I'm so confused, which school do I go to?!

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

I live in Ocala, Fl. and all the research I have done says I have two choices for school - Rasmussen College of Central Florida College. I thought it was a no brainer, my friend just graduated from Rasmussen. I want to take the nursing program which is what she took. Easy peasy, right? Nope.

I just found out that Rasmussen is not accredited, they are approved but not accredited. I have no clue what that really means. I know that if I go to Rasmussen I will be able to start school relatively soon which is good. If I go to Central Florida College I won't be starting school until January at the earliest. Rasmussen doesn't require prerequisites. CFC does, 21 credits worth of prerequisites. So that would mean I would have to take the prerequisites for a year then I would have to apply to the nursing program and see if I get wait listed or not. CFC is accredited though. CFC also has a 90+% pass rate for the NCLEX-RN. Both are only Associates degrees so I would have to go to school again later to get my BSN (which is what I really want). Cost doesn't matter too much as I am a veteran and the VA will be helping me pay for college (but only 4 years worth of college).

All I need to know is do I go to the school that would take me 2 years and I could start roughly soon but isn't accredited or do I go to the school that is accredited but I will be doing 3 years and will have to wait a good 6 months or more to start doing the prerequisites.

I'm pretty much job skill-less so the best I could do for work while I am not in school is flip burgers.

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I wouldn't go to a school that isn't accredited.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

ok, so i just chatted with someone that works at rasmussen and this is exactly what they said [color=#3f3f3f] [color=#3f3f3f]rasmussen college is regionally accredited by the higher learning commission (hlc) and a member of the north central association of colleges and schools (nca).[color=#3f3f3f] ​is that good enough or should i still look more towards cfc?

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele.

I would NOT got to Rasmussen. Check with the Florida BON to see if you would be able to sit for the NCLEX if you are a graduate of that program. The school I applied to is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) and it is approved by the BON for my state so I know that I will be eligible to sit for the NCLEX.

I did a quick check and CFC is accredited by the NLNAC and approved by the FL BON. That is your best bet!

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So it sounds like they are a for-profit school with that accreditation. What that means that if you ever want to go for a higher degree, many schools won't accept classes from schools with that accreditation. Which means you'd be stuck with expensive for-profit schools.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

I can sit for the NCLEX-RN if I go to Rasmussen, my friend has already sat for hers.

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Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.

Are the credits you earn at Rasmussen likely to be accepted when you go on for your BSN? Or would you just get it from the same place?

Is this a for profit school that has very high tuition?

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Specializes in hospice, HH, LTC, ER,OR.

CFC sounds like the way to go

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I can sit for the NCLEX-RN if I go to Rasmussen, my friend has already sat for hers.

You may be able to sit for the NCLEX-RN but do you ever plan to go for a higher degree? Even if you don't plan it now, plans can change. If you go to Rasmussen, it sounds like you will be trapping yourself in a bit.

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Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.

Yeah, after looking at the websites for both of the colleges I would go to the College of Central Florida. Among other reasons, I would not go to a college that is not accredited by the National League for Nursing.

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An ASN in nursing does not take 2 years, .. since everyone has to do the pre-regs first!

---You are smart to research your school.

;)

I would go to the accredited school. The pre-regs are a good way to see if you will like nursing, taking A&P, Microbiology and the other pre-regs are important... you really dont' want to start nursing school without them. If you do go for a BSN, those class credits go towards the credits needed for a BSN. I would go to the school that makes you take the pre-regs, so you are well prepared for the hard studying of nursing school.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele.

One other thing that I have noticed where I live (Mass) many of the hospitals up here specify in their RN job postings that you need to be a graduate of NLN Accredited Program. ( this could just be a massachusetts thing? not sure)

As several others have already pointed out, the school you decide to go to for your RN to BSN might not accept Rasmussen credits since it is not accredited. It would be a shame to get your ADN and then have to retake many of your classes in order to get your BSN.

Keep in mind that Nursing school isn't something that is meant to be rushed. There is a reason why all of the accredited programs in the country have such strict requirements for pre-req's. Nursing school is really hard and if your are going to succeed you need the proper foundation.

I understand the allure of Rasmussen, because you can start soon and you are very eager to begin the path to your new career.

Finally, addressing the last comment in your original post. While you wait until you can take your pre-req's you could sign up for a CNA training course. Once you finish you could work as a CNA in a hospital, nursing home etc which will be helpful once you have graduated from nursing school!

Good luck with your decision

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