Don't choose a school until you ask these questions!

[Toya2xcel, BSN, RN]

Wow! These are good tips! I just applied to my first choice school for the Fall 2014 Nursing program and I wont find out if I got in until the end of next month. Honestly, it was my first choice because of location and I never even considered these tips before applying. When I looked on the Board of Nursing site it says so far this year the school I applied to has a 77% NCLEX pass rate and another school that is not too far away from me has a 95% NCLEX pass rate. If I dont make it into this school, then I will def be applying to the other one next semester. Thanks!

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

My number 8 and 9 should cover that. Credits often don't transfer from schools because they aren't regionally accredited. If you ever see an ITT tech commercial, look for the text that says "credits earned are unlikely to transfer". That's because they lack regional accreditation. Beware that the CCNE does accredit non-regionally accredited schools (Aspen, for example). If I had my druthers, all the states would get together and unanimously declare that only schools that meet all the requirements I've previously posted may have graduates sit for the NCLEX. These for-profit schools are making the path to nursing way too available, which drives down wages for all of us. Would the LCME or ABA accredit Devry or University of Phoenix to operate a medical or law school? No! It's almost unfathomable to me that CCNE and ACEN will accredit for-profit schools. It really drives down the value of my degree when they allow schools with a 100% acceptance rate to offer nursing degrees.

Agree with this 100%. What they do is take advantage of people who are uneducated and don't have a lot of money. They promise them the world. Then when they graduate one of 3 things happens: They can't pass the NCLEX, can't find a job, and have huge student loan debt. It makes me sad. These schools need to be shut down. It also "dumbs down" the profession by letting people think that anyone can do the job. No, not everyone can. It takes a lot of hard work and some smarts to do the job of nursing. You need to apply yourself and do well in school. There should be standards in this profession. Nurses are in charge of people's lives. That is not something everyone can do. But with all of these for profit schools popping up and promising that everyone can be a nurse, it drives down the wages and professionalism of nurses in general.

[ExpBrittany]

7. Is this school authorized to operate a nursing education program by the state board of nursing? (for initial licensure programs)

8. Is this school accredited by one of the six regional accreditation organizations?

9. Is the nursing program accredited by the ACEN or CCNE?

10. Is this school a non-profit institution?

The answer should be 'yes' to all of the above, and these should really be the first-round disqualifiers for any prospective nursing student.

Totally agree!

[WildcatFanRN, BSN, RN]

The nursing program I went to is a for-profit, BUT they worked hard and have earned regional accreditation. Also, they planned ahead for those of us who graduated before they reached that goal and made matriculation agreements with two local, well respected private colleges so those of us who wanted to get our BSN could. Now they have the same accreditation as every state and private college in my state, that hard to get regional accreditation. Now ADN graduates can go to the RN to BSN program of there choice just like the graduates of the community colleges. Also my for-profit alma mater is well respected and does have standards as far as admissions go. Not all for-profits are of the devil, some actually are good schools. And it was a bear to get through. I still have nightmares of my microbiology class, and those darn HESI tests.

Yes, many, many, MANY for-profit programs are geared to take your money and give you a worthless degree. The program I went to is not one of them and has, last I checked, a 95% NCLEX pass rate and has now started a RN to BSN program.

WildcatfanRN, proud graduate of Galen College of Nursing one of those evil for-profit schools

[sweetdreame, BSN, RN]

I really appreciate you writing this article. I can't stress the importance enough. Luckily I suppose I fell into a good program in undergrad, but everyone isn't so fortunate.

Recently, for an assignment, I had to attend a BON meeting. It was pretty interesting. The first half of the meeting focused on the board reprimanding or changing approval status on several nursing programs. Each program present was there for either inadequate clinical experiences or low NCLEX pass rates (below 80%). One of the programs had something like 60% pass rate, but was called out by a board member by citing 92% pass rate on their website! One school had a pass rate below 40%!!!!!

I left the meeting feeling so upset for those poor students who wasted their time and money on programs that did not prepare them for the board exam...not to mention safe clinical practice. I guess the point is to be very careful where you choose to invest so much of your precious time and hard-earned money.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

The nursing program I went to is a for-profit, BUT they worked hard and have earned regional accreditation. Also, they planned ahead for those of us who graduated before they reached that goal and made matriculation agreements with two local, well respected private colleges so those of us who wanted to get our BSN could. Now they have the same accreditation as every state and private college in my state, that hard to get regional accreditation. Now ADN graduates can go to the RN to BSN program of there choice just like the graduates of the community colleges. Also my for-profit alma mater is well respected and does have standards as far as admissions go. Not all for-profits are of the devil, some actually are good schools. And it was a bear to get through. I still have nightmares of my microbiology class, and those darn HESI tests.

