What accreditation Am I Looking For in a BSN Program

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2017

In my experience, the RN to BSN programs are not usually board certified because they are not your initial RN training. If you look, CA lists only pre-licensure and advance practice providers. So for your RN to BSN, you really just want to look for a program approved by CCNE or ACEN.

CCNE accredits only bachelor or graduate programs. They also do a few other things like accredit residency programs. So a university with both an ADN and a BSN program that is CCNE accredited is only CCNE accredited for their BSN program.

ACEN does all levels. It used to be NLN or NLNAC accreditation but they changed the name like three years ago.

acarson7, LVN · Feb 23, 2017

Thank you for taking your time to reply! However, I am concerned because, I am not able to transfer to a university because my school I went to was not regionally accredited. I am furthering my education and would like to get into a top hospital. The BSN program I was considering on going to is CCNE accreditatied. I attached a link for you to go to, to see what I was looking at. I went to prelicensure RN programs and went to the BSN programs and Unitek college is located there. However, Unitek college os located for the associate program, but why not the BSN program?

RN Programs

OliverElio87, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2017

For academia, the most important accreditation is to be regionally accredited. Being regionally accredited allows you to transfer the credits you took and transfer them to another university. For California, you want the university to have WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) and also CCNE or ACEN (for associates). Since you have not started at Unitek for your RN, I would see if you can go to another college that is WASC accredited.

From a nursing standpoint, it seems Unitek is CA BON approved so you should be able to take the NCLEX. However, if you want to do your RN-BSN down the road, since they are not WASC accrddited, it is most likely you will not be able to do it at a university like SFSU or SJSU.

OliverElio87, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2017

Also you do not see Unitek in the Bachelors section in the link you provdied because they do not have a prelicensure bachelor level program only associates. People who do the RN-BSN program are already RN's and do not need to re-take the NCLEX.

acarson7, LVN · Feb 23, 2017

Okay thank you, I'm very confused about the accreditation. So when I'm looking for a regionally accrediated school what am I looking at? CCNE? Sorry for so many questions, I just want to fully understand. Also if Unitek the bsn program is CCNE accredited that should be fine correct? Like I want to get my masters degree so let's say I complete Unitek bsn program. And I transfer to a masters program somewhere else because Unitek doesn't offer an MSN program. Most likely my credits won't transfer over since it's CCNE accredited? Also overall I've been talking to other schools to transfer to their bsn program and they are all denying me because of the school I went to, so it looks like I have to start over all of my general ed :/

OliverElio87, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2017

Well it seems the schools are denying you because you went to a school that doesn't have regional accredition which is WASC. I would check private schools, for sure public universities will not honor your GE's. Personally at this point, I would do the Associates program at Unitek. Once you have your RN license I would look into RN-BSN programs that only require you to have an RN license. I would advise against doing the RN-BSN program at Unitek if you can get into a regionally accredited RN-BSN program.

That's how I would do things, but do what feels right for you. It just seems you spent all that money already just to start your GE's over. Get your RN and find a job. In the long run it's your experience that will allow you to get into top hospitals.

acarson7, LVN · Feb 23, 2017

Thank you so much for taking your time to reply to me. I have a way more understanding now. I am going to shoot for my RN at Unitek and try to find a school that only requires RN license but so far no luck they want general ed as well so it looks like I have to repeat that anyways :/ and I'm 2018 a new law is coming into affect that if you want to work in a hospital you have to be an RN with BSN.

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2017

CCNE and ACEN accredit only nursing schools. So it is the "school of nursing" only that they accredit. If you want your credits to transfer to different universities or change majors, you would want the college or university to be accredited overall.

That I cannot help you with. There are a bunch of different accrediting bodies and some of them have been in hot water recently

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 25, 2017

1. Nursing programmatic accreditation is important, either through the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

2. Regional accreditation is important. There are six regional accreditation entities in the U.S. The entity that grants accreditation to schools on the West Coast is the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

acarson7, LVN · Feb 25, 2017

Thank you. Is ACCSC an accreditation I should stay away from as well? Supposedly another school I was looking at has that accreditation and they said that their school was national accredited. Would this be safe to go to?

OliverElio87, BSN, RN · Feb 25, 2017

No, because you would run into the same problems. You want a school to be regionally accredited not nationally accredited. Regional accreditation is the gold-standard in academia. For nursing you want that school to be both regionally accredited and ccne or acen accredited.

Hopefully this helps: Regional Accreditation vs National Accreditation | GetEducated