Looking for Information!! Please help me=-)

purplemania, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2005

Pay depends on location. In East Texas a new grad gets $18-$20/hr base pay, but in Houston area it is much more. School depends on personal preference. Employers are looking at whether or not you have a license. The National League of Nursing has salary info on their website (http://www.nln.org). Good luck in your decision.

sunnyjohn · Feb 18, 2005

Hi Liz 07,

I am not a nurse. Like you I joined this forum to get information. I did however go to college.

This is one decision I think you are going to have to search yourself for. There are many pros and cons.

Most community colleges cost less. If you do attended a 2-year program you will be done sooner and be out earning money.

Who will be paying for your education? Will you be living at home or do you want to move away?

College is an experience all in itself. I went over 2000 miles away from home to a 4 year school. It was one of the best times in my life. Just learning to live independent and discovering myself was a big challenge. I meet people who are still some of my closest friends today.

I am sure any nurse will tell you, no matter what nursing program you pick you will develop a close bond with your nursing classmates. I attended a 2-year community college recently to become a Surgical Technologist and would watch how close the nursing students were.

I don't think you should worry too much about making money. You are still young. It is important to think and plan your future, but equally as important to enjoy your youth.

From my own research I have learned that new grad RN's whether they have a BSN or ADN make about the same. I have talked quite a few new graduate RN's who where willing to tell me what they were starting at. A few of the nurses who had been in practice for a while were also willing to tell me what they made when they started versus their present rate. Of course this was with the understanding that this information would be kept in confidence.

Although I think nurses should make more, considering what they do and how hard they work, none of these men and women where outraged by their salary. Some of them commented that they would like more.

According to information on http://www.salary.com. The median salary for a staff nurse (an RN) in Indiana was somewhere around $50K per year. An LPN would make around $36k per year. As in any profession whether nursing, education or computers as a new graduate you will make less than the median. But as a nurse, you will still do well.

The BSN may open doors in management, but this will only come with some years of nursing experience. Many hospitals will pay for you to get your BSN if you are an ADN. The BSN does mean that you are educationally prepared for graduate school. There are programs now that will allow ADN's to transition to the BSN and then a Master's degree.

Nurses are in high demand. Whatever school you graduate form, as long as you can pass that NCLEX-RN exam, you will get a job. They may even come looking for you....

Remember plan or tomorrow but enjoy today. Make the most out of your college year, wherever you attend.

P.S. I live in Indiana now and have heard of Ivy Tech. Are you considering Purdue as your 4-year school?

LIZ07 · Feb 19, 2005

Thanks to both of you. SUnnyjohn Purdue actually is the 4 year college I'm thinking about. I live in Elston and applied to the west lafayette campus but didn't get in, THough I had a choice in other majors I COULD attend (Liberal arts, School of science, school of technology, etc.) But I got accepted into nursing at there hammond campus but I would prefer staying close to home that way I can save money now by living at home and working part time then get an apartment in the state I decide to live in while I earn the money for my house. But my parents would probably pay for an apartment in hammond thats why I'm wondering if Ivy tech or purdue would be better. But thanks for all the information. Feel free to post again either of you and everyone else your advice/imput would be fantastic also!

sunnyjohn · Feb 22, 2005

WELL... if your parents are willing to PAY for an apartment....

Just kidding... You seem like a very mature youung person. Your parents must be proud. I think that you will do well at watever school you decide to attend.

If you go to Purdue, will you eventually be able to get into the nursing program? Which schools will give you the best financial aid packet (and I am talking scholarships and grants not loans).

I thought Hammond was a nice town. I almost accepted a job at the hospital in Hammond (St Mag. Mercy)

Think about your future, plan for it, but don't forget to enjoy your time at college.

LIZ07 · Feb 22, 2005

lol I really wish I could go to the west lafayette campus, I wouldn't think twice about it and wouldn't have applied to ivy tech. However its not an option. Yeah like you asked would I be able to get into the nursing program at purdue. Well I'm kind of wondering the same thing. I'm thinking about calling/emailing and asking but I don't know if that would make sense. And would I have to take 4 whole years of another major? Would I have to reapply for nursing AGAIN after taking however long of something else...See I'm not making that much sense now thats why I'm scared to talk to them. What IS liberal arts anyhow? LoL Thanks so much for your time and advice! KEEP IT COMIN:D:D

sunnyjohn · Feb 22, 2005

Hi Liz...

