BSN programs and liberal arts: IHE article

[Aster]

Not that this is a grifter story, exactly, but I just saw a TV for University of Phoenix nursing.  5 week programs from home and the angle is that one can study nursing while raising a family. 

Do Phoenix nurses actually get hired?

Yes they do. The for-profit's spit out a bazillion nurses every year. I would say that at least half of the nurses that I interact with have picked up their degree from a for-profit institution.

To get a job as a nurse, Step #1 is mostly all about passing the NCLEX exam.

Ew. University of Phoenix's NCLEX exam pass rates are pretty low.
https://www.azbn.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/2011-2019%20Statewide%20NCLEX%20Results.pdf

[dismalist]

Not that this is a grifter story, exactly, but I just saw a TV for University of Phoenix nursing.  5 week programs from home and the angle is that one can study nursing while raising a family. 

Do Phoenix nurses actually get hired?

Yes they do. The for-profit's spit out a bazillion nurses every year. I would say that at least half of the nurses that I interact with have picked up their degree from a for-profit institution.

To get a job as a nurse, Step #1 is mostly all about passing the NCLEX exam.

Ew. University of Phoenix's NCLEX exam pass rates are pretty low.
https://www.azbn.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/2011-2019%20Statewide%20NCLEX%20Results.pdf

Well, the two for-profits and one cc have the lowest graduation rates of 70 to 77 per cent. The year to year variation is also high. Those pass rates per se are not a problem, I think.

[kaysixteen]

Does anyone get a job with a Phoenix degree, in more or less anything?   Heck, who or what organization is responsible for accrediting Phoenix, and is it currently accredited in good standing?

[dismalist]

Does anyone get a job with a Phoenix degree, in more or less anything?   Heck, who or what organization is responsible for accrediting Phoenix, and is it currently accredited in good standing?

No, no, the point is that there is a general test independent of accreditation, and that that  test is passed by many individuals. If people who passed don't get jobs, that's a sign of a bad test, not a bad educational institution.

There's more than one way to skin a cat. :-)

[polly_mer]

Does anyone get a job with a Phoenix degree, in more or less anything?   Heck, who or what organization is responsible for accrediting Phoenix, and is it currently accredited in good standing?

The Higher Learning Commission accredits the University of Phoenix, the same as most other institutions of higher learning in the center of the country: https://www.phoenix.edu/about_us/accreditation.html

Per the required link on the accreditation page, Phoenix is indeed in good standing with the relevant accreditors including CCNE, the nursing accreditor.

Note, though, what isn't listed as accredited.  They have no comment regarding ABET (engineering).  Their business program is ACBSP, not AACSB (the gold standard).

A fair number of graduates from Phoenix get jobs because the requirement is either "meets requirements of the external accrediting body like CCNE" or "plausibly can follow instructions and stick with an activity for an extended period of time".

The relevant question is more "how many good jobs have that low a bar and don't need either the personal polish and social network that comes from attending an elite school or the specialized skills like engineering?"

A nurse from Phoenix will be as good as a nurse from anywhere else.  That's what the CCNE accreditation certifies because they are very cognizant of their responsibilities.

Phoenix is as good as the regional comprehensive or small private for demonstrating "competent adult who likely can be trained" to an employer who really just wants an easy sorting mechanism to get office workers.  Those jobs aren't very likely to be great, middle-class careers with substantial intellectual rewards, but those jobs are likely to come with benefits and be more stable than a string of minimum wage jobs.  Going from $10/h to $35k/year with sick leave, vacation, and regular pay raises is a goal for many who enroll in Phoenix lured by the idea that education leads to a better job.