PBS:Frontline: College Inc

elkpark · May 5, 2010

A few years ago, the v. respectable newspaper in the nearest big city to me did a series of investigative articles on the local branch of one of the proprietary (private-for-profit) tech-voc "colleges." (This school offered mostly computer/high tech programs, not nursing programs, but the same chain has started offering nursing programs in some cities since then.) The paper documented that the "college" recruited and enrolled people who clearly had v. little possibility of being able to do college-level work, helped them apply for Federal student loans, and then, when most of them flunked out of school (as any sensible person could predict they would), the school kept the money and the "students" were stuck with thousands of dollars in student loans to repay. The few people who did graduate from their programs found, when they went job-hunting, that employers considered the diploma/certificate/degree they had gotten from the school to be a joke, and they were little better off, employment-wise, than they had been before. The stories documented in the articles were really pitiful, and the articles made it clear that the "college" was little more than a scam to collect Federal student loan money.

Shortly after the articles appeared in the paper, the "college" closed down and left town.

I'm surprised these "schools" are allowed to operate. Gotta love that "free market" and "free enterprise" ...

SmilesNoir · May 6, 2010

(This school offered mostly computer/high tech programs, not nursing programs, but the same chain has started offering nursing programs in some cities since then.)

Someone posted on here that this school has a n.s. in the bay. I was :eek:

b/c I did not know they were even in the nursing game/school.

When I picked my school. I checked out the B.O.N. pass rates for the LPN school in the bay. The votech school nearest to me, It did not have a good rep or pass rate. Some folks on here had mixed views. The school that i choose and was accepted to.. It has a good rep in the bay community. Pass rates are good,too.

I felt bad for the 3 ladies b/c they honestly felt that they were suitable for employment w/o suitable clinicals. I'm still confused b/c I thought the B.O.N has to approve of it. So I sat puzzled by it. I know a RN who teaches at the "I can do it, you can too school". She has a lot of knowledge. Her students should be on point.

I met a LPN to RN student at the local library. She goes to $17k school here in the burg. Now she graduated from their LPN program too. I was confused by the fact ..she did not know how to look up nursing journals. Umm, (leaning forward) If I paid all that money for a LPN school.. I better know how to look up nursing journal on the net or card catalog. Luckily, the librarian was nice to help her. She knew her stuff about hands on topics.

Th

Disclaimer time: No school is perfect. But, If I'm taking out a "Big A" loan.. My A game better be on point. Local medical facilities better have respect for my school and training.

so with saying Student or Buyer Beware!

llg, PhD, RN · May 6, 2010

It's happening all over the country. State boards are struggling to try to shut these programs down, but most state boards are woefully underfunded. They simply don't have the resources to overcome the army of lawyers that these schools can hire.

And many of the students that they have received an inferior education until they have wasted so much money (they can't afford to lose) that they don't want to go up against the school and cause their alma mater to suffer any loss of respect that might cause them a job. The students' feel their only hope is to help the school maintain its approval so that their degree/diploma/certificate so that their credentials remain intact.

It's very politically sensitive -- even here on allnurses. Lots of people tell stories about how bad their school is ... but ... I have yet to see anyone say, "My school was so bad, it should be shut down and those of us who were given degrees should have them invalidated."

SmilesNoir · May 7, 2010

Wow! the word politically sensitive packs a punch! Your p.o.v is a good one!

The one school has a class action suit against them, 3 ladies.

On here, I read about the ladies who went to $30k LPN to RN or RN private school (Orlando). The school fearing it's reputation and board pass rates, imo. . So the student thought they had graduated from the program and would receive their approval for b.on. The school surprise them with the HESI or something test. If they did not pass the HESI exit test, they were not receiving their approval and degrees. some of the ladies spoke with the president of the private school. Due to fact, it was sprung on them. Some did not pass the test. From what I read, the president said you could sue but it will spend yrs in the court system. WOW! .. They need to contact the Dept of Education. I have not kept up with thread,lately. Still there were potential who want to attend the school.

I believe next yr. My school (public) will have an exit test. Right now the B.O.N rates are 85 to 90%. Like you said It's a very political sensitive issue. But It is not right to take peoples money and offer inferior education.

When the Dept of Education spoke of 'clause', private education stocks went down. Education should not be a shareholder or profit holder option,imo.

Student and Buyer Beware!

MattiesMama · Jun 19, 2010

This was supposed to be passed by congress this week, but it looks like they backed down. Once again, our gvt. proves that it is in the back pocket of the lobbyists and special interest groups.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10904371

I'm currently a student at a for-profit nursing school and I hate to say it but all of the horror stories are true-and then some. I'll be the first to admit that my school was awful, my education sub-par, and that I'm not at all prepared to go out into the field at this point. All of my clinicals have been in nursing homes, and the school has such a bad reputation that we were very limited in what we were allowed to do. For example, if we were assigned treatments we were told that we could only do things like applying ointments and taking weights-anything remotely invasive had to be done by our instructor. The only time I've ever administered meds was during my med-pass rotation-since then, nothing. This is my last module and I'm finally at a facility where we are allowed to work with more acute patients-but because our class size is so huge, we have a total of 10 days at that facility. The rest of the time we are on out-rotation or back at the school taking practice tests.

It makes me sick to my stomach. I will be graduating in late August/early September. I'm at the top of my class-should be excited and proud of myself but I just feel like an idiot who got duped. I have friends who graduated 6 months ago telling me they can't find a job anywhere, and that facilities tell them that if they are a graduate of this school they shouldn't even bother applying.

Is there a REAL lobbying group out there for students? If there is, I'll join...I'm sure I'll have plenty of time on my hands once I graduate and can't find a job anywhere :uhoh3:

MattiesMama · Jun 19, 2010

Forgot to add-I saw the Frontline doc and it's available for viewing online. It was very good. I was cracking up when the 3 nursing students talked about going to a daycare center for their peds rotation-we did too! We were basically an unpaid daycare worker for 2 days, it was a joke. And we went to a nursing home for our psych rotation-the dementia unit. As if we didn't work with dementia patients on a day-to-day basis to begin with :rolleyes:

SmilesNoir · May 9, 2011

MattiesMama, How are things? Is it a positive result (in meaning.. do you have a job or going to higher learning education) after graduation?