Should I attend a non-accredited school?

foxyhill21 · Feb 11, 2007

With TWU; Denton is the main campus and everything for example f. aid, scholarships, applications r process through that campus even if u go to Houston or Dallas. So with that being said I think both nursing school or accredited if Denton is accredited. Also, the Denton campus does not have a nursing program; the only nursing programs are in Dallas and Houston.

Ben Franklin · Feb 11, 2007

Thanks for your reply!

foxyhill21 · Feb 12, 2007

u r welcome... have u decided on a school for the fall?

Ben Franklin · Feb 12, 2007

I am applying to UT Houston. If I don't get in I will apply to all schools in Houston and the surrounding area next year. I should find out today if UT has accepted my prerequisite coursework, there was a glitch. Hopefully, I will still be considered, the interviews are this week.

foxyhill21 · Feb 13, 2007

Good luck!!!!!

JaxiaKiley · Feb 13, 2007

HCC isn't accredited? Wow, that's hard to believe. Maybe their accredidation is through someone else like TWU-Houston?

Oh, it's through The Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas:

http://www.hccs.edu/Discipline/ADN/adnAbot.html#aai

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Feb 14, 2007

Some people will think that this is arguing over semantics, but I'm surprised to find that their website claims full accreditation by the Texas BNE. The BNE does not grant accreditation to any program; NLN and CCNE are examples of accreditation agencies.

The link below shows that HCCS has been granted full approval by the BNE (in other words, their grads can take the NCLEX and become licensed in TX) but it shows that they hold no NLN or CCNE accreditation.

ftp://www.bne.state.tx.us/rnschools.pdf

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 14, 2007

Some people will think that this is arguing over semantics, but I'm surprised to find that their website claims full accreditation by the Texas BNE. The BNE does not grant accreditation to any program; NLN and CCNE are examples of accreditation agencies.
The link below shows that HCCS has been granted full approval by the BNE (in other words, their grads can take the NCLEX and become licensed in TX) but it shows that they hold no NLN or CCNE accreditation.
ftp://www.bne.state.tx.us/rnschools.pdf

I don't think it is "just semantics" at all, Eric. I think it is a VERY important point. The State Board grants the privelege of allowing graduates of a program to take the NCLEX exam, obtain a license, and practice as a nurse.

However, when most people talk about "accreditation," they are refering to a process of meeting a higher standard -- a standard set by a professional organization. A school might meet the minimal acceptable standard set by the state, but not meet the higher standard set by the professional organization. As Eric said, the 2 main nursing groups that accredit schools are the NLN and CCNE.

Also, I would consider "pre-accredited" to be a little different than "non-accredited." A new program can't get accredited until after they have graduated a few classes (3, I think). Ususally, once they have graduated the required number of classes and met the standards, the accreditation is granted retro-actively to cover those students who graduated in the first couple of classes. If the school in question is part of a highly respected academic institution and a new nursing program is in the process of obtaining iits initial accreditation, than chances are that the school is meeting those higher standards its graduates will be able to say in the future that they graduated from an accredited school.

That's a very different situation from one in which a school that has been around for a while has either refused to try to obtain accreditation or has applied for accreditation and been rejected because their program was assessed and found to be below the required standards.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 14, 2007

To be quite blunt, I would happily attend any RN program that accepted me (NLN-accredited or not).

JaxiaKiley · Feb 14, 2007

Thanks for the clarification, Eric. I'd say it depends on your long-term goals. Since some of the schools that offer advanced degrees require specific accreditations, you might want to look into that.

Katydidit34 · Feb 15, 2007

I'm in my last semester and as I have looked for internships, in the job description, (from mulitple hospitals) clearly states that you must be a graduate of an accredited school of nursing. I would take that to mean NLN and CLNCC. I think one would have to ask themselves why a particular program has not received accredidation. I personally wouldn't throw money, blood, sweat and tears away on a program that will not be recognized by employers. Just a thought.