Degree from a non-nationally accredited school

Hello all -

Wondering if anyone has had any trouble either getting a hospital RN job or pursuing a BSN (or MSN) after graduating with an ADN from Albany Memorial (in Albany, NY) or Samaritan School of Nursing (in Troy,NY)? I will be attending Samaritan SON in the fall but have just this one concern: they are not accredited by a national accreditation group (i.e., ACEN or CCNE).

I will be pursuing, at least, my BSN after my ADN, but may not be staying in New York state to do so. However, I've read some posts that state some hospitals won't hire RNs with a degree from a non-accredited school, and likewise that some schools won't accept a degree from such a school.

This whole situation has me a little worried. The school has agreements set up with other NY schools for RN to BSN programs, but as I mentioned, I will most likely be leaving the state. Will this be a major issue for me?

If anyone has any experiences - good or bad - with this type of situation, please share!!

Thank you!
You could always call local hospital HR departments and ask if they consider or hire candidates that graduate from your program.There are also quite a few stories on here of people graduating from unaccredited nursing programs and still being able to pursue a BSN or get a job in a hospital. If your school is not CCNE/ACEN accredited, I probably just wouldn't apply to jobs that specify graduating from a program with that accreditation.
I'd be less worried about jobs being concerned with the accreditation status of the school than the state you are applying to for licensing. While NY wouldn't be an issue as they are approved by the NY Board of Education, other states require for endorsement that the school be accredited (MA), though some don't seem to care (OH). I would just check the states where you are considering to see if they require graduation from an accredited school. Also, your school will have a decision by Sept 2015 as that is when their candidacy ends. You could always take the risk that they will become accredited and then you'd be fine with anything.
nicuguy - Thank you SO much! I had checked the ACEN website for that information but was apparently looking in the wrong place (I looked under Site Visits, rather than Candidates), so thank you very much for that info. My mind has just been set at ease. Although I know there will be no definitive answer on their accreditation until Sept, I'm pretty confident they won't have an issue. (Knock on wood!!)BeachyRN2Be -I was more concerned with the ability to pursue my BSN/MSN or get a job than I was about obtaining licensing in another state, as I had read earlier this week that since the school is, at miniumum, accredited by the Board of NY taking the licensing test wouldn't be an issue in any state (Massachusetts Nursing License Requirements | MA). However, that web link for MA does state that there may be specific schools that are on a Not Accepted list, so one would have to check that I guess, to be sure.Thank you to both for your input!!(allnurses.com is the best! It is amazing the amount of information I gather on this site!!)
I thought most places just need to see if you have your RN license or not. It may not affect you finding a job but if you want to get higher degrees later the school may require you to have a BSN from an accredited place.
Quote from nicuguyI'd be less worried about jobs being concerned with the accreditation status of the school than the state you are applying to for licensing. While NY wouldn't be an issue as they are approved by the NY Board of Education, other states require for endorsement that the school be accredited (MA), though some don't seem to care (OH).
There's no state board of nursing in the US that requires nursing programs to be nationally accredited. Accreditation is an extra, purely voluntary step taken by nursing programs to provide assurance that they meet or exceed certain established standards of nursing education. I graduated from a non-accredited associate degree nursing program of poor repute, yet was able to earn a BSN degree from a regionally accredited school whose nursing programs are CCNE-accredited.
Quote from elkparkAs far as I know (and I do try to keep up with these things), there is no US state that requires a school have ACEN or CCNE accreditation in order for graduates to be eligible for licensure. Can you provide some documentation that MA requires this? Or did you mean something else about accreditation? (The OP asked specifically about ACEN/CCNE accreditation.)
Quote from nicuguySome states are very specific that they will accept any school if they are accredited by somebody and have an NCLEX registration number. The MA Board of Nursing has several caveats and I did misread it. For APN reciprocity and registration, it does require a national accreditation, but not for RNs. I take back my earlier statement. I do not retract my concern that one should think highly about new or non-ACEN/CCNE accredited schools from a quality and learning standpoint (if I even made that point). Basically if your school can get an NCLEX registration number and be accredited by somebody, even a local body you will most likely be eligible in your home state. It's easiest to do that and then get endorsed than worry about other state's rules. My bad on the misinterpretation.Here is a link to the MA Board Regulations: https://pcshq.com/?page=Oct2014RegLaws.pdfOne more edit: SOME universities will require accreditation if you want to go into an RN-BSN program and some will not. These are generally looking for the school itself to be accredited by one of the regional accrediting bodies. Again, your mileage may vary and 2 of 4 schools I just looked quickly at required it while the other 2 did not.