Bronx Community College

Please understand there are other cheaper alternatives than CUNY, try Cochran, Hopfer, even Westchester Community College (although like CUNY they have a wait for clinicals), say what you will about how all nursing schools are tough etc, I have many friends, relatives and a daughter who attended the above schools and they laugh when I tell them how you can fail a semester for not spiking an IV to the CI liking, or not sterile gloving correctly, I won't even get into the pharm, but know this, all schools teach the formula methods, yet now must schools use calculators, and no other school except CUNY will fail you if you miss a label, not in the answer mind you but in the calculation, as a matter of fact one of these schools uses multiple choice answers on the pharm test. Actually I think nursing schools should be hospital based, I think to much is theory not enough hands on, at least for the basic RN degree, then you could go on for the BSN, but that is just my opinion.

Hopfer is between $4,000 and $5,000 per semester for 4 semesters and Cochran is $10,000 for the first year and $13,000 for the second year. From what I could tell, the CUNY's are the cheapest game in town. WCC's program only accepts those with the 40 highest scores on the TEAS exam, and last year almost 600 people took it. I only found out three days before the last seating for the exam for admission into the Fall '09 program and missed the cutoff score for their RN program but would've gotten in to the LPN program, which I wasn't interested. I think I may have been able to get in if I had more than three days to study, but I'm not thrilled about a program where I'm starting in Fall '10 and it takes a full, complete two years to finish. Also, the CUNY's I think may be even cheaper than WCC, which, I believe would be about $1775 per semester for 4 semesters -- a good deal, I agree!

I've applied to Hopfer and Cochran as well as the CUNY's, Norwalk Community College, Pace and CNR. We'll see what happens. I should find out more pretty soon!

Thanks again for your help!

-- Maybesoon

My daughter and my cousin both went to Cochran, if you can afford it and they are generous with the financial aid, go, the school is great, the professors were very supportive, and unlike the CUNY schools they graduate almost every one who goes in, they really work with the students, and you get lots and lots of hands on practice. As far as BCC, you have to take the Pax-RN and they use that for admittance along with the GPA, good luck to you,

Thanks, MB -- This is really really good info!

Actually, the admissions lady at Cochran reached out to me a few times over the past few days... looking for some transcript(s) she hadn't yet received. Also, I sent her my ATI username and password so she could sign in and get my TEAS test result/transcript. I have two kids in college, and they're both getting quite a bit of financial aid, so perhaps I'll get lucky with Cochran, as well. I'm keeping all my options open and will see where I get in and what schools give me the most aid.

My only concern about Cochran as well as the hospital-based programs and the community colleges is that I'd only come out with an Associates Degree, putting me at the bottom of the food chain as far as RN's go. I'd really like to be on my way to my Master's, especially since I already have a B.S. degree. I have 2 sisters who are FNP's and one sister with ADN/RN, and the nurse practitioners do very very well. That's really my only qualm.

If you just have an A.D.N. what else would I be qualified for, other than hospital floor nursing? Do you know what other things can you do with that? I think that's where I'm unclear.

Thanks, DoGood, you really did your homework. I am a (Summa cum Laude) college graduate, and by Jan will have had all my prerequisites completed, including A&P I and II, Microbiology, and Inorganic Chem. While I did not know the exact requirements for entry, I could definitely tell when I visited BCC that there were all academic levels of student there.

My first choice is either Pace's accellerated BSN/MSN program or CNR, but if I don't get in or get enough $$ to attend, want to be sure to have some backup plans in place that fit my time frame and budget. I don't expect that it will be a fun process, but I'm committed to getting thru it somewhere. And if a CUNY is where that happens then I'll have to honker down and just do it. After all, Pace and CNR are $40,000 and $30,000, respectively. So, I guess with the lower tuition comes some of the "stuff" that one would expect to find in a situation where some basic academic requirements have not yet been met by some of the students.

I have a question, though. You reference CSI and B&N. What are those?

My first choice is either Pace's accellerated BSN/MSN program or CNR, but if I don't get in or get enough $$ to attend, want to be sure to have some backup plans in place that fit my time frame and budget. I don't expect that it will be a fun process, but I'm committed to getting thru it somewhere. And if a CUNY is where that happens then I'll have to honker down and just do it. After all, Pace and CNR are $40,000 and $30,000, respectively. So, I guess with the lower tuition comes some of the "stuff" that one would expect to find in a situation where some basic academic requirements have not yet been met by some of the students.

