Hands On Experience/Preceptorship?!

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Mar 27, 2018

This is a for-profit school that has one of the typical for-profit accreditations so they can say they are accredited. State BONs require lecture and clinicals in Med/Surg, Peds, Maternity, and Mental Health. They have to provide clinicals in all areas. Several years ago someone was attending a for-profit school that had their peds clinicals at a day care since no hospital would provide them clinical time. Make sure they are fully approved (not conditionally or probation) with your state BON. Also look at their NCLEX pass rate on the BON website. If it is below 80% or have a low number of graduates, run from this school.

If your goal is MSN, check to see if a degree for that school is accepted for entry into the MSN program.

elkpark · Mar 27, 2018

How many clinical hours are you getting if you are only going to clinicals one weekend a month? How long is the program (how many weekends)? Most nursing programs have 12 or more hours of clinical per week, so that would be 48-50 (or more) hours per month. Are you sure this school is approved by your state BON? The program sounds v. fishy to me.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Mar 27, 2018

This is a for-profit school that has one of the typical for-profit accreditations so they can say they are accredited. State BONs require lecture and clinicals in Med/Surg, Peds, Maternity, and Mental Health. They have to provide clinicals in all areas. Several years ago someone was attending a for-profit school that had their peds clinicals at a day care since no hospital would provide them clinical time. Make sure they are fully approved (not conditionally or probation) with your state BON. Also look at their NCLEX pass rate on the BON website. If it is below 80% or have a low number of graduates, run from this school.
If your goal is MSN, check to see if a degree for that school is accepted for entry into the MSN program.

That was on an episode of "Frontline" on PBS. "College Inc" I believe was the title -- all about the predatory practices of for-profit schools. Those students also visited something Scientology related for their psych clinicals. :eek:

Those women were featured because they couldn't find work -- their education was insufficient. In fact one of them if I remember correctly, mentioned that she'd been asked in mulitple interviews if they had even been in a hospital during school... she had to answer "no."

Honestly I would strongly advise you to not look at this school as an option. You WILL NOT get adequate training... if your state's BON even allows you to sit for the NCLEX. Meanwhile you will be held responsible for any student loans.

To answer your question though, "how can I gain experience if the school isn't providing it?" You can't. That is why we are telling you this school is problematic. Early 2000s in rural WI where I am from, some hospitals did have "student nurse intern" positions... one had to be in their final year -- after successfully completing several med-surg rotations. The appeal of these positions was a beefed up resume and the opportunity to enhance the knowledge gained in school. It was NOT a substitute for school.

elkpark · Mar 27, 2018

I am working towards becoming either a midwife or pediatric/neonatal nurse practitioner. (haven't decided)

I looked at the website of your school after you posted about it on another thread. It does not have regional academic accreditation, so you are going to have a hard time getting into a BSN completion program in order to try to get into a graduate program. If the school doesn't have regional academic accreditation, "regular" (for lack of a better word) colleges and universities aren't going to recognize and accept the courses you've completed at this school.

There is no hospital that is going to step up and provide you, as a student, with clinical experience that you are not getting at school. That is your school's responsibility.

Florida passed legislation a number of years ago to relax the standards for nursing programs (and took much of the regulation of nursing schools away from the BON), specifically to make it easier and cheaper to open and operate nursing schools in FL. We can see in the years since then that schools of nursing are opening and operating in FL that would not meet the standards of or be allowed to operate in any other state. It's a shame, and it's a shame that these schools are allowed to prey on people who aren't in a good position to be able to evaluate up front what they're getting into.

elkpark · Mar 27, 2018

That was on an episode of "Frontline" on PBS. "College Inc" I believe was the title -- all about the predatory practices of for-profit schools.

I loooove the "College, Inc." episode of Frontline, and have recommended it to many people over the years. It's available to view on the PBS website (at least, it used to be -- I haven't checked in a while). I wish that every individual considering enrolling in one of these proprietary schools would sit down and watch it before making a final decision.

Ohm108, MSN, NP, CNM · Mar 28, 2018

Thank you for the information! I am watching it now on PBS so it is still available. Even though I am not going to be attending a For Profit school, it does help to understand a little more about some of these schools that I have seen talked about on AN.

audreysmagic, RN · Apr 5, 2018

Thank you for the information! I am watching it now on PBS so it is still available. Even though I am not going to be attending a For Profit school, it does help to understand a little more about some of these schools that I have seen talked about on AN.

Same! I made sure when I started my RN-MSN bridge to carefully examine schools because of the warnings of many here on AN! I lucked out and found a great program at Jacksonville University that was exactly what I needed, but it would have been really easy to fall for some of the shinier, brighter ads other schools had. I definitely want to watch that documentary. It's so sad how so many schools will take advantage of people who are just trying to better themselves.