Don't be taken in by scammers. Avoiding shady nursing schools requires due diligence.
Updated:
Unfortunately I was a victim of one of the schools I did most of my RN program online with excelsior I saw a lot of the LPNs at my job doing what I thought was a bridge program and now I'm in big trouble because I got pulled off the nursing floor yesterday because I took my boards and didn't pass they saw that I use the school to take my NCLEX so now I'm under investigation for 4 months with no patient care and now the question in my LPN license that I had for over 26 years I am so sick over this whole thing because I did not do my due diligence
I am so sorry! I can't imagine how devastating this must be for you.
Excelsior College's associate degree nursing program lost its ACEN accreditation for curriculum issues in 2021.
But I don't see how failing the NCLEX affects your LPN license. I hope you can get that straightened out.
Nurse Beth said:Excelsior College's associate degree nursing program lost its ACEN accreditation for curriculum issues in 2021.
Not to split hairs, but Excelsior relinquished its ACEN accreditation after longtime differences in philosophy. In short, ACEN was not a fan of the clinical examination that came at the end of Excelsior's program. Excelsior's ADN still has regional accreditation, though. And they have changed their clinical requirements away from a one-time exam to more instructor-led clinical experiences, so I am curious to see if/when they will reapply for ACEN accreditation.
It sounds like the poster above switched from Excelsior to one of the Florida schools, she said she did "most" of her program at Excelsior. There were several former Excelsior students who left and did Florida programs when they didn't finish at Excelsior, from what I heard.
Nurse Beth said:I am so sorry! I can't imagine how devastating this must be for you.
Excelsior College's associate degree nursing program lost its ACEN accreditation for curriculum issues in 2021.
But I don't see how failing the NCLEX affects your LPN license. I hope you can get that straightened out.
Thank you I'm just thinking that it's just a formality being that all of the stuff is going on Nationwide in the news.
Lunah said:Not to split hairs, but Excelsior relinquished its ACEN accreditation after longtime differences in philosophy. In short, ACEN was not a fan of the clinical examination that came at the end of Excelsior's program. Excelsior's ADN still has regional accreditation, though. And they have changed their clinical requirements away from a one-time exam to more instructor-led clinical experiences, so I am curious to see if/when they will reapply for ACEN accreditation.
It sounds like the poster above switched from Excelsior to one of the Florida schools, she said she did "most" of her program at Excelsior. There were several former Excelsior students who left and did Florida programs when they didn't finish at Excelsior, from what I heard.
Thanks, Lunah, that's interesting, and it's good Excelsior made changes.
I agree, I'm also curious if she attended a Florida school. It sounds like an unnamed school may be the real culprit here, not Excelsior.
I did attend excelsior. Was halfway thru. Nurses I worked with were attending passing and working and even going on the get BSN MSN ETC in NY. I attended school in Florida where I attended classes and did clinicals etc in Florida. This was a well thought out scam. SO now I'm unclear if I should restart school the accredited way or if going to Florida may have tarnished my reputation?
The nurses I was working with were all going to Florida under the guise of it being a bridge program. We actually travelled attended class the entire weekend where we spent 10 hours or more in class each day from a professor allegedly from Chamberlain we also did clinicals and this was for many months.
Joye Zelaya said:I did attend excelsior. Was halfway thru. Nurses I worked with were attending passing and working and even going on the get BSN MSN ETC in NY. I attended school in Florida where I attended classes and did clinicals etc in Florida. This was a well thought out scam. SO now I'm unclear if I should restart school the accredited way or if going to Florida may have tarnished my reputation?
Yes, the people who run these scams are slick and getting away with millions of dollars while ruining people's lives.
You probably are going to have to start again. Have you thought about a community college LPN-to-RN bridge program?
Nurse Beth said:Yes, the people who run these scams are slick and getting away with millions of dollars while ruining people's lives.
You probably are going to have to start again. Have you thought about a community college LPN-to-RN bridge program
Yes that is my option. I am currently studying for the TEAS
Shady Nursing Schools
Betrayed nursing students and predatory, for-profit nursing programs abound. These schools take advantage of people with hopes and dreams of becoming a nurse.
Here are a couple of examples of shady schools.
Medical Prep Institute
Medical Prep Institute (MPI), a nursing program in Tampa Bay, Florida, was owned and operated by a nursing assistant. It was put on probation for significantly low pass rates in 2018 and 2019 and suddenly bounced back with a 100% NCLEX pass rate in 2020. Seven students took the test.
Instead of submitting eligible students' transcripts to the BON for NCLEX testing as customary after graduation, MPI required students to take additional expensive remediation courses.
When questioned about their practices, the school shifted blame and claimed that it was not the school's fault but the students who cheated, forcing the school to deny/delay NCLEX testing applications.
HCI College
Students from Florida's now-closed HCI College (formerly Health Career Institute) filed a lawsuit with a similar complaint. Former students allege that HCI falsely inflated pass rates by deliberately blocking 95% of students from taking the NCLEX.
Who is Vulnerable
Red Flags
Shady schools have multiple red flags once you know what to look for. While there are always warning signs, sometimes aspiring nurses want to believe so badly that they ignore them.
What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
Unfortunately, there is no central database with a list of bad schools. Bad schools pop up and then disappear, like Whack-A-Mole.
There are some helpful questions to ask the school before turning over a lot of money. You should get direct answers. Be concerned if they talk in circles or don't satisfactorily answer your questions.
Ask about graduation rates and attrition rates. Graduation rates should be high and attrition rates low. Contact your state BON/BRN to find out if it is an approved school. For NCLEX eligibility, once you graduate, your nursing program must be BON/BRN approved. It's mandatory.
Here are some examples of what you can find on your state's BON/BRN website:
Here are some questions to ask the school:
All states can have bad nursing programs, not just Florida. CA BRN issued a warning about unapproved nursing programs.
Tip: Confer with colleagues here on allnurses. There are many experts in nursing education who offer their knowledge.
Remember: Buyer beware. Don't get taken in by scammers. Take your time when choosing a school.
Recourse
To file a complaint against a Florida-based school, use this link.
About Nurse Beth, MSN
Hi! Nice to meet you! I especially love helping new nurses. I am currently a nurse writer with a background in Staff Development, Telemetry and ICU.
Share this post
Share on other sites