change in RN programs in Northern Colorado

Until now, Poudre Valley Hospital and hospitals in the Banner system have funded some new grad contracts through FRCC and UNC. The UNC program was an especially good deal, with the sponsoring hospital picking up half the cost of tuition and offering a 2-year contract on graduation. For less price than an ADN degree, and only one extra semester of time, you could get a BSN & a good contract.

These programs are now discontinued. UNC still plans to offer a 2nd degree program, but the program will cost about $250/credit hour, with no break for in-state students and no contract on graduation. The admissions counselor, however, expects it to be somewhat easier to get into than their traditional program, which generally requires a 3.5 GPA to be competitive.

Even though I'm sorry not to get the chance to try for the hospital-sponsored degree with UNC, I honor PVH for their reasons. Since they're a magnet hospital, they need more BSN nurses. Rather than increase their number of new grads, they intend to direct their educational dollars toward helping their own nurses with ADNs be able to get their BSN in a convenient and affordable manner.

Dina