Board approval and accreditation
Noting that accreditation is an optional process for schools, what implications might it have for students and graduates if a school chooses not to pursue accreditation?
I am under the impression that prospective students are being told to look carefully at the accreditation of an institution. I've also heard personal accounts that seem to indicate a lack of accreditation prevented them from finding gainful employment/moving forward.
Any thoughts?
This is exactly what I was thinking.
I often viewed accreditation as a way to distinguish yourself in a pool of viable candidates.
Thanks, Alicia!
Great question Sarah! I can only share my own experience working with nursing students but it seems that employers are more likely to hire students from accredited schools not necessarily because the individual is better qualified but because their school has been vetted by a respected authority. This is not to say that grads of non-accredited schools will not find employment but they will not be first round draft picks. Employee turnover is expensive and employers can’t afford to take a risk with new hires. My tip for my new grads from non-accredited schools looking for employment is to look outside the box for employment opportunities until they’ve proven themselves on the jobsite. Hope this helps.
