Arizona college private schooling

[Brambi24]

I'm looking at a private college here

in Arizona. It's nationally accredited and CCNE

and one of the only bsn programs that's accelerated. My concern is it's nationaly Accredited and not regional. I can't seem

to find any reviews on line about the school or it's program in Arizona. I have found info on the school in Las Vegas. Has anyone ever heard of Arizona College or attended

specifically for the bsn program? This is not central az college the community school. And what experiences does anyone have with private nursing schools and nationally accredited schools. I understand I will only be able to advance educationally with a national accredited university. I want to make sure I'm not going to have any issues with employment, opportunity or anything else if I attend a private accelerated program in lieu of a community or university college.

Any input from hospital recruitment would be appreciated as well. Whether or not private schooling, and national versus regional accreditation will affect hiring someone like me in Lou of someone with regional accreditation's.

[203bravo, MSN, APRN]

for a program that costs 85,000$ and boasts a 19% graduation rate, I don't think their accreditation status would be my first concern and I would be steering clear of this program anyway. PS they don't list their NCLEX pass rate on their website and given the grad rate and cost, I didn't bother to even do the research to find it..

Best of luck.

[elkpark]

Well, the AZ BON website shows their pass rates for 2016 and 2017 (the only years listed; is this a new program?) are 75% and 80%, which looks okay (not good, but not horrible) until you add in a 19% graduation rate. It's not uncommon for private schools that offer low quality nursing education programs to keep their NCLEX pass rates respectable by "weeding out" by the end of the program all the students except the few they are sure are going to do well on the NCLEX despite the poor education they've received (while pocketing all the tuition money the hapless students have paid). That doesn't prove anything, but in my experience over the years in nursing and nursing education, I consider that a big red flag.

Also, the tuition for the BSN program is listed on the website in bold print as just under $85k, but, when you look at the student handbook and the specific info about the nursing program, it lists the tuition as just under $85k but also includes a lengthy list of required costs and fees that aren't included in the tuition that add up to at least another $3k, so the tuition is closer to $88k.

It's unusual, in my experience, that the website has absolutely no information (that I can find) about the faculty and their qualifications or background. I consider that another "red flag." The nursing student and faculty handbooks look good, but it's easy to have a program that looks good on paper. That doesn't really tell you anything about the "real life" program.

In addition to the 19% graduation rate for the nursing program, the federally required disclosure info indicates that, for the college overall, only 49% of students complete their program in the expected time frame. The required disclosures also indicate that, of the 19% of the nursing students who graduated, only 76% found jobs.

OP, do you not have better options available to you? What is it about this school that you find appealing? Are you looking at other schools, as well? It could be a fine program that, as a new program, is still having some growing pains and finding its way, but do you want to be one of the "guinea pigs"? No one can really tell you whether or not you'll have professional issues as a result of the school's accreditation. For an given, individual employer, it might matter or it might not. If the school has a bad reputation in the area (and, believe me, healthcare employers, the hospitals, at least, know which nursing programs in an area are good and which are bad), that could be a problem for you. And, as you note, your future educational opportunities will be limited.

Best wishes for your journey!

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

All of the above. Find another school and KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS!