Hello! I figured it was time to start this thread now that the application deadline is nearly here. Let us commence the stress and commiseration!
I finally submitted my Duke ABSN application yesterday after being away from my computer for months while traveling. I feel excited and hopeful, but the reality is that I won't be able to attend without a significant scholarship. I love Duke's program and my partner lives outside of Durham (I'm currently near Tucson, AZ) so this could be the perfect fit.
Nursing will be a second career for me--I'm 34. I'm curious whether most of my fellow applicants are younger or around my age?
@lovelynurse1093 I chose an Accelerated ABSN vs MSN because even I did an ABSN or entry MSN or MA I STILL have to go on and get my doctorate and there are a lot of direct ABSN-DNP and I just figured it fit more into what I want. I read a lot about how direct entry MSN programs are maybe a little too accelerated...a lot of people suggest gaining 3-5 years before getting your NP or DNP. I mean, everyone takes their own path...I got into both an entry MSN and ABSN programs and it was still more cost effective for me to attend Duke and I have zero financial aide. I think both have their positives and negatives.
I was working a hospital shift today and I had a nurse say that her close friend attended Duke's ABSN program and LOVED it...she got her dream job working at Georgetown for Peds right after graduation. I also had two doctors say that it's an excellent school, with a great reputation, and that they are good about helping you get a job and that working for Duke University Hospital system is fantastic.
I paid my deposit so I guess I'm officially a future student!! Excited to meet you guys.
I said yes and paid my deposit but I am seriously worried about the financial burden.
I don't know yet if I will stay in NC after graduation, but new nurses start around $23/hour in this area (not including shift differentials), based on my research here on allnurses. If you go on to work for Duke you can work off some of that debt--$25K, I believe, over 2 or 3 years--and there are other debt repayment programs, of course. But that is still a lot of debt!
My hope is that, out of the horror of the pandemic, one of the positive things will be an upswelling of support for nurses and other healthcare workers, and hopefully that will materialize in higher wages for nurses and CNAs and lower patient to nurse/CNA ratios. I read this article (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-will-coronavirus-end/608719/) yesterday, and it suggests that just as spending on "antiterrorism" skyrocketed post-9/11, perhaps there will be greater interest in and funding for healthcare and public health in the post-pandemic era. Damn sure better be...
At any rate, my main concern has been going to school in the Durham area as I moved here for my partner. Duke has an amazing program and I am truly very, very excited to attend, but I would have considered other options if I had been able to apply to, say, UNC-Chapel Hill. I decided to apply to schools in the Durham area in October, so I wasn't left with many other options. Unfortunately UNC needed me to retake Psych 101 (mine was too old), and I didn't have enough time to do so before the deadline.
@seacandaceI look forward to meeting you in the Fall! I was JUST looking at salaries for nurses around the area and that is actually VERY disappointing that the Triangle area only pays $23 an hour. I'm in Orlando and I believe we start anywhere from $24 to $26 so I have my fingers crossed. I assumed that Duke would want to pay their Nurses at $31. I wonder if its due to cost of living? Happy to have a private conversation about this too. I plan to go on and get my MSN/DNP most likely at Duke. My mom is moving up and the house will essentially be mine...like you it's a bit unfathomable that the cost of Duke is so much, but I believe in the program and the research aspect areas we may be exposed to. It's also why I chose the program. I was happy to see Duke on the list of researchers for the Coronavirus.
I honestly am sad overall in nursing that pediatric nurse practitioners make 10-20,000 less than other NPs. Tinier the human, less the pay?
As for UNC-Chapel Hill, they were on my list when I was looking back in Fall 2018 and Spring 2019, but they wanted all their prereqs done before I could apply and I still had two outstanding, so there went that!
But I agree with you that I think if it's feasible for the hospital system to pay their nurses starting rate at $30 and hour they should. I see the tears of my nurses on our med/surg floor when they see they are floated to the floor holding the Covid patients. But thank you for your info. And I look forward to meeting you in the Fall.
@lovelynurse1093 I chose an Accelerated ABSN vs MSN because even I did an ABSN or entry MSN or MA I STILL have to go on and get my doctorate and there are a lot of direct ABSN-DNP and I just figured it fit more into what I want. I read a lot about how direct entry MSN programs are maybe a little too accelerated...a lot of people suggest gaining 3-5 years before getting your NP or DNP. I mean, everyone takes their own path...I got into both an entry MSN and ABSN programs and it was still more cost effective for me to attend Duke and I have zero financial aide. I think both have their positives and negatives.
