StudentAPRNinFL

Sorry to burst your bubble Carson13, but that information is incorrect as there were only a small percentage achieving such a high score. According to ITT's web site it was a TOTAL of 7-14 students! That's a VERY small percentage of actual students who finished the program and took the exam. For example, I live in Florida, and according to the FL Board of Nursing's quarterly report for NCLEX pass rates, ITT Tech is marginal at best! ITT claims many accolades including 100% pass rates (ITT Technical Institutes.) are they lying when they tell you that? Well, no, because 14 students at four specific campuses were administered the exam and ALL 14 passed, that's 100%, right? But, there were 3 here, 1 there, etc....out of thousands of program participants who graduated, ITT can only claim 14?? REALLY??? Here in FL, you can actually look up the amount of students enrolled in the first few years of a program. For example, in October 2010, ITT Tampa had 77 students enrolled and as they began to graduate, you can track their pass rates here: Florida Board of Nursing » Education and Training Programs. It's fair to say these 77 students began to graduate throughout 2012 based on their matriculation date. When reviewing the statistics with the given link above you can clearly see out of 77 participants, 64 sat for the exam and the pass rate was very poor at around 64%. Similar results can be found at any state Board Of Nursing's website. The best advice anyone can give is to be a wise consumer! DO YOUR HOMEWORK!! Pretend your doing a care plan on a patient! Identify the problem (passing the NCLEX), plan an intervention (attend an accredited program with proven pass rates), give a time line (NOW), and an expected goal (PASS THE NCLEX)! State BON's as well as the CCNE (American Association of Colleges of Nursing | CCNE Accreditation) and ACEN (Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. | Formerly NLNAC | National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc.) formerly the NLNCC, look at certain criteria when granting national accreditation. Retention and pass rates are key to gaining such accolades and it's easy to find out if your school of choice is on the list, has applied or been denied initial or continuing accreditation. Schools who tote they WILL receive it soon are falsifying their status and can legally be reprimanded, according to the board rules (see links above). Furthermore, think about the cost involved (ITT is >500 bucks per credit hour; http://www.itt-tech.edu/campus/download/011.pdf‎) and more importantly, will your credits transfer to other higher learning institutions when continuing onto your BSN, MSN, or the doctorate level. You said ITT has told you Wichita State University has agreed to allow articulation to their Baccalaureate program, have you called to verify the claim? According to WSU's website, only specific local community colleges have an agreement to articulate students to WSU's BSN program (SCHOOL OF NURSING - Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Wichita State University). MOST University's require you graduate from one of the above accredited institutions to transfer your former education. Moreover, some hospitals like those who carry Magnet certification, or the VA will only employ graduates from accredited programs (American Nurses Credentialing Center - ANCC). RESEARCH!!! Good luck!!

It has been said for years, "If it's too good to be true, it probably is!" These so called colleges prey on those who may have had difficulty being accepted at a state college or University. Think before you spend your money!!! Ask yourself,"Why does Virginia College charge 50K for an associates degree while my local community college charges Remember what it takes to obtain national certifications! Nursing, for example, has only two national accreditation agencies in the US. Potential students should visit both agency web sites for information on the program being considered. The NLNAC will show the last two years of candidates and actions taken by the board. Most hospitals, and higher learning institutions will only honor your education if you obtained your degree from a program carrying the NLNAC or AACN certification. Although your individual state can give approval to any nursing school allowing you to sit for initial state license, don't expect to continue on with your education past an associates nor get hired at a magnet or teaching hospital!! DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!! FIND OUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYERS OR POTENTIAL HIGHER DEGREE LEARNING INSTITUTIONS WILL ACCEPT BEFORE YOU SPEND YOUR LIFE SAVINGS!! Be a WISE consumer!! Best of luck to all of you!! National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission - NLNAC Homepage American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Home

