Is MCI worth it? Do Hospital's Hire MCI grads?

U.S.A. Virginia

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I just had a few questions in regards to MCI. I have been considering taking their RN program that allows you to be finished in as little as 15 months, since the community colleges have such a long waiting list. I do have some concerns. I wanted to know if any graduates from their programs are having a hard time obtaining work at the local hospitals in Richmond? Like Henrico Doctors or Bon Secours, since it is not a two year community college. I am aslo, wondering if it is hard to transfer their credits to a four year institution. I would like to go to VCU for my BS degree. Can anyone help me? I know their program is more expensive. I just dont want to invest in it if in the long run I can't get a job at a good hospital and can not transfer my credits. The admissions reps always guarantee that everything is great because their job is to get the enrollment, but I want to hear from someone who may have been a student or knows someone who was.

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The RN AAS program at MCI is accredited so if you finish the program, you should have no problem doing an RN to BSN program at VCU. If you don't finish the program, VCU might not accept/transfer credits earned to be used towards your first degree. MCI is under review for their NLN and should be nationally accredited by the end of next year. After that, the AAS should transfer to any school in the US.

As for a job, you earn a degree at MCI, and a degree is a degree. You will have NO problem finding a job. There are TONS of certification/diploma programs that allow you to take the NCLEX to work as an RN- and that's without an AAS or BSN. Most students have a job lined up even before they finish the program. I had the same fears, and did tons of research to ease them.

The program itself is expensive- I think it just went up to 37,000- it's fast paced, and competitive. I had several classmates with good grades not get accepted last week. You take a few pre-req. classes, write an essay to turn into the Director of Nursing along with three recommendation letters, have an interview with above, and then they go through selection for the program. No guarantees. You'll find out if you got in about a week after your interview.

Sorry for all the info, but this was the stuff I was looking for when I first started my research on MCI. I hope at least some of it helps, and if you have any other questions, please ask :D

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Thank you so much. You gave me the exact information I was looking for. I knew the program was expensive and I didn't want to pay all that money and have a hard time transfering credits. It sounds like it may be very hard to get into. Not as easy as the admissions rep made it sound over the phone. I have an appointment to meet with them tomorrow so I guess I'll find out real soon. Thanks again!:yeah:

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I know the January start is their "down time" so it's a little easier to get in then. If you start everything now, you should be able to apply for Jan. Oh, and do your best on the TEAS entry test... it might be used as a tie-breaker later for acceptance into the program. Good luck!!!

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Specializes in Diabetes, Transplant, CCU, Neurology.

Make sure it is nationally accredited and not just regionally accredited. My sister is going to Thomas Nelson for that reason. As far as getting into VCU for the RN to BSN--you have to have graduated from a nationally accredited college.

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Make sure it is nationally accredited and not just regionally accredited. My sister is going to Thomas Nelson for that reason. As far as getting into VCU for the RN to BSN--you have to have graduated from a nationally accredited college.

As I stated in my first post, MCI is under review for their NLN and should be nationally accredited by the end of next year (09'). After that, the AAS should transfer to any school in the US. The program at MCI is only in it's third or forth year, and for ANY school to be recieve their national accreditation they have to be functioning and meet requirements for a minimum of three years. No RN program can be nationally accredited from the day they open their doors. By the time any class, from here on out, graduates, they will have their NLN (national) approval. :yeah:

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Hi everyone....

I graduated from MCI Rn program (VA Beach campus) in Dec of 2006. I and everyone in my class passed the NCLEX first time. There is absoultely NO issues getting a job with Sentara or Bon Secours or Chesapeake General or Portsmouth Naval or CHKD. I am not sure where that rumor started but everyone I know that finished school there had a job in one of the above hospitals before graduation. I myself went to med surg and am now in l&d for sentara. We had grads from my class go to ED, Neurovascular ICU, orthopedics, pediatric ED, oncology and surgery ( I know there where more, but you get the point). The schedule is HARD!! I went to night classes but did not work. Many people believe they can work full time and go to classes at nite. NOT POSSIBLE!! (unless you have a VERY understanding employer who will let you do hours and hours of reading,homework while on the clock). To illustrate my point we started my class with the usual 25 students by the time we graduated only 9 were left. Most all of the people that failed the program worked during the daytime and could not study the material. But for me, the program did what ANY program is supposed to do, prepare you to take the NCLEX. Everything else you are going to learn on the job anyway.

:typing

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Specializes in Home Health, Med/Surg.
Hi everyone....

I graduated from MCI Rn program (VA Beach campus) in Dec of 2006. I and everyone in my class passed the NCLEX first time. There is absoultely NO issues getting a job with Sentara or Bon Secours or Chesapeake General or Portsmouth Naval or CHKD. I am not sure where that rumor started but everyone I know that finished school there had a job in one of the above hospitals before graduation. I myself went to med surg and am now in l&d for sentara. We had grads from my class go to ED, Neurovascular ICU, orthopedics, pediatric ED, oncology and surgery ( I know there where more, but you get the point). The schedule is HARD!! I went to night classes but did not work. Many people believe they can work full time and go to classes at nite. NOT POSSIBLE!! (unless you have a VERY understanding employer who will let you do hours and hours of reading,homework while on the clock). To illustrate my point we started my class with the usual 25 students by the time we graduated only 9 were left. Most all of the people that failed the program worked during the daytime and could not study the material. But for me, the program did what ANY program is supposed to do, prepare you to take the NCLEX. Everything else you are going to learn on the job anyway.

:typing

I have to disagree. 90% of the students in my class work full time and we have all passed and most have children at home. i work upwards of 50 hours a week and after Pharm II you only go to class twice a week with a day in between both classes. Clinicals are on the weekends for the night class. I am supposed to work from 8am to 5pm but on none class days I often work from 7am to 7pm and i still have at least an hour per chapt to dedicate each night. I have never dropped below a B in any class and i have no previous medical experiance. I have no husband or children at home so that may make it a little easier. I am not sure if it is because we have a new director for the RN program as of Feb 2008 but working and going to MCI is absolutly do-able, you just have stick to a very strict schedule balancing work and school. The only people who seem to have had problems, at least for my class and the class graduating in Dec 08 are the ones that do not have a set schedule at work....

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