Published Apr 8, 2014
corrinn31
1 Post
Can anyone tell me whether or not is Galen College of Nursing of Tampa is a great nursing school? Are employers less likely to hire? Or are they prone to hiring a Gallen student? I'm doing as much research as possible before I actually start this fall. And if I wanted to transfer will my credits transfer over from them?
Joe V
7 Articles; 2,555 Posts
moved to Florida Nursing
BahoRN
97 Posts
I did not go to Galen, so I'm very uniformed, however Galen is not an accredited institution. Plus, all of these private schools are very, very expensive. If you have the grades - go to a community college such as SPC, HCC, or PHCC. If you don't have the grades, Galen may be your only safe bet.
The best predictor of a good nursing school is the NCLEX-RN passing rate. If you can, try to locate Galen's passing rate and compare it with other schools. If it is below the average, I would not waste my money as this would imply that money is all they want, not my success as a RN.
nhinds2
39 Posts
Galen IS accredited . They received their accreditation last year
According to the florida Medical Quality Assurance site as of 4/18/2014, Galen is NOT accredited.
This website lists all Florida schools, whether they be probationary, approved, or accredited:
http://ww2.doh.state.fl.us/MQANEPC/SearchResults.aspx
Galen is an APPROVED pre-licensure nursing educational institution, however it is not an accredited institution. This means it is not "as defined by s. 464.003, Florida Statutes, a program for the prelicensure education of professional or practical nurses that is conducted in the United States at an educational institution, whether in Florida, another state, or the District of Columbia, that is accredited by a specialized nursing accrediting agency that is nationally recognized by the United States Secretary of Education to accredit nursing education programs Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)".
Galen is mainly Nationally accredited but they have received SACS accreditation towards associate degrees received there as of January 1,2013. USF will take Galen's degree
Here's a site where you can find NCLEX passing rates for 2013 by Florida school, you gotta dig through the site a little until you find which report you want.
Florida Board of Nursing » Education and Training Programs - Licensing, Renewals & Information
SACS accreditation is not specific to nursing.
It is a generic accreditation, and it is not nationally recognized.
Below, I have taken this information directly from their website: Commission on Colleges
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[TD=colspan: 3]"The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and other international sites approved by the Commission on Colleges that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees. The Commission also accepts applications from other international institutions of higher education".
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Well that is what is on there website. What I know is that now if you wanted to transfer to USF with their accreditation , USF will accept. So the new accreditation is worth something
Now that I don't know about... Your best bet is to call USF and ask (or start a discussion forum here on AllNurses.com to ask other students who have gone to Galen and into USF). From what I've read on Galen's website, they have no articulation agreements with USF.
Go to the following website and look at 'Transfer of Galen Nursing Credits'
Transfer Nursing Credits Tampa Bay, Nursing School Transfer Tampa Bay, Nursing Transfer Information Tampa Bay| Galen College of Nursing | Galen College of Nursing
Yes they don't have an articulation agreement with USF but with SACS accreditation you can transfer to any 4 year college. A friend of mine was going to attend USF for her BSN but Grand Canyon offered her a 15% discount. But you're right, people that have actual done it should be heard from but it might not be many out there is any because they just received the SACS last year
I feel like I done my research, I'm going to Galen this Fall. I didn't go to them before because of the accreditation but when I seen they gained SACS and received confirmation from my friend I felt content with that.