I've been attending a nursing school here in Miami, Florida, for over a year now, and my problem is that the school is still not regionally accredited. I was told (and still continue to be told) that the accreditation is a process and the school is doing everything to make it happen.
I chose this school for convenience. It is close to home, and at the time the hours were manageable. Now, I find that I'm in school all day (due to scheduling of classes that are out of my control), I still have to work (weekends), and I have a 2 year old at home.
I'm halfway through the program, the school is still not yet regionally accredited, and I'm worried. I work as a CNA at a reputable hospital, that does not recognize my school. Therefore they will not consider me as a candidate in their program for graduated nurses, and will not hire me.
Need some advice. Is/Was anyone ever in this situation?
Esme has beaten me to the punch, but there it is. (We are both in MA.) Perhaps other states' residents can quickly check c their BoNs and enquire whether Fortis grads can get their license from elsewhere endorsed there.
The AL BON makes reference to applicants having graduated from a program "accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education." To me, that refers to academic accreditation, not ACEN or CCNE accreditation.
What's the accrediting body for Fortis, and is it recognized as an accrediting body by the US DoE?
What's the accrediting body for Fortis, and is it recognized as an accrediting body by the US DoE?
"Each of our colleges and institutes are institutionally accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies:
Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)
Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)
Accrediting Commission of the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET)
Accrediting Commission of the Council on Occupational Education (COE)"
The list above is of the agencies accrediting Fortis, according to the Fortis website. According to the DOE list of approved accrediting agencies, all of the above except the ACCSC are recognized by the DOE as approved accrediting agencies (and maybe the ACCSC is in there somewhere, but I'm not seeing it right away and I already can't believe I've spent this much time on this issue).
I think I see the problem. None of these specifically address nursing education, which is the big concern when someone wants to evaluate a graduate of a nursing program. The nursing accreditation bodies are what counts for most entities in nursing land.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I never said that schools HAD to be nationally accredited....I said that if they are state approved another may NOT approve the school you went to if they were not nationally accredited. The OP already stated her facility won't hire new grads from this program so that is a red flag.
California will not take out of state Excelsior grads nor did they approve of the ISU programs.
If your program is approved by your state to take NCLEX you take NCLEX. Once you are licensed and apply for endorsement your school will have to be approved by the state you are applying....they may or may not grant you licensure based on that education. Some of the regionally accredited schools are not recognized nationally and they look at the education on a state by state person to person assessment.
The state of MA
A prospective RN must attend a Board approved program. There are a number of professional nursing programs approved within Massachusetts, including associate, baccalaureate, diploma, and direct entry masters (http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/quality/boards/rnnecpro.pdf). A candidate may attend a comparable program located in another state and approved by the Board of that state; however, the candidate may not attend a school that appears on the Board's list of non-approved programs.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Illinois
Each applicant who is licensed in another jurisdiction shall file a completed, signed application for licensure on the basis of endorsement, on forms supplied by the Division. The application shall include:
1) the fee required by Section 1300.30(a)(1);
2) proof of graduation from a nursing education program that meets the requirements of Section 1300.340;
3) proof of passage of an examination recognized by the Division, upon recommendation of the Board (i.e., National Council Licensure Examination for professional nurses, or State Board Test Pool Examination for professional nurses or practical nurses);
Their criteria for approval....http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/068013000C03400R.html
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I am not saying they can't or won't however it may present difficulties in the future. Each person needs to weigh the benefits/risks of every situation
My two cents....Dr. Anders got some 'splainin to do! Basically, attending an accredited program is pretty important for multiple reasons. For the record, this opinion is based on the state of Illinois.
First, some state boards may let you sit for NCLEX but, some may not. Illinois has a list of programs approved for nursing education. I'm pretty sure most states do.
Second, if a person is allowed to sit for NCLEX and obtain license, many hospital blatantly state on their employment site that the applicant "be a graduate of an NLN accredited school of nursing". So it's tough to find a job, and trust me, these hospitals are well aware of the unaccredited programs in the Chicagoland area.
Thirdly, and to me the most important, if you want to got back to school for your BSN (which hospitals and even SNF's are pretty much making an unavoidable must) I don't know any reputable ones that will accept a degree or courses from an unaccredited school.
