How important is national accreditation?

[babycakes78]

]One of the local technical schools in my area has a LPN program that I'm considering enrolling in. When I asked the woman in admissions about their acccredidation she told me that they were certified by the NJ Board of Nursing but had not yet received accreditation from NLNAC. She assured me that graduates of the program would still be able to sit for the NCLEX-PN and be granted a license to practice etc. But I have a funny feeling about the whole thing. I'm afraid that something may be fishy and need to know the real deal before I invest my time and money in this program. Does anyone here know if NLNAC accreditation is a highly important factor to consider before choosing a school? Should I go with this place or keep looking? Please give a your opinions! And thanks in advance for your help.

[arciedee]

If your school is certified by the state BON then you will have no problems sitting for the NCLEX and receiving a license in that state. The state BON has already looked into the program and agrees that it meets their educational standards. If the program is new, national accreditation (NLN) won't happen right away since they need to prove how their classes are performing before they can receive full accreditation. So I don't think it sounds fishy. I would perhaps ask what their plans are for NLN accreditation. NLN accreditation may be important if you plan to further your education later, as some schools require that you be a graduate of a nationally accredited program, but if the school you're currently in becomes accredited before then, you will have no problems.