I am a recent graduate(05/2024) from ICHS. I recommend this school to someone who works full-time and dreams of becoming an RN.
Pros:
- No in-person class, great for work/home/student life balance.
- All semesters except the exit exam are online.
- LVNs can give APA and get advanced placement, which makes them skip a whole semester. (funda+pharm)
- The $$ for the whole program is about half of what Cali or other states' private nursing schools would generally charge. (ASN)
Cons:
- There was no acute care experience during the clinical rotation. The experience primarily consists of long-term care and rehab, except for Boward Children's Care ( LTAC) for peds and a few days at Larkin Hospital - Miami.
- Since it's online, students have tried cheating by various means, and some have been caught. Every time someone cheats, the school becomes stricter and adds more checks/balances.
Grading is strict, and the mid- and final exams carry the highest percentages. Given that it's online, the semesters are more challenging to pass.
- Mostly self-paced, sometimes can put students at risk of getting off track.
My experience with the school was positive. However, I wish they had acute care clinical rotations, which can help students get into the new grad program. Almost 90% of my batchmates and I made it through the exit and passed the NCLEX on the first attempt. It's doable and not very intense. Nursing school is hard, irrespective of which school you choose; it requires a lot of studying and discipline. I consider myself an average student; if I can do it, anyone can.
Good luck!