Brown Mackie College

kat7ap · Dec 22, 2008

Hi, I graduated from an expensive private LVN school called Concorde and I DO felt like a received a quality education, was fully prepared to work, and passed the NCLEX without a problem. My school was full time and was completed in 12 months, no prereqs, no wait list. I had credits from regular college but they did not accept them for whatever reason. To find out specific info on the school you are interested in, try googling your state's board of nursing website. You should be able to find out the NCLEX pass rates. If they are a state approved practical nursing program, then yes they should prepare you adequetly for hospital work and passing the NCLEX. You may try going on one of the regional forums and asking nurses in your area their experiences and opinions on the school.

kat7ap · Dec 22, 2008

I was bored and checked the Ohio BON website. It looks like Brown Mackie College is only under "provisional approval". Check it out: http://www.nursing.ohio.gov/PDFS/education/08updatedPNlist.pdf

That would make me a little leery about that school.

Tresey · Dec 22, 2008

I attendend Brown MAckie College, It started off really good until I started my clincial I was computing from Detroit to Ohio they told us that they were going to schedule our clincials close to home has possible and they got far and far out. So I didnt finish But I wish you look.

Tim92 · Dec 25, 2008

I live in Cincinnati, Ohio.

If I were you wanting to become an LPN, I would go to the Great Oaks campues, check it out:

www.greatoaks.com

They have a Nursing program there you can complete in one year and you become an LPN.

Good luck for whatever you decide to do!

:]

nursing123098 · Dec 30, 2008

hi, i graduated from an expensive private lvn school called concorde and i do felt like a received a quality education, was fully prepared to work, and passed the nclex without a problem. my school was full time and was completed in 12 months, no prereqs, no wait list. i had credits from regular college but they did not accept them for whatever reason. to find out specific info on the school you are interested in, try googling your state's board of nursing website. you should be able to find out the nclex pass rates. if they are a state approved practical nursing program, then yes they should prepare you adequetly for hospital work and passing the nclex. you may try going on one of the regional forums and asking nurses in your area their experiences and opinions on the school.

reply:

thanks for the info. i googled "concorde career institute" and found out that they only have 12 schools and none in michigan - or in driving distance to michigan - where i live. i appreciate the input however. perhaps your recommendation will help someone else.

if anyone wants to check out concorde career institute the website is: http://www.concorde.edu/

they have schools in:

thanks also for the wise suggestion. i actually have already obtained lists from the state of michigan licensing department, and from the state of michigan board of nursing, and from the aacn/ccne accreditation board, and from the nln accreditation board, and i have done the same for states near michigan. so i have a list of all available accredited and approved and licensed schools and can find the ones in other states as needed.

my issue is i need finances and reasonable tuition, and i need to move quickly without long wait lists, and i need to find a quality school that will give me the training i need, and (hopefully) be transferable so i may move from lpn to rn to bsn to msn.

have a great life! :wink2:

nursing123098 · Dec 30, 2008

does anyone have any experience with this college for their lpn programs?
all i know is:
it is expensive $295 per credit hour.
but there is no wait list and minimal pre-reqs.
i am thinking of the one in findlay ohio. i would have to communte a distance.
the program is 15 months, but i have completed basic courses elsewhere so it may be shorter for me.
you only take one class per month!
does anyone know if you receive a quality education for $300 per credit hour?
do they prepare you for work in a hospital and for passing the nclex?
what is there passing rate on the nclex exam or where can i find it?
etc.?
thanks!

post script:

i know that mackie costs a lot of money around $300.00 per credit hour just for tuition alone. much more than a lpn or adn/asn at a community college and even more than some bsn 4-year universities. but some of us need to receive a degree quickly and we are considering this company.

as suggested by a posted, before you decide to pay them a lot of money, i recommend you contact your state's board of nursing to see if the mackie program you want to take is accredited by the federal government and by the state you are in and if their program is approved by the state you are in (those are 2 different things). go to your state's licensing department and to your state's board of nursing.

then i would look at whether you can take your lpn and go to another school that has a completion program from lpn to rn (either associate or bachelor programs) and if they will let you do the completion program based solely on the fact that you have your lpn license and passed your state's nclex. if you do a lpn to rn completion program you may not have to transfer any credits depending on where you go for your completion degree.

you should also check to see what mackie's nclex passing rate is for your state and for the last two years to see how much separate work you will have to do beyond mackie's program to prepare yourself to pass the nclex. in addition to mackie's program you should consider taking the kaplan nclex preparation classes which will cost you separate money.

if you are interested in additional nursing accreditations for the school you attend - here is some info on the ccne and nln websites that you should go to:

you can easily obtain lists of all nursing programs that are approved in every state. in addition, you can easily obtain lists of all nursing programs that are accredited by the nln and by the ccne.

the american association of colleges of nursing (aacn) has the following website - http://www.aacn.nche.edu/accreditation/

click on that link. you will see a number of tabs on the left including:

accredited programs

other affiliated programs

click on those tabs and download the materials. you will find all of the aacn ccne accreditations for all of the schools in the usa.

the aacn's ccne accreditation is important for this reason:

"officially recognized by the u.s. secretary of education as a national accreditation agency, the commission on collegiate nursing education (ccne) is an autonomous accrediting agency contributing to the improvement of the public's health. ccne ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate and graduate education programs preparing effective nurses."

