BSU is also being watched by the Idaho Board of Nursing because of poor performance on the nclex RN and LPN by their students. Clinical sites prefer Apollo students because they are eager to learn and are prepared, not the same of BSU students. That is not coming from me,that is coming from numerous clinical sites.

That is a ridiculous rumor. Please don't say things you can't back up. Fact is, BSU has never been in trouble with the BON, our NCLEX passing rate is over 90% and our retention rate is similarly high as well. Each semester, 400-700 students apply to be in our program with 60 spots, making it highly competitive with the average admitting GPA being ~ 3.5 or higher. As for Apollo, CWI, NNU, etc I do not know much of the program and will not lowball them. Fact is a single school will not fit the needs of every student and it is up to them to decide what works. BSU now only offers BSN RN's, something that I really like.

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Specializes in LTC.

Sorry to upset or offend you. This information is available through the BON. I am not lowballing anyone. I get just as upset as you do when the school I attend is talked about in a negative way. You are right, each program isn't always a perfect fit for everyone. I was just trying to point out that while BSU has the most well known program, it too has its downsides like ALL programs. We are all seeking the same outcome and no one should be looked down to or up to based on where they went to school. At the end of the day, I want to work with someone who is reliable, dependable, hard-working, a well rounded nurse. What you get out of any program is what you put in and what you want to take away from the experience. Again, please accept my apology. We are all going to be colleauges and I respect you for who you are and the work you do and as a person in general.

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