I have a question, though. You reference CSI and B&N. What are those?

CUNY"s tuition and for that matter SUNY's as well have nothing to with academic quality of their students. Rates are set by NYS & NYC, remembering one of the original mandates of the systems; to provide access to higher learning regardless of a student's income and or academic history. Before the open admissions policy, many CUNY colleges resembled priviate schools, with a student body of mainly white, middle class and above students.

If a NP was so horrible at producing graduates that not only could pass the boards, but be hired in great numbers, it would not only loose any accredition, but sooner or later would simply cease to exsist.

CSI = College of Staten Island (CUNY)

B&N = Barnes and Nobel (bookstore chain).

Right, I do agree about the SUNY's quality having little to do with the quality of the education. I happen to think SUNY Binghamton is one of the best undergraduate institutions around.

What do you mean by NP?

Right, I do agree about the SUNY's quality having little to do with the quality of the education. I happen to think SUNY Binghamton is one of the best undergraduate institutions around.

What do you mean by NP?

"NP" = Nursing Program

Please understand there are other cheaper alternatives than CUNY, try Cochran, Hopfer, even Westchester Community College (although like CUNY they have a wait for clinicals), say what you will about how all nursing schools are tough etc, I have many friends, relatives and a daughter who attended the above schools and they laugh when I tell them how you can fail a semester for not spiking an IV to the CI liking, or not sterile gloving correctly, I won't even get into the pharm, but know this, all schools teach the formula methods, yet now must schools use calculators, and no other school except CUNY will fail you if you miss a label, not in the answer mind you but in the calculation, as a matter of fact one of these schools uses multiple choice answers on the pharm test. Actually I think nursing schools should be hospital based, I think to much is theory not enough hands on, at least for the basic RN degree, then you could go on for the BSN, but that is just my opinion.

Honey, I'm going to give you some advice! *LOL*

Most anyone who has attended any nursing school has had quibbles about the program and or instructors, but the bottom line is this simple: one needs to graduate from a nursing school to sit for the boards. After one has "RN" behind one's name they are free to do things as they like, within limits of state and whatever their employer's practice act states. Until then whilst in school, suck things up and roll with it. Bad as one may think a program or instructor is, they can make your life and by extension goal of becoming a nurse quite difficult indeed. If one needs a "B" in a class to stay in the program, and comes up with 79.5, it can help if one is thought of highly, rather than a "trouble-maker" or "pest".

As for thei "little things" such as missing a lable, again there more likely than not is a method to the maddess, so roll with things. Nursing programs are VERY sensitive to whomever they are accredited by (if anyone), state boards of education/Regents and employers of their grads. If certian patterns or trends manifest themselves in a large percentage of a nursing school's graduates, you can believe they are going to hear about it.

CUNY and SUNY schools because of their structure are very open to "interference" shall we say from various sources, including politics. A school might wish to tighten up it's entry and retention requirements, but that may impact a certian group of students who can make their voices heard in other ways.

As for returning to hospital based nursing programs in any large number, think on. It isn't going to happen for several reasons.

One, nursing schools are very expensive to run. Buildings, classroom, lab space, equipment, staff, nursing instructors and so forth aren't cheap, and enrollment is not always steady. Yes right now persons seem to be clamoring to enter nursing, but as recently as the late 1980's or so programs were closing down due to lack of interest in the profession.

Hospital based nursing education in it's purest form suited things when nursing was mainly a practical profession. One was taught to do something, not always why, little or no "theory and rationale".

However demands of the profession have changed, and even far back as the 1960's there was a movement to move all nursing education into colleges and universities. Indeed the ANA has been fighting a battle for nearly fifty years to make the BSN mandatory for entry, so returning to diploma programs would be seen as a step backwards.

Finally hosptial programs suited hospitals in ways that no longer apply today. In the old days such programs produced a steady supply of new "labour" for a hospital that could be educated a very little expense, and had the benefit of arriving on the floors requiring no or litle orientation. Until the laws and rules were changed student nurses in diploma programs were almost a source of unpaid nursing labour.