Deaconess buyout......

gonnabanurse · Mar 17, 2005

hi all...
i haven't been around in a while, but i just called Deaconess to check on my admission status for fall...the lady in FA told me that they'd been bought out by DeVry. has anyone else heard this?

Yes I have heard of this as well....I wonder what is going on.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Mar 17, 2005

devry inc. to acquire deaconess college of nursing; expanding ... devry inc. to acquire deaconess college of nursing; expanding healthcare curriculum to alleviate shortage of qualified nursing professionals. ...

www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2005/mar/1125663.htm

LTNurse · Mar 17, 2005

hi all...
i haven't been around in a while, but i just called Deaconess to check on my admission status for fall...the lady in FA told me that they'd been bought out by DeVry. has anyone else heard this?

Yes, it's true. I'm a student there and I already got a welcome e-mail from DeVry. I'm not too thrilled about it because changes always scares me; but the impression I get from Deaconess is that it's a good thing for them. Tenet sold the hospital and the school to this Doctors Group and they sold the school to DeVry and kept the hospital. I guess we just have to wait and see how it'll go, I'm surprised they would tell you this on the phone, did she sound excited about it or was it more like a warning? I'm so paranoid when there are changes involved!!!

LTNurse

NICURNtobe · Mar 17, 2005

Yes, it's true. I'm a student there and I already got a welcome e-mail from DeVry. I'm not too thrilled about it because changes always scares me; but the impression I get from Deaconess is that it's a good thing for them. Tenet sold the hospital and the school to this Doctors Group and they sold the school to DeVry and kept the hospital. I guess we just have to wait and see how it'll go, I'm surprised they would tell you this on the phone, did she sound excited about it or was it more like a warning? I'm so paranoid when there are changes involved!!!
LTNurse

The people at DCN are very happy about the purchase by DeVry. It's a very good thing for them. I was told that everything should stay the same.

dharma · Mar 18, 2005

i had some concerns when told about the buyout as well, so i wrote a letter voicing them to the dcn president. just to clarify for all of you here, this is part of her reply.

"i appreciate your concerns. devry has a good reputation with the accrediting bodies and the department of education, but although it has graduate, medical, and veterinary schools it is best recognized in some areas of the country in its original context as a technical school.

we will be starting a new division for devry and will not be made to fit into its models for schools in it and business. they acquired deaconess because they liked what we offered and would like to duplicate it in other parts of the country. we went through extensive preliminary meetings and feel very comfortable that deaconess will continue to offer quality nursing programs.

you should not notice any changes in your curriculum as long as you maintain an active status. this would have been true in any case as the faculty are always evaluating the curriculum to ensure that we are offering the best nursing education that we can. what you may see are improved student services as we will have resources available to us now that we are part of an education company rather than a health care company. we get the best of both worlds as we will continue our close relationship with forest park hospital.

although the change in ownership may not affect the experience of our current students in any appreciable way, we tell you because it is your school. the faculty, staff, alumni association, and board of directors are all excited about the future for the school under this ownership."

through this and subsequent emails, my mind is at ease about this buyout now. also, it is unclear what this will mean to deaconess students, if anything at all, but devry offers reduced tuition to military and their dependants in their other programs. i'm waiting to find out if they will now be extending that to us (and crossing my fingers..wouldn't that be nice?) there is always concern with change, but now that i have given it some thought and talked to the school more, this could actually be a really positive move. it is still a wait and see issue, of course, but i am not all that concerned anymore.

fry.girl · Mar 21, 2005

Hi everyone!

Sorry I have not been around for a little while. I just found out myself about the DeVry buyout. I read the letter from Deaconess President Carmel White and from what I understand at this point there will not be any major changes to the Deaconess program or operations.

I do have some limited experience with DeVry University as they are well known here in Orlando and I believe just opened a new location just down the street from my home. They are viewed here in Orlando as a respected institution and I will let you know as I learn more about them.

Cheri

carly0313 · Mar 24, 2005

Yes, it's true. I'm a student there and I already got a welcome e-mail from DeVry. I'm not too thrilled about it because changes always scares me; but the impression I get from Deaconess is that it's a good thing for them. Tenet sold the hospital and the school to this Doctors Group and they sold the school to DeVry and kept the hospital. I guess we just have to wait and see how it'll go, I'm surprised they would tell you this on the phone, did she sound excited about it or was it more like a warning? I'm so paranoid when there are changes involved!!!
LTNurse

Hi LTNurse,

I wonder how this effects those of us that are hoping to start this summer or fall? Will the program be the same ( online and clinical sites)

Did this just happen in the past few days? Now I a little scared that I won't be able to get my RN this way. Where can I go to read about these changes and how they might effect me?

Carly

fry.girl · Mar 24, 2005

Carly,

I am in my second semester and we (current enrolled students) just completed registration for the Summer and Fall this week. As far as what we have been told by the school, there will be no changes to the program or its operation. If I hear anything different you can be sure that I will post it here.

Cheri

Hi LTNurse,
I wonder how this effects those of us that are hoping to start this summer or fall? Will the program be the same ( online and clinical sites)
Did this just happen in the past few days? Now I a little scared that I won't be able to get my RN this way. Where can I go to read about these changes and how they might effect me?
Carly

LTNurse · Mar 24, 2005

Hi LTNurse,
I wonder how this effects those of us that are hoping to start this summer or fall? Will the program be the same ( online and clinical sites)
Did this just happen in the past few days? Now I a little scared that I won't be able to get my RN this way. Where can I go to read about these changes and how they might effect me?
Carly

Hi Carly,

I don't think you need to worry; as far as I have been told nothing will change; they'll still have on campus and web based classes as they do now. You should be ok to get your degree and as Cheri said those of us that are continuing students have just registered for summer and fall semesters which tell me that you should be able to start without problems and complete your degree online with a local clinical site. Relax and start getting ready to study hard!!!

LTNurse