Accredited or not Accredited ?

Shorty11, BSN, RN · Jun 14, 2012

I personally would stay away from any school that is NOT accredited! I only looked at schools that were accredited By NLNAC or CCNE. The National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) accredits all types of nursing education programs, including Masters, Bacc, Assoc., and Diploma. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredits programs that offer only Masters or Bacc Level nursing degrees.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Jun 14, 2012

The major national accreditation bodies for nursing schools are the NLN/NLNAC (National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission) and the CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education). Almost all employers (especially hospitals) require their nurses to have graduated from a school with accreditation from one of these bodies. Some states even require that the school be accredited in order for the graduate to sit for NCLEX.

Then there are state accreditations and other, lesser known accreditation bodies. These allow schools to say that their nursing programs are accredited, but without having to maintain the higher standards of the major accreditors.

Really, one of two things will happen if you go to a non-accredited (or not accredited by the NLN/CCNE) school. 1. You'll have no problems, graduate, pass NCLEX, and find a job right away. 2. You'll graduate and then hit lots of roadblocks either when applying for licensure, seeking endorsement to another state, and trying to find a job because your school wasn't accredited.

In my opinion, it's not worth the risk and if your school isn't accredited by either the NLN or the CCNE, you should seriously think about finding a different school.

SummitRN, BSN, RN · Jun 14, 2012

the va is the largest employer of nurses in the nation. all federal rn job postings list the following requirement:

graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate state agency and accredited by the national league of nursing accrediting commission (nlnac) or the commission on collegiate nursing education (ccne).

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jun 14, 2012

I disagree. The accreditation that counts is the one from the state in which the school exists. It is the state that will set the rules for what you have to have to graduate and will be the ones to grant your license. The other agencies are independent and basically set their own standards. Could be a marketing gig so the school can attract students. If the BON says the school is in good standing that should be enough.

Stephalump · Jun 14, 2012

I disagree. The accreditation that counts is the one from the state in which the school exists. It is the state that will set the rules for what you have to have to graduate and will be the ones to grant your license. The other agencies are independent and basically set their own standards. Could be a marketing gig so the school can attract students. If the BON says the school is in good standing that should be enough.

Whether it should or shouldn't be enough doesn't matter. What matters is that it ISN'T enough. Your hiring opportunities would be limited off the bat.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Jun 14, 2012

I disagree. The accreditation that counts is the one from the state in which the school exists. It is the state that will set the rules for what you have to have to graduate and will be the ones to grant your license. The other agencies are independent and basically set their own standards. Could be a marketing gig so the school can attract students. If the BON says the school is in good standing that should be enough.

I disagree as well, but with this post. If someone who attends a non-accredited ADN program (i.e., not accredited by NLNAC but state board of regents approved) and later on decides to further their education at the bachelors or masters level, they will be severely limited in opportunities, as many of these programs explicitly specify that prior nursing degrees be obtained from NLNAC or CCNE accredited programs.

So even though the OP may not be considering these routes right now, he/she could be stalled later if a non-accredited program is completed now. I realize currently accredited programs could later on lose accreditation, but this is where it behooves the OP to only consider well-established nursing programs where that possibility is very low.

CarryThatWeight, BSN · Jun 14, 2012

Does anyone know what the situation would be if the ADN program was not accredited but the BSN program is? I graduated from an ADN program that is state BON approved, but not accredited by the NLN. However, I did my RN to BSN program at at CCNE accredited school. So far, this has not been an issue for me. Do they look more heavily at the original school of nursing, or the highest degree achieved?

PMFB-RN, RN · Jun 15, 2012

Does anyone know what the situation would be if the ADN program was not accredited but the BSN program is? I graduated from an ADN program that is state BON approved, but not accredited by the NLN. However, I did my RN to BSN program at at CCNE accredited school. So far, this has not been an issue for me. Do they look more heavily at the original school of nursing, or the highest degree achieved?

*** The hospital where I work does not consider grads from unaccredited (NLN or CCNE) for employment. Lot's and lots of our nurses went to state community colleges that were not accredited but then, like you, did their RN to BSN at an accredited school. Those people ARE considered for employment. Not long ago we had a really fantastic nurse working here through an agency. She had graduated from an unaccredited community college (actualy the same school where the nurse manager obtained her first nursing degree) She worked here for 18 months on 3 month contracts while finishing an RN to BSN program so we could hire here. The downside? They considered her a new grads for pay purposes, despite 10 years of RN experience, 18 months of it taking care of our patients under our supervision.

tyvin, BSN, RN · Jun 15, 2012

You will not get an RN license if your school wasn't accredited by whatever one your state BON requires. It's usally CCNE and or NLNAC. The CCNE is the better one IMO. So it doesn't matter if your employer requires whatever, the thing is you won't have an RN license to practice if you haven't fulfilled your state's BON requirement.

CarryThatWeight, BSN · Jun 15, 2012

You will not get an RN license if your school wasn't accredited by whatever one your state BON requires. It's usally CCNE and or NLNAC. The CCNE is the better one IMO. So it doesn't matter if your employer requires whatever, the thing is you won't have an RN license to practice if you haven't fulfilled your state's BON requirement.

This is not true. There are many schools that are approved by the state's BON that are not accredited by either the NLN or CCNE. I went to a community college that does not appear as accredited on either of those websites, yet was cleared to take my NCLEX and passed. See the other responses for more examples.

CarryThatWeight, BSN · Jun 15, 2012

*** The hospital where I work does not consider grads from unaccredited (NLN or CCNE) for employment. Lot's and lots of our nurses went to state community colleges that were not accredited but then, like you, did their RN to BSN at an accredited school. Those people ARE considered for employment. Not long ago we had a really fantastic nurse working here through an agency. She had graduated from an unaccredited community college (actualy the same school where the nurse manager obtained her first nursing degree) She worked here for 18 months on 3 month contracts while finishing an RN to BSN program so we could hire here. The downside? They considered her a new grads for pay purposes, despite 10 years of RN experience, 18 months of it taking care of our patients under our supervision.

Thanks for the response, that makes me feel better! None of the nursing schools in Sacramento appear to be accredited, surprisingly, and I had no idea about any of this when I went to nursing school. I'm thankful my BSN was at a CCNE school!