Apollo College Associates Degree Program

U.S.A. Arizona

Published

Hello,

I have spent the last 6 months scouring Nursing websites and talking to nurse friends and relatives. I am 40 years old and have decided to change careers and become a RN! After extensive research on local school options, I've come to the conclusion that the time it would take to actually graduate from MCC negates it as a possibility for me. I earned a BFA 20 years ago and have no transferable credits. I am in need of information/opinions of APOLLO COLLEGE (westside campus) from Nurses who have graduated from this school or students who are presently attending the associates degree program. I have concerns about their accreditation. They are approved by the Arizona State Board of Nursing, Dept. of Education Private Post Secondary, and the ACICS....Not NLNAC or CCNE. There are only 2 schools (U of P, U of Wisconsin) that will accept transfer credits from Apollo to advance to a BSN. I am interested in ER work and assume I will eventually want to get my BSN. A few of my many questions are:

1. Do I need a BSN to work in an ER?

2. Assuming I pass the NCLEX, will I have any problems relocating to another state? I realize all states have their own criteria for licensing...

3. Will the lack of NLNAC and CCNE accreditation prevent me from working in any particular place?

It has been VERY difficult getting information from anyone other than Apollo employees ...I'm looking for unbiased opinions and info. I look forward to hearing from someone with insider info on this School..

Anxiously awaiting replies!

MV

Thanks everyone for your replies...I appreciate them. I must say a few more things.

1. Exercising impulse control has no bearing on this matter. Leaving a career of 15+ years and going back to school for a completely new one has been a huge decision and one that involves MANY factors....none of which are "impulses" or "lack of patience".

2. I am looking into schools in other states....less expensive, community colleges with shorter waits.

3. I will not be staying in AZ after graduation..moving back to the East Coast/NY area....Relocating for a job is the plan.

4. YES, a 3 year period before I am able to begin a nursing program is THAT BAD. Add another 2+ years to graduate?? Not a viable option for me at this point in my life. I need to get a degree, pass the boards and start working.

Kf15: I'm posting as fast as I can. I look forward to speaking with you, but I don't understand why you were on the floor if you just went through the program...Because tuition is now $6000 more than you paid? Can't wait to hear the details.:rolleyes:

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I too scratched my head at the "impulse control" comment, you certainly did not give the impression of rushing into this, esp since you were taking the time to research and ask detailed qstns. I also gave great thought to investing the $$ and time in this degree, I've lived in several states and just cannot believe how horrible the wait list is to get into these pgms. Even tho the cost is HUGE there is the undeniable benefit of starting shortly after being accepted.

I am not working on the floor yet, what I wrote was a little humor responding to your tuition comment, "it knocked me to the floor." I'll discuss details w/ you if you want when you can contact me directly.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Well, when you're 46k in debt and possibly jobless with a non accredited degree you may feel differently about whether you rushed into this or not.

Just my two cents, or 46 thousand dollars.

And in this economy, you probablly won't be able to take out another loan to pay for BSN when you are that far in debt.

But heck, that's your choice-but you did ask for advice.

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Originally Posted by MICHEVOG viewpost.gif

1. Do I need a BSN to work in an ER?

2. Assuming I pass the NCLEX, will I have any problems relocating to another state? I realize all states have their own criteria for licensing...

3. Will the lack of NLNAC and CCNE accreditation prevent me from working in any particular place?

1. no

2. no

3. no

I'm a little confused. If your answer to #3 is NO, then what accreditation should I be looking for in an associates degree program??

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Originally Posted by MICHEVOG viewpost.gif

1. Do I need a BSN to work in an ER?

2. Assuming I pass the NCLEX, will I have any problems relocating to another state? I realize all states have their own criteria for licensing...

3. Will the lack of NLNAC and CCNE accreditation prevent me from working in any particular place?

1. no

2. no

3. no

I'm a little confused. If your answer to #3 is NO, then what accreditation should I be looking for in an associates degree program??

If you read the thread, you will see that Hoozdo said some places aren't accepting these students. I can tell you right now. So just change my last two no's to yes'. And there you go.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by MICHEVOG viewpost.gif

1. Do I need a BSN to work in an ER?

2. Assuming I pass the NCLEX, will I have any problems relocating to another state? I realize all states have their own criteria for licensing...

3. Will the lack of NLNAC and CCNE accreditation prevent me from working in any particular place?

Hey read this thread for some details: allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/nlnac-vs-ccne-187100.html

These competing accreditations may have more to do w/ politics and what BSN schools will accept your apollo degree if you decide to move on; since 2 schools already accept, and if that's OK w/ you to do your BSN online, then you have no worries.

New York is not a compact state, so if you're gonna move there after becoming an RN here then you should contact their state Bd of Nursing for details about what you'd need to do to work there.

That post about Scottsdale "not hiring" students from that school may have nothing to do w/ accreditation, a licensed RN is a licensed RN.

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Specializes in L&D.

Don't worry about the money. I think in your situation it makes sense to attend Apollo. $46K is a lot for tuition, but it is comparable to every other private institution. As a nurse you will be able to pay off the loans (quickly if you are dedicated) even in the current economy. Good luck with school!

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
That post about Scottsdale "not hiring" students from that school may have nothing to do w/ accreditation, a licensed RN is a licensed RN.

I seem to recall the issue was about lack of accreditation and a Phoenix area hospital not hiring graduates from an unaccredited nursing program. An employer has every right to do this if they wish to, especially in a right-to-work/at will employment state like AZ.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

That post about Scottsdale "not hiring" students from that school may have nothing to do w/ accreditation, a licensed RN is a licensed RN.

Ask some Excelsior students if a licensed RN is a licensed RN. Lol.

The the OP....sounds like you really only wanted to hear good news, or only part of the truth. Problem is, on a public board you get a mix of both.

If you choose to pay 46K for an associates degree (lol) then that's totally your choice. You're the one who will be debt over a $2000 dollar degree, not me. I hope the economy picks up by then and there are acutally new grad jobs out there when you're done. And I really mean that. This economy sucks right now for nursing.

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Sure, hospitals and companies can draw almost any line in the sand about the rqmts they demand for their incoming employees, but given what I've learned about accreditation and there being like 4 different types, it seems to apply mainly to assoc degrees in nursing being accepted by 4 yr colleges for students moving on to BSN. That's my takeaway impression anyway.

I've always thought that students who pass the Nclex have demonstrated min competency, and that the school they went to was insignificant. We all know MBA's who went to "top level schools" that cannot balance their own checking accts, so being a natural skeptic, I would question the motivation behind that selection process......maybe they just had a bad experiecne w/ certain grads from that school? Who knows?

In this economy, it is mind numbing how many factors must be considered when making these huge decisions.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
it seems to apply mainly to assoc degrees in nursing being accepted by 4 yr colleges for students moving on to BSN. That's my takeaway impression anyway.

.

The OP mentioned several times about moving on with a BSN. If you were going to stay an ADN, then that's one thing. But trying to get a school loan is hard enough right now, and getting one for a BSN, after a 46K for an ADN may be impossible.

Plus, you limit yourself to UofP. Nothing wrong with UofP other than the cost. So very expensive! At the end, the cost of this ADN and BSN from UofP would be outrageous!

Why not find a LPN program and do the LPN-RN BSN bridge at UofP? That would save tons of money. Tons!

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I was absolutely hoping to hear positive points about this program, but all of these postings and opinions have been helpful. 46K seems like highway robbery for the most part. So far, the only advantage I see is the 2 year timeline...which is important to me. What to do, What to do.....

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