Breckinridge school of nursing in st. louis

klone, MSN, RN · Aug 28, 2014

All of the reasons you mentioned are good reasons to stay away from this program. Additionally, their program does not have accreditation through either ACEN or CCNE, which may severely limit your job opportunities, as well as opportunities to further your education.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Aug 28, 2014

I've heard tuition is very expensive, u must maintain a B average, and any credits earned from that institute doesn't transfer?

Yep. Since the Breckinridge School of Nursing (d.b.a. ITT Technical Institute) lacks regional institution accreditation and national nursing accreditation, any credits earned there are unlikely to ever be accepted for transfer.

HarryTheCat, MSN, RN · Aug 28, 2014

I can't give you any specific information about this particular school, but with any school there are a few things that you need to consider before you either plunk down a wad of cash or sign your life away in exchange for a student loan. Your state's Board of Nursing web site is a good place to start. If the school in question is listed on the BON "approved" list that's a good start. Some schools will be listed as "conditional", indicating that the BON may have some issues with the school's nursing program. Others may be listed as "initial", meaning that the BON has basically said this is a new program, and they'll be watching to see if it makes the grade or not. New programs are sometimes problematic as it often takes some time to get their act together, and they're using their first cohorts as guinea pigs to calibrate their program.

You should also check the school's NCLEX pass rates. A rate of 95% or better is generally indicative of solid preparation for the exam. Anything below 90% and you should think long and hard about putting your future career plans in their hands. Anything below 85%, especially in consecutive years, is a huge red flag. They are either admitting students who have a marginal chance of success or they are doing a poor job of educating their students. These schools are hanging by a thread with the BON, and may have their approval yanked.

Accreditation is another factor to consider. You may not be thinking beyond an ASN degree and an RN license at this point, but down the road this could be important. At some point a BSN or an advanced degree might become important for you for opening more opportunities and for career growth. Many RN-BSN bridge programs will not accept an ASN from a non-accredited school, and you would essentially have to start all over again from square one.

The reputation of a school is a bit harder to discern, but it can also be important. Some schools have earned a bad reputation among local employers, and some hospitals simply won't hire anyone from certain schools. Period. Check with people you know in the area to see if there is anything positive or negative about the school in question. Ask the school to name the hospitals where you will be doing your clinicals. If the major hospitals in the area won't take their students for clinicals, they probably won't hire you when you graduate. If the school won't tell you where they do clinicals, or tells you that your "clinicals" are all done in a sim lab, RUN!

Last, but not least, look at the cost of tuition and fees. Compare the school's cost with the cost of an ASN at your local non-profit public community colleges and universities. Some of the "for-profit" schools have very lax admissions standards, and are primarily interested in your tuition money. You aren't doing yourself any favors by "graduating" from one of these schools after paying four of five times the cost at a non-profit school, especially if you find that you can't pass the NCLEX or get a job offer with your shiny new degree.

Just my $0.02. Your mileage may vary.