Checked out some programs while visiting...

[christinamuniz]

My parents purchased a house in Troutdale to use as a second home, and eventually as a place to retire. I went to visit over the last two weeks with my mom and son, and while we were there I checked out the PN programs at Concorde and Sumner, and the ADN program at ITT Tech. We have great programs here in Hawaii, but because we literally only have 3 schools that offer Nursing programs on Oahu, it's very competitive. I've been working on pre-reqs for 10 years on and off, and I'll need to re-take classes to get my GPA to a 4.0 to even be considered... on top of that I'll have to apply probably 2 or 3 application periods because of the competitiveness. Anywho, I liked the 3 programs that I saw. The 2 PN programs were fall back schools for me, as I want to go RN... I did fine on the entrance exams at all 3 schools. I got a 92.33% on the HESI for the ITT Tech program. I'm hoping that is good enough to get me in for the December start date. I won't get a decision letter until the first week of November. I know that ITT has gotten a lot of criticism for their program from other threads I've read, but to me it seems like they have everything set up very well. They have BSN bridge programs set up at 2 area schools and are working on a 3rd, and accreditation is pending a graduating class. Their other locations have received accreditation. Anyone else applying to this campus for December '10 start? Looks like I'll be living there beginning November... and if I am not accepted I'll try for March '11 start.

[JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN]

Do you know if they have a hospital they are partnered with for clinicals? That would be my biggest concern. How much is it going to cost?

So, the only problem I have with these "for profit" schools is that they promise much, cost 5 times more than a community college, and many people never complete the program and owe tens of thousands of dollars in loans. The US government won't guarantee these loans anymore because of the number of people who never pay back their loans. Why not look into Mt. Hood Community College and their PN program?

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

They have BSN bridge programs set up at 2 area schools and are working on a 3rd, and accreditation is pending a graduating classt.

That is what is concerning to me, that their accreditation is pending, what happens if you enroll take out loans and they do not get the accreditation?

I would be very wary of for profit schools

[CuriousMe]

What local schools do they have bridge programs with?

The last I heard, University of Phoenix was their primary bridge program and the local schools wouldn't accept their credits.

[Joyfull77]

I attended the ITT orientation and the articulation agreements they said they had are with Linfield and Walla Walla. So, I contacted both schools, and Linfield got back to me and said that they are awaiting accreditation (not the kind that ITT has but with an accrediting program that Linfield will accept) and once ITT becomes accredited, according to Linfield's standards, then the agreement is to allow all the credits from ITT to transfer into Linfield's RN-BSN program. The good news is that, ITT simply has to graduate their first class in order to be eligible for accreditation (like the NLN); and I believe that their first class started sometime in 2009 and the nursing program is 2 years long. And let me again state that although ITT Tech is accredited, the company that they are accredited by is not acceptable to the BSN programs in Oregon , therefore credits won't transfer to any schools other than University of Phoenix, at least for now. Hopefully that will change!

[pskrog]

Stay as far away from the for-profit schools as you can!

It's a big scam, if you look at the federal reports and the graduation statistics (not to mention post-grad employment rates and salary levels).

Stick with a non-profit (regionally accreditted) private or state school. You'll have a much better experience, and receive a better education to boot.

[CuriousMe]

I attended the ITT orientation and the articulation agreements they said they had are with Linfield and Walla Walla. So, I contacted both schools, and Linfield got back to me and said that they are awaiting accreditation (not the kind that ITT has but with an accrediting program that Linfield will accept) and once ITT becomes accredited, according to Linfield's standards, then the agreement is to allow all the credits from ITT to transfer into Linfield's RN-BSN program. The good news is that, ITT simply has to graduate their first class in order to be eligible for accreditation (like the NLN); and I believe that their first class started sometime in 2009 and the nursing program is 2 years long. And let me again state that although ITT Tech is accredited, the company that they are accredited by is not acceptable to the BSN programs in Oregon , therefore credits won't transfer to any schools other than University of Phoenix, at least for now. Hopefully that will change!

That sounds less like an articulation agreement and more that, if ITT gets accredited and meets Linfield's standards, they'll accept students who graduate from ITT in to their RN-BS program, just as they would accept graduates from anywhere else.

But if ITT gets accredited....so will anywhere else. The problem is that generally these schools do not obtain local accreditation (not the BON, academic accreditation)