It has been said for years, "If it's too good to be true, it probably is!" These so called colleges prey on those who may have had difficulty being accepted at a state college or University. Think before you spend your money!!! Ask yourself,"Why does Virginia College, ITT, Sanford Brown, etc, charge 50K while my local community college charges Lastly, remember what it takes to obtain national certifications! Nursing, for example, has only two national accreditation agencies in the US. Most hospitals, and higher learning institutions will only honor your education if you obtained your degree from a program carrying the NLNAC or AACN certification. When investigating this school several years ago for someone I worked with, ITT had been denied accreditation THREE times!! To date, they don't appear on the NLNAC's roster as a candidate, provisional, or full accreditation lists. Although your individual state can give approval to any nursing school allowing you to sit for initial state license, don't expect to continue on with your education past an associates nor get hired at a magnet or teaching hospital!! DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!! FIND OUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYERS OR POTENTIAL HIGHER DEGREE LEARNING INSTITUTIONS WILL ACCEPT BEFORE YOU SPEND YOUR LIFE SAVINGS!! Be a WISE consumer!! Best of luck to all of you!! http://www.nlnac.org/home.htm http://www.aacn.nche.edu/

Actually, according to the FL State board of nursing (http://ww2.doh.state.fl.us/MQANEPC/SearchResults.aspx) ITT is NOT NLNAC or CCNE accredited. As a graduate from both a state level (ADN) and private college (BSN), I can attest having one of these certifications is crucial when considering obtaining your graduate level degree and beyond. While searching for MSN to DNP programs, 100% required the applicant graduated from an accredited nursing program. While some insitutions will consider granting admission to those with degrees from non-accredited schools, sadly, many will not, greatly limiting the students choices to pursue education on a graduate level. Secondly, when choosing to attend programs such as ITT Tech, one must consider the cost of the tuition. Why does it cost over $450 per credit hour while others, that actually do carry the NLNAC and CCNE stamp of approval are 1/2 the cost? For those of us that rely on our government student loans, remember there are aggregate loan limits to consider as well. According to the US Dept of Education, the undergraduate limit is $57,500—No more than $23,000 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. If you are spending that on your associate degree, there's not much left for your BSN!! Moreover, many scholarships will only award to those students in accredited programs thus disqualifying many from much needed sources of financial assistance. All in all, programs such as ITT tech are quickly becoming the answer to the nursing shortage in the US, but at what price? Be a wise consumer, do your homework and choose a program that won't limit your future or your pocketbook!

Dear Critical HP and Colin; It looks like you are well into the program, and I agree that on-line professors as well as on site professors can be good and bad; with that being said, how have your clinical experiences been? Colin, did you use a doc you worked with, and if so, were you able to get in all aspects of exposure?? Critical, who did you contact for your preceptorship? I have applied for the Spring ANP program beginning in Jan 2012, and as others have stated, I'm a bit nervous about finding my own preceptor. I thought about going to my local FL department of health out patient clinic, has anybody done this with success? In addition, how long does it take to get your acceptance or denial letter? The admissions counselor said it could take up to 12 weeks (I applied end of May 2011)? I really appreciate any and all responses! Thanks!!

Congrats evansc1!! It looks like there have been a few other discussions about UC's online programs and I have applied for the Spring ANP program beginning in Jan 2012 (submitted my app the last week in May), and as others have stated in several threads, I'm a bit nervous about finding my own preceptor. I thought about going my local FL department of health out patient clinic, has anybody done this with success? Can anybody share who they have asked and been successful with? In addition, how long does it take to get your acceptance or denial letter? The admissions counselor said it could take up to 12 weeks? I really appreciate any and all responses! Thanks!!

Hi all, It looks like there have been a few of you that should be in the FNP or Adult NP program by now, how is it going so far? I have applied for the Spring ANP program beginning in Jan 2012, and as others have stated, I'm a bit nervous about finding my own preceptor. I thought about going my local FL department of health out patient clinic, has anybody done this with success? Can anybody share who they have asked and been successful with? In addition, how long does it take to get your acceptance or denial letter? The admissions counselor said it could take up to 12 weeks? I really appreciate any and all responses! Thanks!!