I will answer your question in two parts.....

sunnyjohn · Feb 22, 2005

Purdue at West Lafayette is a BIG school. Most of the time when a big state school like this is involved, there are more students clamoring to get in than there is room & tax dollars to support. The same thing hold true for BIG state schools around the country. Look at the U. of Texas in Austin, or U. of Michigan, UCLA, or for that matter any of the schools in the California university system. That is why even though these are state supported schools the number of students that apply to them is an added factor in making admission to these schools tough.

You have jumped the first hurdle. You got in at West Lafayette. Here is the second issue. You are trying for a major (nursing) that is tough to get into at every level. Nursing has become such a demand and a popular major that community colleges are finding they have a waiting list.

This should not discourage you from going to a 4-year school though. You will have to do what many 4 year school call "General Studies" or "Core Curriculum" classes in order to get a Bachelor's degree. The core curriculum usually consists of English, Math, History, and other classes that 4-year schools use to determine you're your education is "well rounded." You will take some type of core curricula at whatever 4-year you attend.

This is one reason why many people don't like 4-year schools, but I digress...

Liberal Arts? Lol. Well, that one you might want to ask your high school guidance counselor. He or she may be more objective and give you a better answer.

I majored in History (which is considered a Liberal Arts) and Physiology (which is not)... lol :coollook:

sweetumms72 · Feb 22, 2005

i guess what matters most is your main objective in life, it doesn't matter which and where your school will be for as long as it will serve the purpose of joining an academic institution. one question to ask yourself is that will nursing be the best course for you, will it be of help to your own personal growth and at the same time can make you help others in need.

one more thing, i think one's success will depend on one's own actions. what you do in life will produce the output that may be of positive or negative outcome, so i guess the result of our own life will greatly depend on our own selves. even with the most high standard schools, if one will not give his/her best would be useless.

anyhow, i wish you all the luck in whatever decision you'll make. best regards.

sunnyjohn · Feb 22, 2005

Even if they "waitlist" you at Purdue for nursing, you probably still stand an excellent chance of graduating with a nursing degree. You will get those prereq's out of the way and may even be more competitive, Why? Because they will know what you are academically capable of because they see your excellent grades from their school.

Another added bonus? You can make yourself a fixture in the nursing department. Go in and introduce yourself to every nursing professor and secretary. When financial aid asks you where you want to be a work-study student, head straight for the student positions in the nursing department. Make sure the dean of nursing knows you by name. It is difficult to turn down someone you know, especially an eager young face.

True, there is the possibility that nursing will be so full that you will not be able to major in nursing at Purdue. Then you have a choice to pick another major. Another choice would be to transfer with all your Purdue credits to an available nursing program at another school.

sunnyjohn · Feb 22, 2005

My suggestion would be to print a copy of the entire nursing program at Ivy Tech and the entire program at Purdue. Get as many of the course descriptions as you can. If your guidance counselor is worth anything I bet he/she already has a copy of the latest Purdue course catalog and Ivy Tech course catalog. (Notice I said COURSE catalog and not the glossy brochure they send out with smiling students frolicking by the bell tower lol).

The two of you can compare the programs. If you look closely you will see that some of the classes are the same at both schools. That may be one way to decide which way to go.

You may have to make an appointment with your guidance counselor to do this, because this may be a bit time consuming.

If they won't or can't do that for you, try any competent adult who has attended college and they can help. Another teacher perhaps....

Be prepared for those teachers that may try to convince you to study their subject in college. Half of them would give there eye teeth to have a student who is so concerned about college have the same major...lol

Sadly many people may try to convince you that nursing is "dead-end" or say, "you are smart, you should be a doctor"... NOT SO.... NOT SO... they are both valid career choices.....

If you can't get someone to help, I would be happy to scrounge up the information for you. I wish someone had done that for me back in 199???...

Truthfully Liz, it is not so much the school you attend. What you put into your college experince will determine what you get out of it....

Agape..... :p

LIZ07 · Feb 23, 2005

You have been a lot of help sunnyjohn! I'm glad I posted on here!=-)That is wonderful advice and would be very helpful if I could do so but I'm homeschooled so I don't have a guidance councilor or any teachers or anyone to help. Where could I get this information? THanks again for all the help!!