HELP Am I about to make a HUGE mistake?

hopefulnurse2b · Aug 9, 2010

I did not finish after my baby I just started over at a community college. With 3 children getting loans for that much is crazy when the college has the same set-up just around 5,000-6,000 and credits can be used at other schools, that's was what I decided though. Just weigh the pros and cons. Good-luck!

chrisly · Aug 9, 2010

thanks I really want to know if when I finish i will be able to apply to a bachelors program

HM2VikingRN, RN · Aug 9, 2010

Listen to your little voice. It is warning you that something may not be kosher with this school. In my life the only time I have gotten in real trouble is when I haven't paid attention to my instincts.

Call the Florida BON and check this school out with them. They should be able to tell you accreditation, whether they will issue you an ATT for that school and the all important NCLEX pass rate.

Personally I would be very leery of a school promising an ADN within a year. Most LPN programs are 15-18 months....(To crank graduates out that quickly there is a very real risk of corners being cut.)

Here are the acid tests: Ask the school for a list of recent graduates. If they are reputable they should have a couple recent grads to talk with.

Also call some of the nurse recruiters for local hospitals. Directly ask them if they are willing to hire from the school that you are considering. If they are at all hesitant about accepting a new grad from that school you have some very valuable information on which to base your decisions. (And may well want to run for the exit.)

My tips for getting into school:

Do your best on each prerequisite

Don't limit yourself to a single school.

Apply to multiple schools. (Directly interview with the nursing advisers so they know who you are..)

Apply to be both fully accepted and also accept a spot on their waiting list

(Emphasize that you are willing to start on short notice)

Have your financial aid in order....

Get your CNA and start getting experience as you go through school...(What you see as a CNA will be invaluable for you in your theory classes and clinicals.)

If it was me I would go with the state schools. Nursing school (and becoming a nurse) is a process. I graduated from an ABSN and I did not feel completely ready to start practice on graduation. (And that was with 25 years experience in health care, growing up in a nursing family and 10 years experience as a Hospital Corpsman.)

When you graduate you want to be the best prepared that you can be for your first job.

HM2VikingRN, RN · Aug 9, 2010

I checked the website of the school. I would not spend my time or money. The site described the "skills" to learn in the program as A&P and went on from there.....

Noel1221 · Aug 9, 2010

hello,

a friend of mine just recently went through a similar situation..only she is going to keiser. we had differing opinions on the matter, so i can i just tell you what my opinion is. i think that 40,000$ is way too much to spend on a associates degree. you want to also get your bsn--which would add another substantial amount to you debt. to me it is just not worth paying 40 grand on an associates degree when i could pay 8,000 for the same degree from an accredited community college that i know most university systems will accept. i know that most of the private institutes like that one and keiser their credits usually will not transfer to a general state university system. it's just kind of silly to me to spend that amount when you could spend much, much, less and just be in school 1 year longer. i know it sounds like a very long time--but 40,000$ easily turns into be much more because of interest rates. my question would be ... what if for the first couple of months you don't get a job right out of school, now all this debt is due and you are unable to pay it? i am sorry-- i know this is a hard decision for you, so weigh the pros and cons, and just now getting into a cc is very hard work especially in the miami area-- but what a great feeling to be able to go there and complete your schooling at a great reputable school and not be in over $40,000 in debt? it's your choice good luck to you :)

az_melanie · Aug 9, 2010

$40k for 1 yr for an ADN....Hmmm, I too think something sounds fishy. Out west if you do an accelerated program (and of course you have to have all your prereqs like Micro/A&p 1 & 2/CHM/Math/Psych etc done with) it is still 18 mos. That just doesn't sound right. I think a lot of the other posters have excellent points and you should heed their advice. Also, just do a simple google search on 'Concorde Career College Reputation' and you can read what others are writing (which is NOT good). Check out this link of what one person wrote:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/adult-career-continuing-education/concorde-career-coll/concorde-career-college-concor-3b77f.htm

Remember, this is your career, your livelyhood and rushing it to just get done is not necessarily in your best interest. Plus its not like there's loads of jobs out there waiting for you (or me or any other new grad!) Do your research and listen to your gut!

DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN · Aug 9, 2010

This is quite simple. Who are they saying has accredited them? I presume you mean an AS in nursing?

http://www.nlnac.org/Forms/directory_search.htm

I am unclear about your rationale. You think you will finish your AS in one year or you will do one year at this college and transfer? You typed something a bit unclear about working after a year. Is this 40K program 1 or 2 years? Would you come out with an LPN or an RN?

Anyway I think you will find they are NOT accredited, so it is all moot.

Generally if a school says it is accredited you should ask by which institution. There is one body that accredits nursing AS programs-- the NLNAC.

iPink, BSN, RN · Aug 9, 2010

$40k??? Ouch. I'm trying to get into an Accelerated BSN program that is much cheaper than that! Actually the ABSN programs by me run between $27k-30k.

This is a diploma RN you're doing for that much?? Open up your options if that's the case. Search. Search. Search.

sassiebaz · Aug 9, 2010

Here is the deal! Many schools will say that they are accredited, and they are. What you have to determine, is what type of accreditation they hold, and how that will affect things like transfer credits and the state you are trying to get a job in. Also, if what you are needing to do right now is make money, consider going the LPN route and then pursuing your BSN slowly, after that. It does NOT make sense to take out such an enormous amount in loans to get your ADN, when alot of new grads are having a difficult time finding work. Trust me on this, I have weighed out the different options for a few years now, and going the community college route makes the most sense. Good luck in whatever you decide.

elkpark · Aug 10, 2010

According to their website, Concorde is only accredited by one of the organizations that accredits proprietary tech/voc "career" schools -- so it's highly unlikely that their courses would be accepted by any "regular" colleges or universities for credit if/when you want to continue your education (although I agree with the suggestion that you contact local colleges/unis and ask them whether they accept transfer credits from Concorde). Also, they are not NLNAC accredited -- graduating from a program not NLNAC accredited can cause problems for you throughout your career, even many years after you've graduated.

You could graduate from a properly accredited program somewhere else for a whole lot less than $40k ...

I also strongly encourage you to check out (if you haven't seen it already) the PBS "Frontline" episode on proprietary "colleges" -- FRONTLINE: college, inc. | PBS. There are also many threads here about the experiences people have had with proprietary tech/voc schools.