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Discussion

Advisor told me to lie!

I have been in the process of enrolling in the Phoenix Online RN to BSN program. During discussions with my advisor, she asked if I had any work history pertaining to the medical field, and I answered no. I am a new grad. She told me she wasn't sure if Phoenix still required that applicants have one year experience, and she would let me know. She called me yesterday to walk me through the admissions process, and when we got to work history, she told me that we needed to "be creative" and "pad" the form. She encouraged me to use my experience taking care of my daughter with severe cerebral palsy, and call it "home health care assistant", and to say that my supervisor was my pediatrician. This seems a little shady to me, but I thought, well, I'm not really lying, just "being creative". Until today...when I opened an email from her, and she sent me papers that need to be filled out by my employers. I need a recommendation from this pediatrician, who was supposedly a supervisor at one time, and my advisor told me I could have my mom fill it out...I'm not sure why we are bringing my mom into this now. I sent this advisor an email letting her know that I am ending my admissions process with Phoenix Online University, because I feel that we have went from creativity (I am still questioning that!) to LYING! At one point, when I told her that I was uncomfortable "padding" my application into the program she answered, "Well, aren't you honest? I think you are making this harder than it has to be." And that is EXACTLY what she said to me. This whole process has left a very bad taste in my mouth, and I feel like an idiot for not hanging up on her when she started suggesting that I lie to get into the program.

Featured Replies

You did the right thing. I wouldn't lie. If they found out you lied they could decide to deny you a degree at any point after you start. Even getting "creative" can land you in hot water down the line.

I would try to find out who this "advisors" supervisor is and report her. If they don't listen, then maybe the accrediting agency would?

:yeahthat: I would have done the same.

I was contemplating Phoenix Online myself.

I am glad I didn't!

BTW, good luck in Germany.

  • Author

Thank you for the feedback...I'm feeling guilty, and you both made me feel a little better.

  • Expert

I too would definitely report this.

However, please don't believe that all UofP advisors are this way. I did both the BSN and MSN programs via UofP and didn't have any questions at all. Everyone I dealt with was very above board and honest.

  • Expert

I would DEFINITELY report that incident to the administration of the school. They should want to fire (or at least discipline) that advisor.

The parent company of the Univ. of Pheonix (The Apollo Group, I believe it is called) has been under federal investigation for shady recruiting practices -- involving some very serious charges. However, I have only about this investigation in relation to other disciplines, not nursing. I'm pretty sure that if the nursing program administration heard that the problems were creeping into their program, too, they would take it very seriously.

Please ... for the sake of all the good honest nurses (like yourself) who have attended or will attend the Univ. of Pheonix, please report this to school officials so that they can correct the situation.

Good luck with your nursing career. We need good people like you!

llg

As always, llg offers good advice.

Honesty is always the best policy. The recruiter should have said "I'm sorry you don't qualify, please try again next year", but for the sake of a number (which might be a bonus-type situtation) she asked you to lie.

This speaks volumes about this program.

Good luck in finding another program. Many programs, like the one I'm in, take students fresh from ADN programs because they have ADN programs at their school, and they want them to advance to the BSN.

Good luck.

I completed my MSN in January from UoP, I had to provide 3 years of work as a RN. One of my positions was a case manager, I had to provide the job description since not all case management positions require RN. I would file a complaint since this under mines the whole process.

It is best to be honest, I even if you unroled you lack of experience would be evident since you would be unable to relate any clinical experiences.

My husband got his MBA from UoP, one of the requirements is that you graduated from College. One of his teammates went to school in a foreign country and once they got her transcript she was disenrolled. I think that would have happened to you once they got your offical paper work.

I think it is a shame that your advisor didn't suggest that you submit your experience in caring for your daughter to University of Phoenix without embellishing the facts. They didn't need the untruthful details! You DO have experience in home health; of a much more intense level than most nurses will gain in their lifetime. It just goes to show you, go with your gut instinct... you didn't feel right about telling the lie in the first place!

Okay... I'm editing to ask for clarification... did you actually submit anything in writing to U of P yet? If you haven't already actually claimed that your pediatrician was your home health aide supervisor, I'd just go ahead and claim the experience. Is there any reason the pediatrician wouldn't write a letter of recommendation, not as your ''employer'', but as someone who can speak to your daughter's needs and the ability and experience you have gained in meeting them?

  • Expert
Presented without comment:

http://www.azcentral.com/families/education/articles/0914apollo14.html

There are lots of other RN to BSN programs out there. Quite a few of them specifically state they will accept new grads. Most of them are substantially less expensive than University of Phoenix.

Thanks for providing the link, deej. It had been a while since I had read about the investigation and my memory of the details was sketchy. I have some friends who have gotten (or are getting) MSN's there and they seem to have gotten a decent education. But I do have a few concerns about them and this current case of the advisor encouraging a prospective student to lie about her previous professional experience is troubling.

llg

i can't say much about uop from personal experience, but that advisor was clearly desperate for a sale. it would seem that uop's business model would encourage a sort of "anything goes as long as i get sales" environment.

as deej said, there are other online programs that are both less expensive and take new grads. all that matters is nln accreditation.

i wouldn't lie to get in any school.

UoP is a for profit school. It is also the largest nursing school in the US graduating about 5000 nurses a year.

You can not judge a school based on one person's bad experience .

Unlike other schools where you have to wait for a semester to begin, you have the ability to start any time. Also if you need a break you can stop and start any time.

I found the courses challenging. It was great to meet nurses from through out the US and beyond. The school also believes in team approach which prepares you for real world experiences.

I had look into other online programs and found may of them to be non responsive ( did not answer my calls or emails).

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