Provisional Accredation? What's that mean to a student?

pama · Mar 3, 2005

Debbie,

It may be difficult to transfer past the first year. Where to you live?

elkpark · Mar 3, 2005

Tough call ... Of course, every school was provisionally accredited at some point, back when they first applied for accreditation. I agree that it's a v. scary thought to go to a school when you don't know for sure what the accreditation outcome will be. However, if new schools don't have any students because they are only provisionally accredited, how will they ever manage to get going and get full accreditation? (One of those "chicken & egg" puzzles ...)

I wonder if it's possible to talk to someone at the accrediting agency and ask about what the final accreditation rate is (i.e., what is the percentage of new schools that don't end up with full accreditation), or if there are any special concerns about "your" school other than just waiting for the time to pass. That might help you make up your mind.

I agree with pama -- it is often v. complicated and difficult to try to transfer from one nursing program to another. Life is much simpler and easier if you can avoid that (and, in nursing school, you need all the "simpler and easier" you can get! :) ) Better to just pick one school and stick with it.

JudithL_in_NH · Mar 4, 2005

My daughter is considering a provisionally accredited program. She would be in their first class, and final accreditation will not be granted until her class graduates.

The program assures us she could sit for the NCLEX whether the accreditation comes through or not, so getting her RN would not be in jeopardy.

My own program has told me the only real danger to getting her RN is if the provisionally-accredited school's curriculum is somehow faulty, and the program were to be shut down in progress because of this. Now, this is a college that's been around for 100+ years, has a PharmD program and a PA program among many other BS-level and MS-level health care majors, has existing clinical affiliations in a large city, so odds are they know what they're doing--but it is a risk.

If the final accreditation does not come through, it could impact her prospects for acceptance into an advanced practice program later (It's a BSN program, and she's aiming for advanced practice eventually), so another risk.

The financial aid office has confirmed she is eligible for aid even though the program is only provisionally accredited.

This school is her 2nd choice; if she's not accepted at her first choice, we're going to talk to the state BON as well as the Director of the nursing program for further assurances that she won't be left out in the cold should something happen to their accreditation. Admissions has told us that they do have a "worst case scenario" plan drafted as to what will become of the nursing students should the provisional accreditation be revoked--but Admissions had no details of what it entailed. If she decides she's going there, we'll be sure to nail down all those details.

So, ask lots of questions, talk to the BON, talk to the program director, consider the school's reputation and track record in its other offerings. It may be a bit risky, so have an alternative plan in place--it can be very exciting to be part of something new!

Best of luck, and let us know what you decide!

pama · Mar 4, 2005

Debbie,

I posted yesterday, but it must have gotten deleted. Be careful about transfer. It is extremely difficult to transfer past the first semester. Where do you live?

Debbie1972 · Mar 5, 2005

Debbie,
I posted yesterday, but it must have gotten deleted. Be careful about transfer. It is extremely difficult to transfer past the first semester. Where do you live?

I live in the Charleston, WV area.

I got a response to a letter I wrote to a very good associate program, and they said it would still take two years to complete their program even with the one year at the other school. Since I am starting this fall at the provisional school, I guess it's just kind of a waiting game to see what I can do from here on out.

Debbie1972 · Mar 5, 2005

My daughter is considering a provisionally accredited program. She would be in their first class, and final accreditation will not be granted until her class graduates.
The program assures us she could sit for the NCLEX whether the accreditation comes through or not, so getting her RN would not be in jeopardy.
My own program has told me the only real danger to getting her RN is if the provisionally-accredited school's curriculum is somehow faulty, and the program were to be shut down in progress because of this. Now, this is a college that's been around for 100+ years, has a PharmD program and a PA program among many other BS-level and MS-level health care majors, has existing clinical affiliations in a large city, so odds are they know what they're doing--but it is a risk.
If the final accreditation does not come through, it could impact her prospects for acceptance into an advanced practice program later (It's a BSN program, and she's aiming for advanced practice eventually), so another risk.
The financial aid office has confirmed she is eligible for aid even though the program is only provisionally accredited.
This school is her 2nd choice; if she's not accepted at her first choice, we're going to talk to the state BON as well as the Director of the nursing program for further assurances that she won't be left out in the cold should something happen to their accreditation. Admissions has told us that they do have a "worst case scenario" plan drafted as to what will become of the nursing students should the provisional accreditation be revoked--but Admissions had no details of what it entailed. If she decides she's going there, we'll be sure to nail down all those details.
So, ask lots of questions, talk to the BON, talk to the program director, consider the school's reputation and track record in its other offerings. It may be a bit risky, so have an alternative plan in place--it can be very exciting to be part of something new!
Best of luck, and let us know what you decide!

Wow! You all really did some research! It makes feel better to some answers, though I don't like the idea of the fact that if it doesn't pass accredation, it would be hard to pursue an advanced degree. Definitly something to consider there!

Thank you for the reply, it answered alot of questions.