already spent $30K on prereqs and some nursing school....should I continue?

[studentnurse3]

Hi everyone!

I have a question I need help with. I am an LPN who wants to be an RN. I have already spent 30K on my prereqs and first year and a half of nursing school for an ADN. Unfortunately I had to withdraw from my community college due to a family emergency two years ago and then I was readmitted for the next semester and failed Med/Surg II so I am unable to reapply to this community college. I am looking at transferring to a BSN program at a college close to me and it will cost approximately 58K so in total for me to become an RNBSN, I will have 80K in student loans.

My question I need help with is whether or not this will pay off for me in the long run. I am 41 years old and I figure I have 20+ years of working before I can think of retiring. Is there any RNs out there that can offer any advice on whether I should pursue this and rack up this huge student loan or if I should call it quits because the price is just too high.

I would appreciate anyone's opinion on this.

[BloomNurseRN, ASN, BSN, RN]

I honestly can't say for sure what route you should take, this is a complicated question. My question would be, are there any other ADN/ASN programs in your area that you could apply to? Are you currently working as an LPN? Is there a possibility of finding a job with tuition reimbursement that would allow you to continue working and pursuing your BSN at the same time while also helping you pay for it??

I know I wouldn't want that much debt coming right out of school but I absolutely understand the desire to become an RN. I wish you the best of luck!

[icandy]

I say go for it! If Nursing is what you really want to do, then stick to it. $80,000 is a lot of loan money, but once you're employed you should be able to afford paying them back. Good luck :)