What do you think about a nursing school ...

labman · Oct 29, 2008

that is provisional approved by the BON? Which means this is their first year to have the program?

I don't know how I would feel. In Madison I remember them starting a nursing program with approval of the BON and wasn't recognized nationally. Students still could take the NCLEX but this definently limited employment options for the grads. So be careful is my opinion.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Oct 29, 2008

maybe you need to contact the BON to find out how THEY interpret that term

Medic09, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Oct 29, 2008

I wouldn't want my career to depend on being someone's guinea pig. I want to know a school's pass rate on the NCLEX, and I want to hear what graduated students think of their education. Neither piece of data is available on a new program.

LeavingTeaching4RN · Oct 29, 2008

I would proceed with caution. A law school in the south florida area received provisional approval from the Bar Association. When the first class graduated, the school had not met the requirements for full accreditation and the provisional approval was withdrawn. So, those students who graduated were not able to sit for the bar. Eventually, the school received full accreditation. However, the school's graduates had to return and complete additional coursework prior to sitting for the bar.

I'm not sure if the BON operates the same way. But it's still too risky for me.

Hands&Feet · Oct 30, 2008

Talk to the director of the program. Are they seeking to be accredited by the NLNAC? Just the BON? I would feel more comfortable knowing that they are going for it all . . . not just doing the minimum to get by.

I'm attending a program that is only in its third year of existence. It is fully accredited now by the BON & NLNAC, but I imagine those first few classes had the same concerns. And actually, it has had one of the highest pass rates in the state and I've heard that the local hospitals request grads from this program! So just because it's new doesn't necessarily mean "no good." :twocents:

pagandeva2000, LPN · Oct 30, 2008

I am not sure where my program stood, because I was in the first graduating class of the LPN program in my community college. My school has an established RN program, but we were the first. Started in 2005, graduated and licensed by 2006. I guess I am trying to say that maybe my program was provisionally approved at that time also, who knew? However, I have graduated and all the employers wanted at the end of the day was my license with no de-merits.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 30, 2008

I would consider being in the first class only under the following conditions:

1. The school has an excellent reputation for the other programs it has offered for years. In other words, the larger school has a demonstrated committment to high quality deeply embedded into its culture.

2. The nursing program is actively seeking national accreditation with either the NLN or the AACN's accreditation arm.

3. The quality of the faculty is comparable to other respected schools in the area. I would investigate the credentials of the faculty as best I could and compare them to those of other schools.

4. The school had established contracts with local clinical agencies to provide clinical sites.

5. The school had dedicated sufficient space, classrooms, etc. to the nursing program -- a demonstration of committment to support the program adequately.

6. The school had invested in a library that included nursing resources for the students. Again, that demonstrates a committment of resources to the success of the nursing program. A school without a resource library for the students is one that is not very committed to the students' learning.

Those are just the things off the top of my head -- as someone who has worked with lots of different nursing programs and seen which schools produce good nurses and which do not.