Yes, many, many, MANY for-profit programs are geared to take your money and give you a worthless degree. The program I went to is not one of them and has, last I checked, a 95% NCLEX pass rate and has now started a RN to BSN program.

WildcatfanRN, proud graduate of Galen College of Nursing one of those evil for-profit schools

Let's revise the "for-profit" to "publicly-traded commercial" schools then.

There are plenty of "for-profit" price colleges out there that are accredited by the nursing accreditation and are approved by the BON and consistently have quality graduates; posters are NOT talking about THOSE schools; like a poster stated:if the school that you are looking to pursue nursing was from a commercial during Jerry Springer (or even Maury I might add or any court show for that matter), the odds are stacked against you to get a quality education (credits don't transfer), pass the NCLEX (how many times a retake, which the percentages of passing go DOWN after the first retake), and getting a job-chances are slim.

[ixchel]

The nursing program I went to is a for-profit, BUT they worked hard and have earned regional accreditation. Also, they planned ahead for those of us who graduated before they reached that goal and made matriculation agreements with two local, well respected private colleges so those of us who wanted to get our BSN could. Now they have the same accreditation as every state and private college in my state, that hard to get regional accreditation. Now ADN graduates can go to the RN to BSN program of there choice just like the graduates of the community colleges. Also my for-profit alma mater is well respected and does have standards as far as admissions go. Not all for-profits are of the devil, some actually are good schools. And it was a bear to get through. I still have nightmares of my microbiology class, and those darn HESI tests.

Yes, many, many, MANY for-profit programs are geared to take your money and give you a worthless degree. The program I went to is not one of them and has, last I checked, a 95% NCLEX pass rate and has now started a RN to BSN program.

WildcatfanRN, proud graduate of Galen College of Nursing one of those evil for-profit schools

I was reading this thinking it really stinks that those schools make yours look bad.

[ixchel]

I really appreciate you writing this article. I can't stress the importance enough. Luckily I suppose I fell into a good program in undergrad, but everyone isn't so fortunate.

Recently, for an assignment, I had to attend a BON meeting. It was pretty interesting. The first half of the meeting focused on the board reprimanding or changing approval status on several nursing programs. Each program present was there for either inadequate clinical experiences or low NCLEX pass rates (below 80%). One of the programs had something like 60% pass rate, but was called out by a board member by citing 92% pass rate on their website! One school had a pass rate below 40%!!!!!

I left the meeting feeling so upset for those poor students who wasted their time and money on programs that did not prepare them for the board exam...not to mention safe clinical practice. I guess the point is to be very careful where you choose to invest so much of your precious time and hard-earned money.

This seriously makes me want to cry. All of these students are trusting transparency in the school's reporting. How can these schools justify teaching ethics with a straight face?

[WildcatFanRN, BSN, RN]

Word gets out fast, at least in my state when schools have a poor nclex pass rate especially when the board posts schools on probation in the magazine they send to every nurse and cna in the state. My alma mater does advertise quite a bit. And you get no argument from me about checking out the school your looking at on the BON website, do not rely on the schools website alone.

[TeeKay12]

Yes, #7 happens! There is a school in Indy that is NOT accredited and yet tells prospective students it will be soon. Yeah, no. It's been telling students that for 10 years. And now, with less than a 30% pass rate for the NCLEX, there is no way it will be. Yes, places hire RNs from that school, but rarely and never the primo jobs everyone wants. It also costs more than other schools. I got my BSN from a private university and spent less than those who attend the non-accredited school do for an ADN. They only see the promise of a quick graduation (18 months vs. 4 years) and not the long range outlook.

So, one question that MUST be asked, is "Are you accredited now?" Do not accept an answer of "No, but we're working on it. We'll be accredited by the time you graduate."

[ixchel]

Yes, #7 happens! There is a school in Indy that is NOT accredited and yet tells prospective students it will be soon. Yeah, no. It's been telling students that for 10 years. And now, with less than a 30% pass rate for the NCLEX, there is no way it will be. Yes, places hire RNs from that school, but rarely and never the primo jobs everyone wants. It also costs more than other schools. I got my BSN from a private university and spent less than those who attend the non-accredited school do for an ADN. They only see the promise of a quick graduation (18 months vs. 4 years) and not the long range outlook.

So, one question that MUST be asked, is "Are you accredited now?" Do not accept an answer of "No, but we're working on it. We'll be accredited by the time you graduate."

Not to be crass to anyone, but..... I hope that no one would actually fall for, "we'll be accredited by the time you graduate..." That is horrible. ?

[TeeKay12]

Not to be crass to anyone, but..... I hope that no one would actually fall for, "we'll be accredited by the time you graduate..." That is horrible. 

Unfortunately, yes, they do. When those applying to the BSN program of my university were put on a wait list, some went to the non-accredited school, as they promised "Guaranteed acceptance". They "graduated" earlier than I, however they cannot find positions anywhere in the area.