Don't be taken in by scammers. Avoiding shady nursing schools requires due diligence. Nurses General Nursing News
Updated: Published
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 (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.
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.
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.
QuoteThis school offers 1 program which provide training for 4 qualification, including Florida Home Health Aide (CHHA) Certification, Florida Practical Nurse (LPN) License, and Florida Registered Nurse License. Time to complete this education training is 2.5 weeks.
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.
To file a complaint against a Florida-based school, use this link.