How Are Nursing Degrees From Private Vocational Schools Viewed By Nurse Recruiters?

[Donald Davidson]

I am looking at a Nursing Program offered by a local Vocational College. I really would like to start this as soon as possible, but I am worried that when I am competing against other well qualified individuals from the State University, or even the Community Colleges, the Hiring Manager will choose them over me.

I know that I can go to those schools, but I have barely 10 months left on my GI Bill, and the Vocational School is a bit more fast paced.

Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated and well received!

[elkpark]

It might not make any difference at all, or it might be a big deal -- it depends on how good or bad a reputation that particular school has in your area (and, believe me, the people hiring nurses in your area are all well aware of the reputation of each nursing program in your region. Nursing is a pretty small "club"). But there is more to consider than just getting licensed and hired into a first job. What kind of accreditation does this vocational school have?

Is the school accredited by the ACEN (formerly NLNAC) or CCNE? Those are the two national nursing accreditations. A growing number of healthcare employers, including some of the most desirable healthcare employers in the US (the entire US military, the entire VA system, most academic medical centers, lots of "regular" hospitals that just have high standards), will only hire graduates of ACEN or CCNE accredited programs. Also, most higher education programs in nursing will only accept graduates of ACEN or CCNE accredited programs if/when you want to further your education. Sure, you can graduate from a non-accredited program and find employment and have a satisfying career, but you will be closing off a lot of future opportunities for yourself before you've even gotten into nursing.

Also, what kind of general academic accreditation does the school have? Most proprietary (private-for-profit) tech/voc schools are accredited by national accrediting organizations that the proprietary schools started and run, that only accredit proprietary tech/voc schools, so that, when potential students ask if they are "accredited," they can answer "yes" and be telling the truth and they hope the students won't know enough to question them further about that. However, because these schools are not accredited by the same regional accreditation organization that accredit "regular" (for lack of a better term) colleges and universities, the credits from many (most?) private tech/voc schools won't transfer to "regular" colleges (because they do not meet the same academic standards that "regular" colleges and unis do), so, if/when you want to return to school to further your education and career, you basically have to start from scratch.

These are significant considerations -- I hope you'll think all of this through before making a decision. Best wishes for your journey!

[Donald Davidson]

Thanks ElkPark for the advice! I should be receiving a call from the school later today and I'll be sure to ask them about their accreditation!

[llg, PhD, RN]

Great post, Elkpark. Excellent summary of the key issues.

My hospital hires almost nobody from those "for-profit" schools (vocational schools, career colleges, etc.). We pretty much stick with the "traditional" educational institutions whose missions are to serve the public -- not to make money from naive students who don't know much about the higher education system.

[elkpark]

Great post, Elkpark. Excellent summary of the key issues.

My hospital hires almost nobody from those "for-profit" schools (vocational schools, career colleges, etc.). We pretty much stick with the "traditional" educational institutions whose missions are to serve the public -- not to make money from naive students who don't know much about the higher education system.

ITA -- many of these proprietary schools only stay in business because they are able to prey on people who don't have any familiarity with higher education, and don't realize they're getting a substandard "product." It's a shame.

[llg, PhD, RN]

ITA -- many of these proprietary schools only stay in business because they are able to prey on people who don't have any familiarity with higher education, and don't realize they're getting a substandard "product." It's a shame.

Many also prey upon military personnel and veterans in particular because of their GI bill benefits. The schools know for sure that they will get paid -- and veterans (such as the OP) are sometimes in such a hurry to "get a degree fast" before their benefits expire that they don't look too closely at the quality of the education. Non-traditional students (adult learner, etc.) sometimes look more at the speed and convenience of the program than anything else.

That is why it is SO important to investigate a school thoroughly ... and SO good that Donald Davidson (the OP) is asking the questions that he is doing.

Good luck to you, David!