Apollo College Associates Degree Program

[MICHEVOG]

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

[JenMorales]

So Jen, you were accepted into Chamberlain, but they rescinded it and now you're attending Apollo? Do I have that right?

Yes, I was accepted to Chamberlain and it was rescinded because I couldn't get them a previous college transcript from a school I attended 14 years ago. If I had been able to get the transcript, I would have attended Chamberlain. I couldn't understand why they needed a transcript from a school I attended 14 years ago and I wasn't transferring any credits. In any case, I decided to attend Apollo. It was my second choice only because it's an ADN program and not a BSN like Chamberlain.

[JenMorales]

I was enrolled in the Healthcare Administration thinking I was in the ADN program. I told the admission's counselor I wanted to be a nurse and that is the program she put me in. I did not know any better, I trusted that they would put me in the right program. I even had her confirm to me that at the end I would have an Associate's in Nursing. I figured they just called their program something different but the results would be the same, so I didn't think anything of it. Then friends and family asked me how they work in the clinicals if it is an on-line course. I didn't even know what they meant by "clinicals" so I called my student advisor and that is when I discovered I was in the wrong program. My student advisor (different from the one who signed me up) informed me that Apollo doesn't even have an ADN program so after seeing your post I'm really confused. Maybe it depends on what area a person lives in. I'm in the Akron-Cleveland, Ohio area. Do you mind if I ask how Apollo worked in your clinicals? I'd love to have input from anyone that knows anything about this. I've delayed getting my degree by 9 months from this mistake. ARGGG!!!

Not every Apollo campus has an RN program. I just checked and the one in your area does not. I attend in Phoenix and only one of our campuses has the RN program. Any nursing program requires that you do clinicals. Basically, you go to your classes and then, depending on your semester, you also do a clinical at a hospital or medical office location. So for example, you're taking classes in OB/GYN - you will work on an OB floor in a hospital for your clinicals. The clinical is where you learn to apply what you have learned in class under the supervision of an RN. You don't get to do a lot of things because you are a student, but there is still quite a bit you can do with supervision. Don't give up on being a nurse. Research the nursing programs in your area and go to the schools for information. Be sure to ask questions about "nursing" core classes, where the clinicals are held, etc. If it is a nursing program, it should say "RN" or even LPN if that's what you choose to do.

[JBaker77]

Thank you for replying to my post. I've made a decision on a local college to get in my prereq's and knock out as much of the nursing program courses I can until I am finally accepted. There is a waiting list everwhere I turn.

[JBaker77]

Hi again. I thought I should mention that I loved Apollo College. If they had the ADN program I would definitely still be there. I don't feel that it was a waste of my time by any means. I gained so much from their courses. I just wish I had been on the right track due to my age (50).

[Winningjob]

Apparently the VHS (Valley Health System..Las Vegas) recruits from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, College of Southern Nevada, Nevada State College, University of Southern Nevada, Apollo College and Touro University. "We've also recruited some people from out of state, especially California, where it's particularly hard to get hired if you're a new grad," Nichols said. Students from each of the schools above perform clinical rotations at each of the VHS hospitals. I didn't realize I posted in the AZ thread, sorry.

[AZCodeBlue]

I understand the frustration of the wait, I am 41 years old and feel like the clock is ticking. However, if your goal is a BSN then why not put your application in to MCC after your prereqs are done, latch on to a university advisor and work on the BSN prereqs while you wait...save a heck of alot of money and you dont have to worry about the accredidation issue. Thats what Im doing and its working out great. I would much rather contribute 40+K to a university with full accredidation than to a private college, besides who knows what schools will accept Apollo next year...times are changing and there are no guarantees. Good luck!

[Bug Out, BSN]

I understand the frustration of the wait, I am 41 years old and feel like the clock is ticking. However, if your goal is a BSN then why not put your application in to MCC after your prereqs are done, latch on to a university advisor and work on the BSN prereqs while you wait...save a heck of alot of money and you dont have to worry about the accredidation issue. Thats what Im doing and its working out great. I would much rather contribute 40+K to a university with full accredidation than to a private college, besides who knows what schools will accept Apollo next year...times are changing and there are no guarantees. Good luck!

The whole accredidation issue is silly. Apollo is accredited and with their NCLEX pass rates they will remain so for a long time.

Accept Apollo? The trend in universities is the RN to BSN/MSN programs, as long as you have a RN you have transfer credits.

To each his own, Apollo is for specific people with specific needs. For some people as it was with me it was worth paying an extra 35k to get my RN 1-2 years sooner. Figuring that I had a 60k income raise from CNA to RN in one year I have more than made up the cost of the school plus gained a year of experience. If I stayed in the public system I would just now be graduating....