buncobabe

Thank you so far the advice. Let's see.. Galen is accredited nationally by the Council on Occupational Education. They are approved by the Florida Board of Nursing and licensed by Florida State Commission for Independent Education. They are also a member of both Nursing and National Association for Associate Degree Nursing. So it sounds like they are a pretty good school. Their NCLEX rate for passing is 96% YTD with only 4 failing out of 104 candidates. Gulf Coast College I am not sure of what their accrediation is because I didn't get any paperwork when I went to look at the school. Thier pass rate is 81 % YTD with 48 candiates and 9 failing. I can't find any scores on College of Allied Health because they are brand new to the area and same goes for the Accreditation. I am leaning toward Galen because it just feels right, it looks like the numbers are good but I just wasn't sure if they are accredited or not or if those were good accreditations. They have a bridge program and I could be completely done LPN and RN in about 2 1/2 years. If I go public school route then I still have the pre-requistes to (retake math and sciences). Then apply and hope I get in because the English and Sociology weren't that great 20 years ago I would want to make A's in all of my pre-reqs. I think I would be in school about 3 1/2 to 4 years to achieve the same degree of ASN. If I go BSN then there are more pre-reqs and I was told that the ASN and BSN are the same its just that you can go into Nurse Management with a BSN. I just want to be a nurse no fancy management or titles. Can anyone elaborate anymore?

I am 44 years old and trying to decide on a school to attend. I am very excited but very nervous too about this new venture in my life. I have a BA already but it is 20 years old and not much will transfer into the schools for a bridge program. I have looked into the public schools/universities but the wait list and pre-requistes are long and I think that I will be in school for a long time. I am thinking about some private schools. I live in the Tampa area and welcome any advice to help me decide. I have looked at Galen School of Nursing, Gulf Coast College and Center for Allied Health. I want the end result to be an RN. If a school is not listed on the State of Florida Board of Nursing does that mean it isn't a good school? How important is it to have a school accredited? What are good passing rates on the NCLEX exam when you look at those figures? Should I stay away from a school that really doesn't have a history in Tampa? (Center for Allied Health only open 1 year in Tampa) I know I have jumped around on different subjects but I really am not sure what is important and what really shouldn't be a deal breaker. Thank you in advance.