In a nutshell, accreditation is BIG business and very necessary, regardless of what any for profit/non-profit institution tries to sell you. I think it's good that you are aware of the situation because I've read some stories on AN that break my heart. They always seem to be about for-profit schools that are charging ridiculous tuition and blindside their students when it becomes known they aren't accredited. Although I do agree that it is imperative to do your homework on where you go for nursing school, I hate reading some of the heartless comments posted in response to these issues.
If I were in your shoes, I would probably monitor the situation closely and keep an eye out for nursing programs at a nearby community college. The tuition is often substantially lower and some of your gen ed courses may transfer. Although time wise, yes a BSN would be ideal because I know some ADN programs take about the same time after it's all said and done, but sometimes money trumps all. Once you get your ADN you can always do an RN-BSN program, again most are substantially lower cost than traditional BSN, and be done with it. Not the ideal situation but, it kind of sounds like you may need to make a choice. I would not continue to attend and pay for an unaccredited program.
I am not saying they can't or won't however it may present difficulties in the future. Each person needs to weigh the benefits/risks of every situation
I completely agree that attending a nursing program with less than ideal certification is a bad idea and can cause problems in the future. In fact, I frequently make that same point on other threads on this site. The original comment I responded to here was that one can't get licensed in "most" states if one's school is not ACEN or CCNE accredited. AFAIK, that's not the case -- is there any evidence otherwise? (And, again, I'm not trying to be snarky -- I just want to know if I'm wrong.)
If this guy was really head of nursing at UTEP and is being accurately quoted, he should know better.
Yeah. Those "occasions" include applying for work at most hospitals (as the OP has discovered), getting a license in another state (even if you got one in this state, that does NOT mean another state will license you, and most will not), applying to any sort of further education in nursing at a real school, applying for a job that isn't bedside in any capacity (like public health, school nursing, case management...).
But hey, it's only "occasions," right?
OP and other grads of this "program" are, for want of a better word, screwed.
Chilling, indeed.
Screwed indeed. Many employers will not hire a nurse who graduated from a non-CCNE/ACEN accredited program. For example, the Veterans Administration specifically states in their postings on USA Jobs that applicants must be a "Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate State-accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
So in other words, even if your school receives ACEN or CCNE accreditation at some later date after you've graduated, you would not be considered eligible for employment by the VA.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I completely agree that attending a nursing program with less than ideal certification is a bad idea and can cause problems in the future. In fact, I frequently make that same point on other threads on this site. The original comment I responded to here was that one can't get licensed in "most" states if one's school is not ACEN or CCNE accredited. AFAIK, that's not the case -- is there any evidence otherwise? (And, again, I'm not trying to be snarky -- I just want to know if I'm wrong.)
You are not exactly right yet you are not exactly wrong. There is no specific language that states that ACEN or CCNE but there is language when you look at endorsement applications that schools regionally accredited must be in compliance with the state requirements of the state to which you are applying for endorsement.....and insider knowledge.
Programs that are ACEN or CCNE are recognized by all states. Most programs are recognized by other states within the compact states. It may be difficult to move to certain states AND get hired with an education from certain schools.
You are not exactly right yet you are not exactly wrong. There is no specific language that states that ACEN or CCNE but there is language when you look at endorsement applications that schools regionally accredited must be in compliance with the state requirements of the state to which you are applying for endorsement.....and insider knowledge.
Programs that are ACEN or CCNE are recognized by all states. Most programs are recognized by other states within the compact states. It may be difficult to move to certain states AND get hired with an education from certain schools.
This is incredibly vague. What the heck is "insider knowledge" supposed to mean? I wouldn't think that any requirements for licensure in any state would be "insider" secrets ... How am I "not exactly right"? Is there any US state that requires ACEN or CCNE accreditation of one's school as a condition of licensure, or not? There has not been in the past -- has that changed recently? It's a yes/no question.
I am aware that some states have problems with some schools because of the design of the instructional program. However, the question at hand (the comment to which I originally responded) is a requirement for ACEN or CCNE accreditation for licensure in "most" states. Which state are these (if that is, indeed, the case)? Anyone???
nurseprnRN, BSN, RN
1 Article; 5,116 Posts
Esme has beaten me to the punch, but there it is. (We are both in MA.) Perhaps other states' residents can quickly check c their BoNs and enquire whether Fortis grads can get their license from elsewhere endorsed there.