Nursing school accredidation

RN1982 · Jun 18, 2008

The accreditation is different for ADN and BSN programs. Not all programs have accreditation.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jun 18, 2008

I disagree. The state board determines which schools meet state qualifications so that graduates will receive an authorization to test. That is not the same as accreditation which has to do with degree programs meeting certain standards, although many boards use the same standards. In short, contact your Board. They probably have a list of schools in your state that meet nursing board criteria. If the school is online, or out of state, they can still offer information. Good luck!

RN1982 · Jun 18, 2008

What she said.

Harparia · Jun 18, 2008

NU nursing program is nationally accredited by CCNE, not just approved. (Take from the front page of my NU catalog.) Here is Link that provides some information on the different nursing accreditation bodies.

Basically the important difference is that CCNE provides accreditation for BSN and MSN degrees. So, as long as you aren't getting an ASN through NU you should be just fine.

primate1983 · Jun 19, 2008

What board do I contact?

missjennmb · Jun 19, 2008

My school is listed w/ the SC Dept of Labor as being able to sit students for the NCLEX, but is not approved by NLNAC. Should I be concerned? There are quite a few listed on the SC Dept of Labor site that are not approved, but can sit students for their license.

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 19, 2008

Many people confuse "approved by the State Board" with "accreditation." They are very different things.

The various State Boards approve (or deny approval) to schools providing entry level nursing education. If a school is approved by the State Board, it means its graduates are eligible to take the licensing exam. That is a necessary thing if you want to be licensed as either an LPN or RN and work as a nurse.

When we speak of "accreditation" in relation to a school, we are speaking of a different process. There are various organizations around the country that survey schools to see if they meet generally accepted standards. Universities are accredited by one set of organizations, vocational schools by other organizations. The schools are "members" of those organizations and participate in the development of the standards and in the evaluations of the programs that apply for accreditation through that organization. Schools must be accredited by one of the major organizations in order for its students to be eligible for federally funded financial aid and I think, for the school to receive some other federal funds.

Then ... in addition to that general accreditation required for financial funding ... many professional groups provide additional accreditation to certify that the particular program (e.g. "nursing") within the university meets the standards deemed appropriate by leaders of that particular discipline. In nursing, there are 2 organizations that provide accreditation for nursing programs.

The National League for Nursing (the NLN) is the "old" organization to provide that service. However, political disagreements led to the development of a second organization that focuses only on programs located within colleges and universities. I forget the exact name of that organization, but it is something like the American Association of Collegiate Nurses. At the present time, most of the major BSN programs have switched their accreditation away from NLN and are using the Collegiate Nurses accreditation process instead. So, programs accredited through that organization, do indeed have the "right" accreditation for their type of program. The NLN is accrediting Diploma Programs and a lot of ADN programs. (maybe all the ADN programs. I'm forget.)

So .... it is very possible for a school to honestly say it is "accredited" and still not be accredited as a nursing program. Even though a school doesn't meet the standards of the nursing organizations, the school as a whole can still meet the basic general education requirements that qualify it for the general accreditation necessary for the government to consider it a legitimate school and thus elegible for federal funding.

I know you will have to read this post carefully to sort it all out ... but if you take the time to read it and think about it, I think it will make sense.

missjennmb · Jun 19, 2008

thank you for the indepth information. I know that my school itself is accredited (its a community college and I'm able to get my government grants/loans). It's also approved as a school that is allowed to test students for the NCLEX. It just doesn't have those extra accreditations that have been mentioned in this thread...well the NLNAC (its only a 2 yr college and I'm in a certificate prog for my LPN).

When employers say they want someone who has graduated from an accredited school... do they mean accredited with the state or with specific organizations? I'm assuming/hoping they mean with the state. My school has been around for atleast 20 yrs, but just started their nursing program. The state info tracking only has 1 record for them and thats 2007 (they only graduated 7! out of 15!! but all 7 passed their NCLEX first try)

RN1982 · Jun 19, 2008

I think employers only care if you have those letters after your name. We have a community college in my area that doesn't have NLNAC accreditation but it is approved by the state to test for the nclex. I have had several friends go through their program and they have had no problem getting a job.

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 19, 2008

thank you for the indepth information. I know that my school itself is accredited (its a community college and I'm able to get my government grants/loans). It's also approved as a school that is allowed to test students for the NCLEX. It just doesn't have those extra accreditations that have been mentioned in this thread...well the NLNAC (its only a 2 yr college and I'm in a certificate prog for my LPN).
When employers say they want someone who has graduated from an accredited school... do they mean accredited with the state or with specific organizations? I'm assuming/hoping they mean with the state. My school has been around for atleast 20 yrs, but just started their nursing program. The state info tracking only has 1 record for them and thats 2007 (they only graduated 7! out of 15!! but all 7 passed their NCLEX first try)

Actually, you may be making a wrong assumption. Many employers actually DO prefer graduates of programs accredited by one of the major nursing organizations. And many colleges and universities who have BSN completion programs and/or graduate programs will not accept nursing credits from non-accreditited programs. Graduating from a nursing program that does not have accreditation from one of the major nursing organizations can cause problems down the road.

However, the very good news for you ... is that the system DOES have special provisions for new programs just opening up. When a new program opens, they have to graduate a certain number of classes (3, I think) before it can be evaluated and receive accreditation. If it passes that evaluation, the accreditation is retro-active and covers those first few graduating classes.

Ask if your school is pursuing accreditation. Ask if they have received favorable reports from the accrediting agency during this preliminary phases of the processes. If your school is indeed a good one, they should be able to tell you that they are well on track to receive accreditation on such-and-such a date.