ASN Program Questions

lovleeme · Apr 16, 2014

I am not sure if the ADN programs are easier to get in to because they are all competitive. Do not put all your eggs on one basket! I wanted the ADN route because I am older with a family and wanted to do it as quickly as possible. There was talk yesterday in our lecture that as of 2020, the entry level for nurses will be BSN. They encouraged us to pursue a bridge program once we graduate. Having said that...

I am assuming you are in Georgia (hence your reference to Chattahoochee)? I am in my last semester at Georgia Perimeter College. I had a lower score than you on my TEAS and 'B' in the sciences you are referring to. I would definitely give them a shot. You missed their application deadline, which was earlier this year. Do some research about Chattahoochee and make sure they did not lose accreditation, as I have heard through previous threads on Allnurses that they have either lost, or lack some type of accreditation. That goes for any school - do your research! You may also want to look into West Georgia Tech, I know for certain they have a 2 year program. I have seen Gordon, Bauder, and Chamberlin students at various hospitals in the Atlanta area while doing my clinicals - but do not know anything about those schools. Something to look into, though. Best of luck to you!

prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP · Apr 16, 2014

I would recommend taking the classes over that you have C's in. Most schools will not accept C's in A&P or Micro; ask any of the advisors or the nursing department heads about this. Also it is not necessarily easier to get into because its an ADN program, just have multiple schools that you plan to apply to. Go to the GABON website and look at the list of approved programs. This way you can go through one by one and take a look at all the schools and their requirements and get an idea on what is required for entry.

meeep, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2014

Gordon State has an ASN program with a great reputation. Their NCLEX pass rate the past few years has been 100%. As far as easier to get into, I don't think that's true. I felt like it was harder to get into Gordon than the BSN programs I was accepted to.

You will find quite a few BSN programs that look at applicants holistically (so volunteer work, work exp, essay, recommendations will play a role) while most ASN programs go strictly off a points system with GPA and test scores.

milesamelia · Apr 23, 2014

I believe Chattahoochee Tech is approved by the GA BON but doesn't have national accreditation...I think it is just because they are still such a new program. That was the deciding factor for me to not apply there. I agree that retaking those sciences may be a smart move...you could start retaking this summer and then be good to go for the January application deadline most of the schools have! If this is what you want to do, don't give up!!!

Concrete Rose · Apr 24, 2014

The previous poster nailed it about CTC. Definitely look into their accreditation. There program is new but by now they should received a change in status. It may happen by the end of the year but if they don't I would be on the fence about apply there.

The ASN route is definitely a good option but the programs are just as competitive. They are definitely not easier to get into, especially since most of them are looking primarily at stats. BSN programs, depending on the school, take a more well rounded approach. They are interested in references, some want interviews, others want personal statements/essays/resumes. I would highly recommend you check out some of the different threads by the school you're interested in since many posters discuss their experience from the time of applying to getting accepted or rejected.

As far as your classes...many programs, ADN and BSN are interested in how you perform in your sciences since SOME believe it may be an indication of how you'll perform in the program. If you have TWO C's and 82 TEAS, your application may not seem as competitive when compared to others. Not to say programs don't accept C's but I would imagine those C's (4 credit hr class) will bring your GPA down a lot. It may seem like a pain but retake the class..even if it's just one...it's worth it!

And I've had test anxiety too. You should start looking into different relaxation techniques and even if you feel like you know the material and you've studied but you always feel like you can't perform well...start using alternative study methods. Youtube, games, quiz yourself...so that way when you have take exam you are confident and that will also help w/ the anxiety.

hopefull1n30188 · Apr 26, 2014

Hi Everyone. Here's the deal with accreditation. There are two types of accreditation that you must look for when deciding on a nursing program (or any health related program for that matter). First you have Institutional Accreditation. This accreditation tells you rather or not your credits should transfer if you continue your education elsewhere. There is Regional and National Accreditation when it concerns Institutional Accreditation. You want a school to be REGIONALLY ACCREDITED if you don't want to have to re-take gen-eds at other school. Chattahooche, like most schools in Georgia is Regionally Accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). So you don't have to worry about educational courses transferring from there.

Secondly, you have Programatic Accreditation. By law, a nursing program has to be accredited by the state's Board of Nursing in order for a student to be able to sit for their NCLEX. Chattahoochee is accredited by the BON. The catch is, it does not have programatic accreditation. Programatic accreditation is an OPTIONAL accreditation through one of two accrediting bodies. In order to even apply to either of these bodies for accreditation, a Nursing program has to have graduated a certain number of cohorts. The two bodies are the CCNE (mostly accredits BSN and higher degrees) and what used to be known as the NLN, is now the ACEN (accredits both Associates and higher level degrees).

At one point, Chattahoochee did hold programatic accreditation. I can only assume (I'm not sure) that they lost accreditation when the NLN redesigned themselves and became the ACEN.

All that being said, as a nursing student, although programatic accreditation is nice, it is not necessary to sit for your NCLEX. The main thing you should look at is the Board of Nursing NCLEX pass rates to determine how many students are actually passing the NCLEX. Programatic accreditation becomes important during your Bachelors and above. Most Master's level programs want you to have earned your Bachelor's from a CCNE or ACEN accredited program. This is also the requirement for obtaining a PhD or DNP in nursing.

Now, as far as the original post is concerned, I agree that you should probably retake whichever science course you made a C in. Your TEAS scores are fine and should get you into any program you apply to. If you really were concerned about a program that would be "easier to get into," you would need to look at the private schools (i.e. Bauder, Chamberlin, Herzing), or going in the country where there aren't as many applicants (Darton, South Georgia State College).

Concrete Rose · Apr 26, 2014

hopefull1n30188 Good break down. I actually don't think CTC RN program was ever accredited. Their LPN program is. I'm not sure if the RN program was recently started. Some employers take into consideration if the school is ACEN or CCNE accredited as well. Ive heard that CTC grads have not had an issue getting a job but I've also heard of people having an issue when relocating to other states. While the accreditation is optional, it speaks to how well the program is preparing their students and that they are in line w/ other institutions. But again, CTC is supposedly in the process.