Is your nursing school making the grade?
The St. Petersburg Times (FL) investigates certain Florida campuses of Everest University:
But speed and access to an RN degree do not come cheap. Everest’s program costs about four times as much as programs at public institutions. Some Everest nursing students wonder if they are getting their money’s worth.
They say instruction is poor and hands-on time with patients in clinical settings is limited.
They’ve found it impossible to transfer credits earned at Everest to other nursing schools.
And the first class of Everest graduates stumbled when it came to passing the nationwide licensing exam, the key to qualifying for an RN job.
Of 14 graduates in the first class to take the test, 57 percent passed on the first try. The next group of four graduates all failed. Statewide, about 87 percent of all nursing graduates pass the board on the first try.
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Here’s why you can sell a $40,000 associates in nursing program when there’s a $10,000 program in the same market: The less expensive programs, at public schools such as St. Petersburg College and Hillsborough Community College, have four applicants for every seat.
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Gareth Nesbeth, a native of Jamaica, may be the biggest debtor in his class of 23 at Everest. By the time he graduates, including basic courses at a community college, he’ll owe more than $100,000.
Much more is available in this lengthy piece.
