NLNAC accredidation help?!

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I'm not quite sure where to post this, I posted this in my 'state forum' but I don't think that was the right place

I just found out that the CC I'm currently going to and was going to apply for the fall nursing program isn't NLNAC accredited. It is approved by the FL BON but I plan on moving and not getting licensed in FL but in another state

They do say that the college is accredited by Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools but they say nothing more..

My question is what kind of problems arise if I get my ASN through them? I plan to continue my education and don't want to start something that won't help me, and may even hurt me..

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.

you're right to be concerned. First, check with the state BON where you plan to get licensed and get a response in writing, and you could then pose this question to the school, but they may not be exactly truthful, since they want to get you in. Good luck, I hope it works out for you

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I checked the FL BON site and they are an approved program but when I checked the NLN site, they're not accredited through them and I'm wondering what kind of problems that creates?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.

Just check with the state you plan on moving to, if you don't plan to get licensed in FL at all. IF you plan to get licensed in FL first, then it shouldn't be a problem, as you take the same boards as other states, so usually a temporary license is issued by the new state of residence until a 'permanent' license is granted. It's just that all states have differences in their requirements as far as the initial license. If this school has been putting out RNs for any amount of time, I don't think you should have a problem. Just make sure to check with other state if you plan to initially get licensed there, to avoid a big hassle, and also check to see what the requirements for application by endorsement (meaning coming from another state-no need to retake any test). I hope this helps-I've been through this, so I understand the confusion (although my school was NLNAC accredited)

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Specializes in Trauma/Burn ICU.

FWIW, I've been told that NLNAC accreditation is only an issue if you plan to work for the government (VA, military). However, I was told this by a CC in my area that isn't NLNAC accredited, so I'd still check with the state you're moving to.

Mike in Michigan

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

I know of no research to support any correlation between national accreditation and benchmarks of program quality. Very few boards of nursing require accreditation. According to data published by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing; only six (6) boards of nursing mandate national (i.e. NLNAC or CCNE) accreditation.

This is quite a controversial topic, especially here in North Carolina, in which our BON is proposing mandatory NLNAC (or CCNE) accreditation for all schools of nursing without guaranteed provision of funds. National accreditation is very costly, both the initial and continuing accrediting process (about $10,000 up front for a program and $1,000 annually thereafter). Questions have been raised about the value of accreditation in light of such cost, especially when most schools of nursing are counting every penny to make ends meet. The North Carolina Community College System office estimates that it will cost 12 million dollars to achieve accreditation for all of its nursing education programs (both ADN and LPN) and meet the requirements of accreditation.

One of the NLNAC accreditation requirements is that all faculty, full time and part time, have master’s degrees in nursing. A recent survey of Associate Degree Nursing programs in North Carolina indicates that if all their faculty were required to have master’s degrees today, 25 programs; that is 54% of those responding, would have to decrease enrollment numbers by 1,881 students (when the faculty/student ratio is 1:8). Enrollment in these programs would decrease by more than 50%.

You will find this article most enlightening: http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin/tpc4/tpc4_2.htm

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

Some more facts on NLNAC accreditation:

The NLNAC accredits 1500 of the 2364 nursing education programs in the U.S., 63.5%. (These are 2003 figures.) The remaining are unaccredited, or accredited by CCNE.

Quotes from an interview with Dr. Barbara Grumet, the Executive Director of The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) (gives background information on accreditation and the advantages of attending an accredited nursing program):

Please tell us about the future of Nursing Accreditation - what are important trends and changes you see ahead?

I see several changes ahead. First, when accreditation was started, we were the only game in town. Now there are government agencies, such as state boards of nursing, state departments of higher education, that also review quality of nursing education programs. Second, as higher education gets more expensive, people are questioning the costs and the “need “ for accreditation. In addition, there is competition within nursing itself for accreditation . The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) also accredits Bachelors and Masters programs. Other groups look at nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, and nurse anesthetist programs.

I think accreditation is still essential to raise the bar of quality in nursing education, and to set national standards for quality, as opposed to local or regional standards....

How can prospective nursing students use NLNAC with regard to their nursing education and career journey?

We at NLNAC think that nursing students are best served by attending an accredited nursing program. Accreditation is a “stamp of approval” that says two things about a program. First, the program has been reviewed against national standards of excellence and meets those standards. Second, the school is demonstrating its commitment to excellence by going through the voluntary accreditation process. This commitment is not only within the nursing department, but throughout the college. And finally, students who start their careers in an Associate Degree program will find it easier to advance their education to a baccalaureate or Master’s degree by graduating from an accredited program, since many higher degree programs require graduation from an accredited program as part of the admissions process.

http://www.nursingschools.com/interviews/grumet/

Less than half the AA programs in California are NLNAC-accredited.

http://www.nurseweek.com/features/98-7/diploma2.html

I have no figures on percentages of Florida's AA programs, but about 54 nursing programs in Florida (including baccalaureate and online programs) are listed as NLNAC accredited:

http://www.nlnac.org/Forms/directory_search.htm

You may want to contact the university in which you plan to pursue your BSN or MSN (once you obtain your ADN in Florida) and find out if they will accept this program's credits. I obtained my ADN from an unaccredited community college nursing program in NC, and had no difficulty transfering my credits into the regional university's RN-BSN program and later pursuing my MSN.

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