Please Help: Chaminade University of Honolulu

[nursedane]

My heart almost fell off my chest when I finally received my acceptance letter for Chaminade University of Honolulu's nursing program. With the competition for seats in nursing programs across our nation, I was overcome with a sense of relief, comfort, and a bit of accomplishment. Upon reading the letter, a few concerns came to mind. For other nursing students, and preferably current Chaminade nursing students:

1) Would it be wise to attend this program as it is NOT YET nationally accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) but HAS BEEN approved by the Hawaii State Board of Nursing? The dean of the program stated in the letter that the school will have a visit this Fall 2012 and they are "actively seeking national accreditation". I am afraid that I will be screwed in I attend this expensive private university and it is not nationally accredited, as my future plans are to leave Hawaii and return to mainland US for working.

2) Chaminade's first graduating class will be in 2014. As a new program, it is hard to judge how well they produce their students, especially for the NCLEX. Since the school has not yet established a reputation, would that mean I should let go of this opportunity? The only stability in this decision is that I can begin the program without having to take prerequisites, because the program is designed with "co-requisites" incorporated with other courses. However, it seems as though there is a trade-off....

3) (For Chaminade nursing students): How is your experience so far in this program? What are the pros and cons of this program?

Thank you so much for your time to read and enlighten me. I hope to join the rest of the nursing workforce someday! I appreciate all the help.

[heartforhope]

Congrats on the acceptance. I, too, have been accepted for Fall 2012. I heard the program is good so far, but of course still trying to get situated. I'm sure the college will get accredited one way or another.. and our graduation class is 2016. That's plenty of time for the program to get accredited, right? And if not, you can always transfer out...

[nursedane]

Congrats to you too! If I may ask, are you a transfer student too, or will you be a high school graduate? I have completed a substantial amount of units but unfortunately the program is designed to be completed in 4 years, irregardless of individual progress prior to entering.

[heartforhope]

Thanks! I'm a transfer student. Yea, that's the downside of the program..having to stick out another 4 years even after lower division credits have been completed. However, I'm going to stick through with it. Honestly, I've read up on the school and the program and definitely giving it the benefit of the doubt. I'm loving the fact that classes are small plus they're getting help from UCSF's Nursing faculty.. Also, I just got out of Active Duty and I'm tired of switching colleges. Requesting for transcripts from all the colleges I attended is a pain in the rear, also gets super expensive. I applied to UH Manoa and got accepted.. but still had to complete some pre-req's there before applying to their nursing program, but then when Chaminade hit me up with that beautifully organized acceptance folder and saw the letter saying I was admitted in to the Nursing program, I just about fainted. It's really competitive in the state of HI to get admitted in any nursing school, especially since there are only 3 other schools on the island that has the program..so why not, right? :) If you have doubts about the program, maybe it's not for you. I mean, shoot, if I completed a lot of units, only to have to go back to round 1 again, I'd be having doubts too..especially the cost of the school. Anyway, hopefully you figure it out. It would be nice to graduate with you! :) BTW, I just received my classes via snail mail and portal... they really work fast!

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Moved to the HI Nursing Programs forum

[TNTD2011]

I too have been accepted into the program. I have the same concerns as well. But, I'm just going to go for it! I feel it'll be a great opportunity and experience! I'll also be a transfer student from Oregon. I'll have to relocate with my two children. Does anyone know how I can best find a place that would be suitable for myself and them before our arrival? Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

[heartforhope]

lol Hey!!! I was the other person who posted on Chaminade's wall in FB. Congrats to you. Did you get your classes already?

I just moved to Hawaii last year from Colorado. It's been one heck of a year so far. SO much changes and pains that we had to adjust to! I can't even begin to tell you what we went through. Anyway, have you been looking at any particular areas to live in? Make sure you start looking for places on craigslist or rent.com or any of those sites. Apparently, there aren't any leasing offices here. Rather, you have to get in contact with a property manager to find a place, even apartments. Weird, right? When we moved here it took us literally almost 2 weeks to find a place. There were so many people we had to compete with getting the place we wanted. When searching for a place, we literally looked at about 3-4 houses & apartments per day. It was really a pain! Oh and if you have small children, such as I, you should start planning and contacting child/day care services immediately. There are only so many openings at affordable childcare places. I live on the middle of the island, so commuting to Chaminade is going to be ridiculously crazy in morning traffic.

[TNTD2011]

:) Congrats to you as well!

Thank you for the information! My children are 9 & 6. They'll be in the 4th and 1st grade by then. I did get my schedule. However, I called and left a message because I had a few questions and concerns. One of them being a class from 3:30 to almost 6pm and some classes that I'm taking now that are on my schedule.

[myko]

I say go for it and welcome I am in the first graduating class (class of 2014) and love it so far. The teachers are highly knowledgable and love teaching. I have faith that the program will be accredited. We had our first clinical Spring 2012 (sophomore year) and our dean was surprised because of the knowledge that we have at this level already. The dean said that our clinical sites were calling her to let her know that we were very knowledgeable and willing to learn in comparison to other nursing schools they accommodate and that they enjoyed having us at their site. Also because of how much we know we were allowed to do certain skills that junior and senior nursing students are allowed to do

I hope this helps and again welcome to the nursing program.

[mcubed45]

Proabably the most important factor to consider is whether you plan to stay in Hawaii to work after graduating.

The new-grad market is terrible and the addition of another RN program only makes things worse. Between UHM, HPU, & KCC about 250+ new RN's are being churned out every year on Oahu with zero job prospects. The average new-grad does not begin working as an RN for AT LEAST 1 year after graduating.

Now consider that the other schools are accredited and have an established reputation among the local hospitals. Who do you think will be given preference when it comes to filling those extremely limited new-grad RN spots?

That's not to say that Chaminade's program won't turn out to be exceptional and produce excellent students. It just puts their students at a considerable disadvantage if they plan to work in Hawaii after graduating.

If you're open to relocating upon graduation, there are many new-grad opportunities throughout the country. In that case, all that really matters is that you've got your degree and license.