Orientation date

[cmonkey]

I found out that my orientation date for one program will be next month. I also found out (sort of) that the program might not be all that great. I talked to a friend who left the program because it's so disorganized and allegedly won't get its 3-year accreditation next round, because of numerous problems in the program. She couldn't get a straight story from anyone in the program, then when she went up the ladder, she got called out over it. So I'm a little nervous, and waiting to find out if I'm accepted into another local program.

If I am, I have several things to consider and I need to bounce them off you guys.

A) Program 1 (accepted) is in WI, where I live, and much closer to my house. If the weather at my house is crappy and I can't get out of the driveway, chances are it will be the same at the WI school. It is not necessarily the case that it will be the same at the MN school. So there is a decent chance that I might have to miss class or a clinical because of the weather near my house, even though the school is not closed. But I could carpool with a friend who has a 4-wheel truck if things got gnarly.

B) Program 1 is accredited. Program 2 is not, according to NLNAC; it's in the works, though. I don't necessarily think that means it's a bad program, but having the oversight of an accrediting body is appealing. However.

C) Program 1 has sent students to clinicals and never told the clinical site. That kind of disorganization is scary to me.

D) Program 1 gets you into clinicals the first semester, like within 2 weeks. Program 2 is theory only (and skills labs) until semester 2. I have no idea if that makes a difference or not, though I like the idea of jumping in and just getting it done asap.

tl;dr: I'm accepted at one program, may be accepted at another, and I don't know which to choose if I get into both, and odds are that I will have to choose. I know I'm borrowing trouble since I don't know for sure if I'm accepted in the second program, but I have to have *something* to freak out about, right? Halp!

[nocheapones]

Yikes... are those your only two options? I hate to say it, but they both sound kind've scary, though I'm not in nursing school yet so I can't comment on whether or not what you said about school 1 not telling clinical sites about the students is normal or not. Personally, though, if those were my only two options, I would go for the one that is accredited by the NLNAC. Again, I'm not sure, but I would be worried that that might inhibit my chances for jobs or future education. I also think the weather is a big deal, I can definitely relate to that. You may not want to have to rely on someone else for a ride, I don't know who this person is and how close you are, but what if they prove to be unreliable? Then you're just stuck.

[•M♥J•]

It's really hard to lose accredidation for a school. They must be doing some badness there if they are going to lose it! That being said, I would talk to a dean outside of the school of nursing, if there is one. IF it is strictly a college of nursing, speak to a dean or advisor. They have to tell you if they will be losing accredidation because that is your future. If it is just a rumor, stick with that school. Even if they are unorganized, you will still be learning a lot at the sites you will be working in and from your instructors. Clerical errors happen all the time, even in the 'real world of nursing'. At my current job (psychiatrist office) the local hospitals are always calling here for my psych to do consults. Half of the time he is already in the hospital or he isn't affiliated with them at all! The nurses usually just laugh it off and say something to the effect of "are you surprised these mistakes happen?".

Don't sweat it, find out what you can, and go for the accredidation! That is the most important thing. You wouldn't want to miss out on job opportunities because you went to the wrong school, do you? I had a lot of friends that went to FAMU in Tallahassee, FL. They lost their accredidation and everyone jumped ship and was set back whatever credits didn't transfer (which was a lot because of that "a" word again!).

Good luck and I hope my rambling helped you out lol.

[apotter1234]

MJ

when did FAMU lose it accreditation? please respond as soon as possible

[•M♥J•]

I want to say about 2 to 2 and a half years ago they were on probation. Turns out they cleaned up their act and were removed from probation a year or so later so they are still accredited through Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It left a bad taste in many students' mouths, though, so they still switched schools while they could. Sorry to scare anyone.

[guiltysins]

Is the school really going to lose its accredidation or is a here-say and gossip? That's a big difference and you don't want to base your decision on rumors. There are a lot of nursing programs that are disorganized or students think are just bad but that doesn't mean they actually lose their accredidation. You mention the person you heard it from was a friend who left. Heard anything else from any other students? I'm sure you could probably fine the school being discussed somewhere on this forum.

To give you a perspective, my school is disorganized and sometimes the clincals don't match up with rotation you're suppose to be in but they still have a good reputation, a high NCLEX pass rate and are in no way losing their accredidation.