Is this program legitimate?

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jun 10, 2016

No way.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jun 10, 2016

Where do you get the idea that they don't have clinicals? As a program with initial approval from the GA BON, they must meet the minimum criteria for the state, which would include clinical education. Looking at some of the courses, they are 5-7 credit courses. Typically, a nursing course with that many credit hours per semester does indeed include a clinical component.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jun 10, 2016

Did the program state "no clinicals"?

Have you talked to the admissions and find out more in depth of the program?

I would trust the gut after making an informed decision; personally, I looked and applied to programs that had a positive reputation and had good experiences with clinical students and alumni that they hired.

sailornurse · Jun 10, 2016

If it is new and no students have graduate from this program then you may not know was the NCLEX pass rates are. Are they ACEN accredited? Is this a private for-profit school? What does it cost to attend the school either per semester or for total costs. Give us that information and then we can help you figure out what type of school this could possibly be.

oldsockventriloquist · Jun 10, 2016

I don't understand why you would even consider this program. So, the answer is no. First, the "associate's program" for Southern Crescent Tech College is not ACEN accredited in the state of Georgia (where all its locations are). Second, there are so many programs that are accredited in the state of Georgia to choose from.

Here is a list of accredited programs in Georgia: Search ACEN Accredited Nursing Programs (search program by state). The tuition rates and admission policies should be available on each programs website.

If this is your first degree and will apply for financial aid, or if you look up BSN costs in Georgia and determine that it is affordable, I would encourage you to explore this accreditation list as well: http://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/rptAccreditedPrograms_New.asp?state=GA&sFullName=Georgia .

elkpark · Jun 11, 2016

It's a non-profit, public school. It's SACS accredited, which is the "right" general academic accreditation. If the RN program is new, as the OP says, it's impossible for it to have ACEN accreditation; all programs start out unaccredited, because schools have to graduate a few classes and have a few years of NCLEX pass rates in order to be able to pursue ACEN accreditation.

Yes, it's somewhat of a risk to attend a brand-new RN program but, on the other hand, someone has to willing to be the "guinea pigs" for new programs or there would never be more nursing programs than there are right now (or, should I say, there would never have been more programs than there were a long time ago. :))

If this school were conveniently located for me, I'd talk with them about what their plans are regarding ACEN accreditation. I'd also look closely at the nursing faculty, and if they've come from other, more established and successful nursing programs, or are they new, inexperienced nursing educators. If the faculty have come from established, successful, accredited programs, I would consider that reassuring and a good omen for the program's future. I'd also research how well-respected the other programs offered by the school are (does the school have a track record of generally having good programs? Is it committed to doing things the right way?)

oldsockventriloquist · Jun 11, 2016

It's a non-profit, public school. It's SACS accredited, which is the "right" general academic accreditation. If the RN program is new, as the OP says, it's impossible for it to have ACEN accreditation; all programs start out unaccredited, because schools have to graduate a few classes and have a few years of NCLEX pass rates in order to be able to pursue ACEN accreditation.
Yes, it's somewhat of a risk to attend a brand-new RN program but, on the other hand, someone has to willing to be the "guinea pigs" for new programs or there would never be more nursing programs than there are right now (or, should I say, there would never have been more programs than there were a long time ago. :))
If this school were conveniently located for me, I'd talk with them about what their plans are regarding ACEN accreditation. I'd also look closely at the nursing faculty, and if they've come from other, more established and successful nursing programs, or are they new, inexperienced nursing educators. If the faculty have come from established, successful, accredited programs, I would consider that reassuring and a good omen for the program's future. I'd also research how well-respected the other programs offered by the school are (does the school have a track record of generally having good programs? Is it committed to doing things the right way?)

This brings up some good points. However, just because it can't get accreditation now, doesn't mean you have to take the risk of enrolling in the program. You do not need to be anyone's guinea pig, especially when there are so many programs, both ADN and BSN, to choose from in Georgia. The risks are that the program will never be accredited and will make false promises, or that they don't have the networking setup to help with employment. But, if they have good staff, maybe that will help with those two points. If it is really convenient and much cheaper than other programs, I might consider it. However, one red flag that really sticks out on the colleges website, is that it is really difficult to find contact information anywhere on it. For example, if you go to contact us, it's just an email form.

Some other things stick out to me about the program. If you look under gainful employment webpage, it states this, "The program is designed to take 80 weeks to complete. Of those that completed the program in 2014-2015, 10% finished in 80 weeks." That seems really odd. Also, for those people that completed the program in 2015, there's no available NCLEX rates for them - http://sos.ga.gov/PLB/acrobat/Forms /38%20Reference%20-%20Nursing%20Education%20Program%20Results%20(NCLEX).pdf (scroll to page 4). This program does not offer a degree, unlike an ADN or BSN, but appears to only offer a certificate. I would definitely call them about what's stated by Elkpark.

BeachsideRN, ASN · Jun 11, 2016

OP there are clinicals in that program. They are included in the nursing courses that are 6, 7, 8 credit hours. That includes clinical time.

elkpark · Jun 11, 2016

This brings up some good points. However, just because it can't get accreditation now, doesn't mean you have to take the risk of enrolling in the program. You do not need to be anyone's guinea pig, especially when there are so many programs, both ADN and BSN, to choose from in Georgia. The risks are that the program will never be accredited and will make false promises, or that they don't have the networking setup to help with employment. But, if they have good staff, maybe that will help with those two points. If it is really convenient and much cheaper than other programs, I might consider it. However, one red flag that really sticks out on the colleges website, is that it is really difficult to find contact information anywhere on it. For example, if you go to contact us, it's just an email form.
Some other things stick out to me about the program. If you look under gainful employment webpage, it states this, "The program is designed to take 80 weeks to complete. Of those that completed the program in 2014-2015, 10% finished in 80 weeks." That seems really odd. Also, for those people that completed the program in 2015, there's no available NCLEX rates for them - http://sos.ga.gov/PLB/acrobat/Forms /38%20Reference%20-%20Nursing%20Education%20Program%20Results%20(NCLEX).pdf (scroll to page 4). This program does not offer a degree, unlike an ADN or BSN, but appears to only offer a certificate. I would definitely call them about what's stated by Elkpark.

Whether or not one is willing to be a guinea pig for a new program is a v. personal choice. However, again, if no one were ever willing to take a chance on a new program, we would have only a small number of nursing programs in the US! (IMO, that would be much better for nursing than the current situation of a nursing school on every corner, but that's another conversation.)

It's true that the "Contact Us" tab shows only an email form. However, under the "Help" tab in the upper right hand corner of the website screen, the street address and main telephone number of the college are clearly displayed. Also, the page for the RN program clearly displays (at the bottom left of the page) the names, email addresses and direct telephone numbers of the program coordinator and academic advisor.

You are apparently looking at the "gainful employment" page for the practical nursing program. There is no tab for "gainful employment" on the RN program page, presumably because it is a new program and doesn't yet have any graduates looking for work.

Also, the GA BON shows no data for the 2015 NCLEX pass rate because, again, it's a new program and there weren't any graduates in 2015 who wrote the exam.

I don't know where you saw something about a "certificate" instead of a degree, but the page for the RN program linked by the OP clearly states, "Program graduates receive an Associates of Science in Nursing Degree (ASN) degree."

I have no dog in this fight, and I'm certainly not trying to convince anyone to attend the school -- I'm just saying I don't see any obvious big red flags. Every nursing program in the US was a new program at some point, and became established and successful because enough prospective students were willing to take a chance on it.

oldsockventriloquist · Jun 11, 2016

I ask that the author of this thread skip the second paragraph on post #7 and for the moderators to delete that response, since some of the facts could have misrepresented the program. The program does provide an associate's degree (AAS) and the high NCLEX pass rate cannot not be reviewed, based on Elkpark's response. But, my general point still remains the same. Regardless of how a nursing program starts, the author should be considering how the program will benefit her/him and her/his signif. other. If the program does not provide you with good networking and a good reputation for local employers, then there are many other programs to choose from. The school website is strange to me and on most school websites a person would usually find contact information pretty widely available, but the nursing program staff contact information is listed. So, I'll leave it to the author on how she/he wants to interpret that. The practical nursing webpage that mentions the low percentage of people graduating from the program in 80 weeks (the designed duration of the program) is also strange and might suggest that students are being held back because of education quality. However, that's also up to interpretation.

There are many programs in Georgia listed that are accredited by the ACEN and CCNE. Also, call around to local employers to see how each program you're interested in is viewed. Those accreditations are important, even if you did not want to get a job in the same area. And, I think it needs to be stated that there is a risk with choosing an unaccredited program. Even public schools that offer associate's degrees can go quite a few years without getting ACEN accreditation and some seem to never get it.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jun 11, 2016

I ask that the author of this thread skip the second paragraph on post #7 and for the moderators to delete that response, since some of the facts could have misrepresented the program.

Unless the response violates TOS, it will be highly unlikely that the response will be edited; besides, there is nothing in that response that qualifies AN OPINION that the poster stated should be construed as fact and in return be deleted. :no: