CCNE Accreditation is important???( Urgent )

Ava82 · Apr 2, 2010

Oooh, I fell into that approval vs accredited confusion trap Thanks for clearing that up!
I agree that it is not worth going through an unaccredited program, even though approved by the BRN. You don't want to waste your money and not be able to further your education. The school you are applying to Ava is a private school and I am guessing expensive. I, too, am going to a private school, so I feel the pain there (fortunately mine is not too bad though). Spend your money elsewhere at an accredited institution! The wait may be longer, but will be worth it.

I totally agree with you and thank you for answering. If you don't mind,can I know your school name? I might apply for your program in the future! =)

Ava82 · Apr 2, 2010

The accreditation process takes a few years, usually, and American is not listed as a candidate for accreditation yet on the CCNE website. So it's safe to say they will not get CCNE accreditation next year. They might be planning on applying for accreditation next year, but, again, the process will take a few years once they've applied. And that's something that a lot of unaccredited schools tell potential students who ask about accreditation -- that they're just about to apply for accreditation. They could be planning to apply for accreditation for the rest of your life, but it won't mean anything until they do it.
Re: the question of requiring "accreditation" to be eligible for licensure, I've practiced and taught nursing in a few different states over the years, and I've never heard of a state BON requiring NLNAC or CCNE accreditation for licensure. Every state requires that you be a graduate of a program approved by the state BON, and a few states "muddy the waters" by using the term "accreditation" to refer to state BON approval. It looks like CA may be one of those states. The statement from the BRN website quoted by ExPharmaGirl appears to use the terms "accredited" and "approved" interchangeably, which is certainly confusing. However, I just checked the CA BRN list of approved programs (meaning graduates are eligible for CA licensure) posted on the website, and a bunch of the programs listed as "approved" by the BRN are not accredited by either NLNAC or CCNE, so it appears that they are referring to BRN approval rather than CCNE or NLNAC accreditation.
That does not change the fact, though, that it's hard to come up with a justification for spending time and money in an unaccredited nursing program. Graduating from an unaccredited program is something that can come back to hurt you when you least expect it throughout your entire career. Returning to school to further your education usually requires that you be a graduate of an accredited program, and some employers will only hire graduates of accredited programs, also. No point in closing the door to future career opportunities this early in the process!

This is great feedback for me! Thank you so much! =)

Otessa, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2010

Needs be a CCNE or NLN accredited school.

ravenlpn · Sep 28, 2011

Currently in a private school that told me when they recieved the NLN we would be grandfathered in. Yesterday, 80 days from graduation, we were told that now they would not recieve their NLN, and when they did in 2012, we would not be grandfathered in. Now eighteen thousand in debt I will have very limited choices in where i can go to recieve my BSN. Plus my goal was to work at the VA hospital. VA has programs available to help pay for future education, as well as a new grad program now that has been taken off the table. dont attend a school that is not NLN accredited. you may think you will be ok with it but in the future you will be sorry.