Does it matter if you graduated from an unaccredited nursing program if you get a BSN

Nursing Students Online Learning

Published

I am about to graduate school from an unaccredited nursing program...and I noticed a trend that most hospitals now want you to graduate from a NLN accredited nursing program. Will it matter if I graduated from an unaccreditied nursing program if I get a BSN from a CCNE accredited program?

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I spoke to someone from the BRN in CA and was told that they look at all education when applying for initial licensure/endorsement. I was told that as a BIG hint.

*** Interesting since that is exactly the opposite of what the Ca BRN told me a year ago. I was told that since the Excelsior LPN to RN program doesn't meet their standards for licensure (despite many Excelsior grads practicing safely and successfully already in Ca), and that RN to BSN programs do not include clinical in basic nursing, it didn't matter what the nurse did after licensure.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
*** It will be obvious. The date you got your license will be two or more years before you graduated from the BSN program, They will look at those dates.

As for does it matter, well it depends. For example the VA will only hire graduates of accredited nursing programs. They will accept an accredited BSN even if the ADN was from a school without accreditation. Some places, like California BRN only look at the program that you got your basic pre-licensure education in and what you have earned since then is irrelevant for licensing purposes. For example a nurse who earned an ADN through Excelsior after a certain date is not eligible for licensure in Ca even if a BSN or MSN is earned later (I know Excelsior is NLN accredited.

There is no hard and fast rule. Each employer will have their own view on this.

Interesting.

I will have obtained by BSN exactly one year from my graduation date of my ASN program, so I know that can't possibly be true. They are going to have to change that look hard and fast with the onset of more and more online programs that allow you to go at your own pace.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Interesting.

I will have obtained by BSN exactly one year from my graduation date of my ASN program, so I know that can't possibly be true. They are going to have to change that look hard and fast with the onset of more and more online programs that allow you to go at your own pace.

*** Every RN to BSN program I have ever seen requires you to be a licensed RN to complete the BSN. The dates for license will be before your graduation from the BSN. ALso most will want to take credit for that year of experience if they have been working, so that kind of points out the fact that you were a licensed RN before you graduated from a BSN program.

The only point I am making is that it would be stupid to try to decieve a potential employer about your preperation as a nurse as was suggested by a previous post.

Just curious what program are you doing?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
*** Every RN to BSN program I have ever seen requires you to be a licensed RN to complete the BSN. The dates for license will be before your graduation from the BSN. ALso most will want to take credit for that year of experience if they have been working, so that kind of points out the fact that you were a licensed RN before you graduated from a BSN program.

The only point I am making is that it would be stupid to try to decieve a potential employer about your preperation as a nurse as was suggested by a previous post.

Just curious what program are you doing?

Sorry I mis-interpreted that. I thought you meant that people will be looking to make sure a full two years has gone by from obtaining your ASN to your BSN, and that's just not the case anymore.

I am at , in their RN to BSN program.... now RN to MSN, as I am done in about two weeks! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
*** Interesting since that is exactly the opposite of what the Ca BRN told me a year ago. I was told that since the Excelsior LPN to RN program doesn't meet their standards for licensure (despite many Excelsior grads practicing safely and successfully already in Ca), and that RN to BSN programs do not include clinical in basic nursing, it didn't matter what the nurse did after licensure.

They never said they would license Excelsior graduates after the cut off . What they did say is that they will look at all nursing education for licensure. They brought up the Excelsior situation which I thought was weird because my question pertained to BSN programs and not Excelsior in general.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Do you know of any bsn schools that will accept rn students from unaccredited school ?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment