Jacksonville, FL Nursing School Options

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Specializes in Peds.

I have heard a bunch of advertisement lately for alternatives to Community College (now Florida State College), and University (University of North Florida, and Jacksonville University) nursing programs because of a waiting list and competitiveness for admission. Chamberlain College or Nursing has advertised no waiting list, and accreditation, however it is not accredited by the same agencies I have found that the other nursing programs in Jacksonville are- the accreditation for Chamberlain seems to be the same for facilities like Devry (which coincidentally owns Chamberlain), Kaplan, Concord, and the University of Phoenix are accredited by The Higher Learning Commission

The ASN program at FSC is accredited by National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)

The BSN programs at UNF and JU are accredited by Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) (which also accredits programs at FSU, UF etc.)

I am wondering if there is a pattern to the accreditation, if none of the "alternative" schools, as I like to think of them, that offer online only programs, and "fast track" degrees at much higher credit hour pricing than a state school, if those alternative schools are all accredited by the same agency, and are not accredited by any of the agencies that accredit the Universities and Community Colleges here in FL should that be concerning to perspective students?

One of the primary things mentioned by the nursing programs offered through universities/ state colleges is that upon completion the student is eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for licensure as an RN. Does completion from programs from Chamberlain, or Sanford Brown, or Kaplan etc. do they allow the student to sit for the license exam?

I am wondering, those who have recently been accepted into an RN program with FSC (ASN), UNF (BSN) or JU (BSN) was there a wait for admission, what were your scores on the TEAS or NAT along with courses?

I am a few credits shy of my AA from FSC (formerly FCCJ), I have been concurrently completing my pre-requisites for the ASN program with FSC and preferably the BSN program with UNF (as I am two courses away from the general AA, and having an AA and an ASN wasn't exactly my plan).

I am very hesitant to go to any school that is not a state school, due to the accreditation questions along with how it is viewed as a professional (in my experience, I have been chosen over other applicants with certificates from Concord etc. for my position as a MA with no certificate or degree purely on the fact that I have taken pre-nursing courses at FSC, (I have been trained on the job for two years now) to a number of doctors I have spoken with it seems that no degree is better than one from a too good to be true school. ) Along with the costs incurred. I am fortunate to have the majority of my school paid for through an initiative for military spouses Career Advancement Account (CAA) through Military Once Source.

I am apprehensive about admission to UNF/FSC nursing programs as I have heard so many rumors (hopefully, just that unsubstantiated rumors) that admission is near impossible and I would be better off taking my chances on another school then holding out for nursing at UNF or FSC.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated! :)

Thanks,

Nikki :redbeathe

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Nikki,

Admission to FSCJ is simple. They check your residency and use a system to calculate your admission points. They then accept students based on the highest admission points down until all the available slots are filled. So to know if it's worthwhile to apply to FSCJ, you need to know your admission points and the answer to one question.

1) Do you live in Duval or Nassau county? If yes, continue. If no, apply somewhere else.

2) What grades do you have for the prerequisite courses?

The courses that count toward your admission are:

A&P I

A&P II

Microbiology

Math (College Algebra or higher)

One Humanities Course (HUM, PHIL, etc...)

Human Growth & Development

English (College English or higher. Remedial or College Prep English doesn't count)

Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Sociology

and that's it.

For every "A", multiply the number of hours for the course (4 for A&P and Micro, 3 for everything else) by 4. Every "B" multiply by 3. Every "C" multiply by 2. Add those points together and you have half of your admission points.

The other half of your admission points come from your score on the NAT. Schedule the NAT at the FSCJ testing center. It costs $35 to take it. Your raw score on the Academic Aptitude, Reading Comprehension and Natural Sciences sections are your NAT raw score (Spelling doesn't count toward your score and neither does the personality test at the end, even though you have to take those sections). Multiply that number by .64 and that's the number of admission points you get from your NAT.

Add your NAT admission points (not your NAT score) to your grade admission points, and that's your total admission points.

If your total admission points are above 190, apply at FSCJ. The lowest admission points that make it into the program typically falls above 190 and below 200. If your points are lower than 190, pay the extra money and go to one of the other schools.

Whatever you decide to do, do it quickly. The application deadline for FSCJ's summer term (starting in May) ends on February 1. So if you haven't taken the NAT, take it this week if you can and at least you'll know what your admission points are and you can make an educated decision about your school.

Good luck.

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Specializes in Peds.

Thank you very much Phread01 for your response and insight :)

I am in fact a resident of Duval county so check there!

Unfortunately I am not finished with all of my pre-requisite courses. I am having to postpone the remaining two (A&PII and Microbiology) for the summer semester when my husband returns from deployment to help take care of our daughter while I am in school. I anticipate applying in the Fall 2010.

So calculating my score without two courses and the NAT score is all a guess, although your advice was incredibly helpful in estimating what I can expect and ensuring I am in the ballpark at least. With a B (or hopefully higher) in the remaining two courses and a moderate score (at least a 90) I estimate to be in the mid 190's.

I am thinking I will take the NAT sooner rather than later so I can see what score I will be working with and in the case I do not do well give myself ample time to retake the test before applying to the program.

You have put some fears to rest and given me a clear indication of what I need to accomplish.

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Thank you very much Phread01 for your response and insight :)

I am in fact a resident of Duval county so check there!

Unfortunately I am not finished with all of my pre-requisite courses. I am having to postpone the remaining two (A&PII and Microbiology) for the summer semester when my husband returns from deployment to help take care of our daughter while I am in school. I anticipate applying in the Fall 2010.

So calculating my score without two courses and the NAT score is all a guess, although your advice was incredibly helpful in estimating what I can expect and ensuring I am in the ballpark at least. With a B (or hopefully higher) in the remaining two courses and a moderate score (at least a 90) I estimate to be in the mid 190's.

I am thinking I will take the NAT sooner rather than later so I can see what score I will be working with and in the case I do not do well give myself ample time to retake the test before applying to the program.

You have put some fears to rest and given me a clear indication of what I need to accomplish.

I wouldn't try and take A&P II and Micro together during a summer session unless you don't have anything to do other than go to school. It might be a better plan to take A&P II online now and Micro during the summer. That also lets you apply for the Fall nursing class because you don't have to have completed Micro to apply, but you do have to have completed A&P II.

A&P I online was very difficult and it took a lot of dedicated study time. The exams were much, much harder than exams for a typical classroom class. If you can find a hybrid class so you only have to go to class once a week, you'll probably end up with more free time than an online-only class, but either way, it should be possible for you to take a class this semester, even without your husband available to help with childcare. The important thing to realize is that if you don't take A&P II until the summer, the first nursing class you could possibly apply to would be Spring 2011.

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(FSCJ)

I took all my pre-reqs online (except micro which I took as a hybrid). The "difficulty" level of these courses vary by person. I basically did nothing all week....sat down on Sunday evening and did all my work for that week. It only took a couple of hours. Not everyone could do that, but I did. Only you know your ability.

I applied with 217 pts.....all this after being out of school for over 20 yrs!

Hope all goes well with your hubby. Mine is preparing to leave (left home already but not OS yet).

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Specializes in Peds.

Thanks a bunch ladies. :)

I appreciate the advice. Unfortunately there are no online classes available for this semester for A&PII. I can't do the hybrid right now, not with working full time and having my husband gone. I am taking two courses online, Statistics and Sociology, although those were mostly to keep from being idle, and finish my AA and pre-reqs for UNF. I am still hoping to have the first two years of my school count for something and be able to apply for the BSN program as opposed to having an AA and an ASN. Although any nursing school would be great at this point.

I have some experience with online courses although it is encouraging to hear that A&PII isn't too terribly impossible online.

I was afraid it would have been too difficult and would rather wait an extra semester and go to class then have a poor grade, though it is encouraging to hear that is isn't impossible online so that is an option.

