A degree, debts, and no job - L'Infirmière Magazine n° 282 du 01/07/2011 | Espace Infirmier
 

L'infirmière Magazine n° 282 du 01/07/2011

 

ANGLAIS

As many American nursing graduates are discovering, you don’t always get what you pay for. According to The American Journal of Nursing(1), some who have graduated from for-profit institutions find themselves refused state licensing accreditation and unable to find a job. They may also have accrued significant debts : the average career-college costs $ 14 000 per year. Many default on loan repayments and may choose to abandon their courses.

Although the school may be accredited, the specific course may not be : if so, state-licensing boards will refuse to accept students for NCLEX.

In the current economic climate, a nursing degree can sound like a good way of accessing a secure job with good prospects. Well-advertised career colleges, owned by rich parent companies and eligible for federal funding, attract because they offer a large on-line component to their courses. This flexibility appeals to busy or single parents, or those already working.

The downside is that they may have poor quality faculty ; transferring credits to schools in other states may be impossible and clinical placements are often limited.

With many public schools forced to cut the number of places they offer, potential nurses are being lured by glossy ads and website promises. The AJN says « many recent settlements, lawsuits and allegations are tied to misleading information and top-down, company-enforced pressure tactics by recruiters to enrol students at any cost. »

1– Bethany Lyttle, « Under fire : nursing degrees from for-profit institutions », AJN, January 2011, Vol111, N° 1, pp.19-20. See also : www.barryyeoman.com/articles/hardknocks

MOTS ET EXPRESSIONS

Accrued (pp) Accumulé

To default (on one’s loans) (v)

Ne pas régler ses échéances (d’emprunt)

NCLEX National Council Licensure Examination. Cet examen débouche sur l’équivalent américain du diplôme d’État

Faculty (n) Ici, le corps enseignant au niveau universitaire

Credits (n pl) Points gagnés pour les modules valildés, équivalents des ECTS européens

Settlement (n) Accord juridique après un litige

QUESTIONS

1. What problems do some nursing students in for-profit institutions face ?

They may suffer from poor teaching and placement opportunities ; they may be unable to transfer credits.

2. Why might someone choose a private career college rather than a public school ?

They may appreciate the flexibility of online courses.

3. What tension exists in the funding of private career schools ?

Government provides funding to private schools, while public schools are limiting places (due to a lack of funding).

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