"ccne serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. as a voluntary, self-regulatory process, ccne accreditation supports and encourages continuing self-assessment by nursing education programs and the continuing growth and improvement of collegiate professional education."

the website for the national league for nursing accrediting commission (nlnac) s http://www.nlnac.org/

click on that link. you will see on the left side the following:

nlnac accredited nursing programs

programs with candidate status

click on those links and download the materials. you will find much information.

the nln accreditation is important for this reason:

"the national league for nursing accrediting commission (nlnac) is nationally recognized by the u.s. department of education as the accrediting agency for postsecondary and higher degree nursing programs. nlnac provides specialized accreditation for all types of nursing education programs (clinical doctorate, master's, baccalaureate, associate, diploma, and practical)."

"nlnac supports the interests of nursing education, nursing practice, and the public by the functions of accreditation. accreditation is a voluntary, self-regulatory process by which non-governmental associations recognize educational institutions or programs that have been found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality. accreditation also assists in the further improvement of the institutions or programs as related to resources invested, processes followed, and results achieved."

in addition to all of this great information, the following are very important websites that every nursing student and nurse should have and use:

national association for practical nurse education and service, inc. (napnes) http://www.napnes.org/membership/chapters.html

national council of state boards of nursing, inc. (ncsbn) https://www.ncsbn.org/

member boards https://www.ncsbn.org/515.htm

for michigan https://www.ncsbn.org/515.htm#michigan

these numerous websites and the individual licensing websites for each individual state will provide anyone who is interested with a wealth of information on lpn and rn programs, schools, accreditation, and licensing.

additionally, if you are really interested in pursuing options, you must check with all of the community colleges and other colleges you wish to consider in your area that offer the program you want to determine the pre-requisites, waiting list, financial aid, admission requirements, transfer credit equivalencies, length of program, clinical sites, quality of the program's nclex preparation, etc.

because i have so many transfer credits i was told i will not be eligible for any federal student loans for a community college. but those of you who are eligible can benefit from some great programs!

if you want to make the most of your time and money - try to get into a ladder or a step program. that will let you get a lpn certificate, start working to earn funds, and move seamlessly into a rn associate degree program and finish with your rn!

have a great life! :wink2:

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2008

Moved to the LPN Nursing Student forum.

StudentNurseMindie · Jan 2, 2009

I go to Brown Mackie in Cincinnati. I LOVE it.

And to go to the Oaks, don't you have to have to be an STNA first?

Yes the education is worth it. Most hospitals in Cincy don't hire LPNs that much. And yes students are passing their boards. They are VERY NCLEX oriented. and YES we are accredited though the state board of nursing, and the ACICS.

The one class a month thing is cool, but VERY fast paced. You have to be totally on the ball or you will fall behind in a class and never catch up.

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2009

Make sure the credits transfer to an ASN/bsn school if you want to further your career...There is a bm in my city and I know the RN schools do NOT take thier the majority of the pre-reqs.

cna2lpn80 · Jan 11, 2009

i am currently attending brown mackie i graduate in october 2009.

the only thing that sucks about the school, is the tuition rate.

it is a very fast paced program, you have to be ready and focused to make it through.

they are very big on nclex preparation, we have to do 2 nclex practice test a week, to get us prepared for the real nclex. the nclex practice starts with fundamentals 1 class, i am now in fund. 2.

it is expensive, but if you want no waiting list, and want to get going with your career, then check it out, and after fund. 2 you can be a c.n.a. and if you are already a c.n.a. you can be a q.m.a. after fund. 3, which is what i will be doing.

i like the fact that after every month, you feel like your actually accomplishing something, and your one month closer to finishing, while students in other schools are still in the same class 2-3 months later.

:twocents:

rudystef · Jan 11, 2009

I go to Brown Mackie in Cincinnati. I LOVE it.
And to go to the Oaks, don't you have to have to be an STNA first?
Yes the education is worth it. Most hospitals in Cincy don't hire LPNs that much. And yes students are passing their boards. They are VERY NCLEX oriented. and YES we are accredited though the state board of nursing, and the ACICS.
The one class a month thing is cool, but VERY fast paced. You have to be totally on the ball or you will fall behind in a class and never catch up.

Actually, if the school is accredited, it is accredited by the National League for Nursing (and according to the NLN website, Brown Mackie is not accredited). The school is approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing. Approval by the board allows graduates to sit for the NCLEX. Accreditation is an honor above and beyond approval.