Frustrated by NCBON monopolizing education

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health.

Has anyone else noticed that North Carolina has made it nearly impossible to attend a distance learning program or obtain any further degrees outside of NC? Schools not located in NC and part of the UNC system are now not recognized or allowed to accept NC nurses. Since enrollment is down for UNC nursing programs statewide, they have now handcuffed us to use only programs located within the state. North Carolina and California are the only resulted states that do this. In case you can't tell by my tone, i find it very frustrating, but even more so, extremely unethical.

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A) It's not the BON, it's the UNC Board of Governors -- it has nothing specifically to do with nursing (the FAQ page of the NC BON website explains this).

B) This is not a NC invention, it's a new Federal regulation. States are required to verify that schools located outside of the state that want to provide education to residents within the state meet the same requirements that brick & mortar schools within the state are required to meet (which sounds to me like a v. reasonable requirement). This is part of the larger attempt to clamp down on the cheesy on-line "diploma mill" schools. All US states will eventually come into compliance with the Federal regulation; some states are quicker about coming into compliance than other states. NC is an early adopter, but there are other states that are also currently enforcing the regulation.

C) This has nothing to do with enrollment in the UNC system nursing programs. That's one of the odder proposed rationales for this that I've heard so far.

D) Out of state schools can get approved to enroll NC students if they want to.

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I am in the same boat. Several schools are in the process of getting approved (they are on lhe list of approved schools but have not actually been approved yet) but say it is taking forever to get the approval.

Right now, for an advanced degree online your options are Duke, UNCW, Georgetown and South

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Specializes in PACU.

Actually, as elkpark stated, NC is just following a FEDERAL regulation. Your beef is with Congress, not NC.

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