I usually ended up consolidating my work to a day or two as well ( I have half days on thursday so those days while my daughter is still in daycare was always homework/catchup day).

Congratulations FLmomof5 (congrats on that too by the way- I can barely manage 1! lol) that is a wonderful score. I hope I can be semi-close when all is said and done. :)

Likewise with your hubby. :)

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I am a transfer student to Jacksonville University. I actually just mailed off my application to the school of nursing yesterday. Jacksonville University does not require a NAT or a TEAS. The requirements for nursing are just your basic prerequisites, the filled out application, three letters of recommendation and all transcripts. You also write an essay and have an interview with the Nursing school. So if you have a good GPA and Interview well then hopefully it works out for the best. When I spoke to the Nursing admission counselor he said there was a 1 in 4 chance of getting accepted. I really want this though so I am keeping my head up. I haven't been to the other local schools but I love Jacksonville University, its a great school. Hope this helps you.

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Nikki,

Admission to FSCJ is simple. They check your residency and use a system to calculate your admission points. They then accept students based on the highest admission points down until all the available slots are filled. So to know if it's worthwhile to apply to FSCJ, you need to know your admission points and the answer to one question.

1) Do you live in Duval or Nassau county? If yes, continue. If no, apply somewhere else.

2) What grades do you have for the prerequisite courses?

The courses that count toward your admission are:

A&P I

A&P II

Microbiology

Math (College Algebra or higher)

One Humanities Course (HUM, PHIL, etc...)

Human Growth & Development

English (College English or higher. Remedial or College Prep English doesn't count)

Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Sociology

and that's it.

For every "A", multiply the number of hours for the course (4 for A&P and Micro, 3 for everything else) by 4. Every "B" multiply by 3. Every "C" multiply by 2. Add those points together and you have half of your admission points.

The other half of your admission points come from your score on the NAT. Schedule the NAT at the FSCJ testing center. It costs $35 to take it. Your raw score on the Academic Aptitude, Reading Comprehension and Natural Sciences sections are your NAT raw score (Spelling doesn't count toward your score and neither does the personality test at the end, even though you have to take those sections). Multiply that number by .64 and that's the number of admission points you get from your NAT.

Add your NAT admission points (not your NAT score) to your grade admission points, and that's your total admission points.

If your total admission points are above 190, apply at FSCJ. The lowest admission points that make it into the program typically falls above 190 and below 200. If your points are lower than 190, pay the extra money and go to one of the other schools.

Whatever you decide to do, do it quickly. The application deadline for FSCJ's summer term (starting in May) ends on February 1. So if you haven't taken the NAT, take it this week if you can and at least you'll know what your admission points are and you can make an educated decision about your school.

Good luck.

I'm from Tampa, but right now I live on campus at UNF and go to FSCJ...but technically I'm not from Duval county...should I even bother applying to the FSCJ nursing program then?

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I would if I had a high level of points. They set aside about 25 seats for out of county. They didn't used to.

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I am apprehensive about admission to UNF/FSC nursing programs as I have heard so many rumors (hopefully, just that unsubstantiated rumors) that admission is near impossible and I would be better off taking my chances on another school then holding out for nursing at UNF or FSC.

The fact is there is no waiting list and that people spread rumors like "I made all A's and could not get into their program" or "I have been on the waiting list for two years.." I went to FSCJ and got in for May 2008 with 194 points, without my microbiology. A lot of people dream of being nurses, but a lot of people also dream of being doctors too. I don't see any of these "private, for-profit" schools offering med school, because they prey on people who cannot get into traditional nursing school. I would much rather have a smart nurse than one who just paid $40,000 to be admitted into a nursing program (which, btw, you will be lucky to earn that your first year as a nurse). As a nurse myself, I often see nursing students from all kinds of schools. The difference between profit and public students is night and day.

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hi just wondering how long it took you to complete your pre reqs online

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