Quincy College or Laboure..I can't decide!

U.S.A. Massachusetts

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Specializes in informatics.

Well I learned today that I have been accepted to Laboure College for Nursing. I just don’t know if I should go there or not. According to admissions at the college I can start my actual nursing courses in September of 2008. In the meantime I have to take 6 general education courses before then. I can go part-time evenings for the general eds. When the nursing courses begin, I can take those of Friday nights and Saturday days. The program will take two years from September of 2008! My other option is Quincy College. I can apply in October of 2007 for January 2009! In the meantime I can take the 5 general education classes that I need there all online at another college and transfer them in. This program will take 2 1/2 years from January of 2009, thus adding an additional ten months. The nursing courses for Quincy will occur 3 times a week at 2:30 in the afternoon for the first year, and then twice a week at 2:30. Quincy will also be almost 9000.00 cheaper than Laboure. I really am having a terrible time trying to decide. At 43, getting out 10 months early seems really inviting. The money I will start making at the earlier date will more than cover the 9000.00 difference. Knowing that the Nursing clinicals are Friday nights and Saturdays, seems to be easier to manage while I am at home taking care of my mom too. The downside to Laboure are some of the general eds that I have to take that I have no interest in such as World Literature, Religions of the World, or Christianity. The fact that I physically have to attend the college while taking the general eds takes me away from my responsibilities as caregiver to my mother as well.

Quincy is very appealing in that they will accept so many of my general eds from my days at Framingham State, and the only gen eds that I have to take are science courses that I can take online. I can be around at home whenever mom needs me until the Nursing classes start. The downside are the afternoon clinicals, which is when my mother may have doctor appointments and such. The other downside is graduating 10 months later than Laboure. Considering that I will probably want to pursue a Bachelor’s or Master’s while working, 10 months is a nice chunk of my quickly advancing age!

I think if Quincy got me out at the same time, I would probably go there. Taking online science courses with home labs is very appealing to me. I could also probably hire someone if need be with the 9000 dollars I would be saving to sit with my mother. 10 extra months at Quincy though seems like a lot added on when I am just trying to get an associates degree. I need to decide by Monday, so I am having a great weekend!

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Hi, I understand that you're having a difficult time with this decision, it is basically giving your life up for 2-2.5 years. I am a student finishing up Quincy College right now, and I applied in 1/03 and started doing pre-requisites, and I will graduate 1/18/08. The thing with Quincy is that there is a two year waiting list for the program, you are welcome to apply, but there are around 30 seats and usually 400+ applicants every fall. And while you can take your pre-requisites while you are waiting, if you already have most of yours done then what will you do with that time?

The thing a few of my classmates did which worked out well for them is they took the 10 month LPN course, got jobs working as nurses (making 25-32.00 hourly,not too shabby..), then came back to finish out the additional year to become RNs. You don't get the exact same study base as you do if you go RN the whole way through, but you are able to enter the workforce and defray the cost while also having the advantage of being in the exact setting that you are studying about. The average RN student in my class is barely passing with around a 73-76 average. The average LPN in my class is pulling 80s. Food for thought-if I had it to do over again, I would have chosen this route, as I have been broke for years now between tuition, books and taking time away from work to study!

The second year is around 30 hours a week in independent study time, and about 12.5 hours of class/clinical time. Yes, it is only two nights a week and the clinicals are flexible so if you are put into a clinical that is a bad night to care for your mom, chances are you'll be able to switch your clinical night with one of the other 20 something people in your class, however there is approximately 10-15 chapters in several different textbooks that is required reading every week. If you don't read, you won't pass the tests. The tests are sooo much harder than any prerequisite course, I was pulling A's in all my classes and now I am a C- student, and I'm going at full steam doing all the studying.

The benefit is, that that two 1/2 years flies by, I feel like I just started. But if you already have acceptance into a school without the waiting list, that is half the hurdle right there, just getting in!!!

Good luck, I hope I haven't made things even worse for you!!

take care,

Juliagoolia7777

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Specializes in informatics.

Wow! Thanks for the wealth of information! I had thought about going the LPN route part-time evening, but when I went to admissions they convinced me that I should just apply in October for the January 2009 part-time evening RN program. I guess I am going to have to call them tomorrow to confirm that I actually can get in for then. I was just about to decide that this was the route to go and take my science courses online(I have all the other gen eds done from Framingham state) and apply this October. If you are saying that the waiting list is 2 years, I don't see how they can let me in for January 2009. If that turns out to be the case, I guess Laboure is the answer. Each day I get more information and flip flop! It is so frustrating!

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Hi there, I thought I read in your original post that Quincy College was accepting applications for Jan. 08? But you said 09, that being the case that would be almost two years, so perhaps you would be in by then. I know it is so confusing, it is such a hard decision!! I have heard from my LPN classmates that the LPN program went by so fast and was alot easier then they think the RN program is now. That being said, you are of course limited to what facilities will take you as an LPN. Mostly I think you are limited to working nursing homes and the like, but if that's what you want to do then that might be for you!

Quincy has started a few online courses as well, and I think they are planning on adding more, so that may be of assistance as you pick away at the pre-requisites you have left.

If I can be of any help, don't hesitate to pick my brain if you have any questions about the program! Right now I am going Monday and Tuesday nights, clinical runs from 3-10, and class is 4-8:30. So on class days you still have most of the day to work, go to appointments and the like.. that is a benefit.

Take care, Juliagoolia7777

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Specializes in informatics.

Well, I think I am leaning to Quincy now. I will get out sooner from Laboure, but Quincy said they will accept the gen eds that I plan to take online at another college. This means I won't really have to go to Quincy until the Nursing courses start in 2009. At Laboure I have to take the courses there a few nights a week on campus over the next year. Yes it is longer, but I will save money, and Quincy has a better NCLEX test rate.

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Do the LPN grads at Quincy go directly into the one year RN program or do they have to take time between programs?

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I am also in the class that is graduating 1/18/08 (like Julia...)

Jaz-We had a fair number of LPN's join us in our second year this semester. Some have been LPN's for years and some just finished thier LPN education at Quincy or from other programs. It seems like the only real "wait" was waiting for the program to cycle through so they could join our group...meaning they had to wait until there were openings in the RN programs-2nd year.

Disney-I have quite a few LPN's in my clinical group and I have learned almost as much from them as I have from my instructors. They have a really solid background in nursing fundamentals as well as medications. They are a great addition to our program!!

By the way, what Juila said is SO true...the LPN's are doing much better on the tests! We work our butts off for a C/C+ and they are pulling solid B's for the most part. If I could do it over again, I would have done the LPN 1st. I have to work while I go to school anyway...I would have rather been getting the LPN pay instead of the CNA pay I get now!

Good luck in whichever program/school you decide!

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Thanks, Julia & MassRN2B! I took the admissions exam last week and sent in my application yesterday.

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