I was working a hospital shift today and I had a nurse say that her close friend attended Duke's ABSN program and LOVED it...she got her dream job working at Georgetown for Peds right after graduation. I also had two doctors say that it's an excellent school, with a great reputation, and that they are good about helping you get a job and that working for Duke University Hospital system is fantastic.
I paid my deposit so I guess I'm officially a future student!! Excited to meet you guys.
Who all has said yes?
Thank you for your input! You added insight that I had not seen before. I got into JHU's Entry-Level Master's with a scholarship, and I was definitely in between on the two. However, Duke has been my top choice for a long time now, so I'm 98% sure I will be paying the deposit very soon. I think it will fit my long-term goals, and I have heard great things about the school as well.
@OctaviaF Excited to meet you, too! I hope we actually have school (and not online classes!) this fall!
The southeast seems to be the region with the lowest nurse pay--I think it's because the nurses unions here are weak or nonexistent. I don't think wages are low in this area just due to low cost of living. Cost of living in Olympia, WA, and Tucson, AZ, are similar and both areas pay much better. When profits get mixed up with healthcare, they have to cut spending somewhere... We're seeing the consequences of that now. ?
I honestly don't know how I feel with the possibility of having to do our Fall semester online...I feel like Duke should be charging us LESS because of that. I don't feel like learning simulations and doing clinicals via online will be helpful. I hope it'll be something like 8 people in labs or sim lab where we just have to break us up. I wouldn't even be mad if we got pushed back to Spring 2021 or Fall 2021.
This whole Covid-19 feels like this next group of nurses who are forced to take an NCLEX with less clinicals hours doesnt seem good. Anyone else feeling this way or nervous about starting when we are?
I don't think this will be gone come Fall...I believe it'll reemerge
My boss took me off the June - July schedule so I could go to the Duke HEA program in the Summer ? now, if canceled , I will have to try and pick up shifts no one wants, in parts of Mayo Clinic that no one wants to go to I.e. high risk coronavirus locations.
I honestly don't know how I feel with the possibility of having to do our Fall semester online...I feel like Duke should be charging us LESS because of that. I don't feel like learning simulations and doing clinicals via online will be helpful. I hope it'll be something like 8 people in labs or sim lab where we just have to break us up. I wouldn't even be mad if we got pushed back to Spring 2021 or Fall 2021.
This whole Covid-19 feels like this next group of nurses who are forced to take an NCLEX with less clinicals hours doesnt seem good. Anyone else feeling this way or nervous about starting when we are?
I don't think this will be gone come Fall...I believe it'll reemerge
I agree... I would not feel comfortable learning this curriculum under an online format - hands-on clinical experience is crucial in nursing. I would be more comfortable if they moved our cohort to a later date. I feel as though we would be at a significant disadvantage for the workforce if we had to complete a good portion of our program remotely.
I also agree that the pandemic will likely still be active in the Fall. I have a feeling "the end" will come to fruition through "herd immunity" from survivors (similar to past Flu pandemics) or continued acts of quarantine and social distancing until a vaccine is developed.
@l8r_sam That's really awful about HEA II, and I bet it will be canceled. It's hard to imagine any other scenario as I see the infection/death numbers climb everyday. What a nightmare, it's surreal.
I have two friends who are currently in nursing school and have moved to 100% online classes, including clinical simulations. One is very nearly done with her ABSN, and she isn't too worried about it, but the other is in her second semester of a traditional BSN at UNC and is really, really unhappy. I think I would defer if online classes were the only option for us; I really can't imagine having a full-time nursing course-load online. Seems doubtful but who knows! I would definitely rather start later.
Well...found some nice homeless shelters in Durham. Going to file for an application. Come join me! Security/safety at homeless shelters is better compared to bad neighborhoods in Durham. Dreams don't come without sacrifices. I made too much for food stamps. Probably will be placed on a waitlist or I will forfeit my shelter slot if a family really needs help. I don't mind camping in my car (its spacious), because a homeless family can't sleep in a car with children.
When do we get assigned advisors? I need to send them a Navy military letter degree completion plan LOL.
OctaviaF
60 Posts
@lovelynurse1093 I chose an Accelerated ABSN vs MSN because even I did an ABSN or entry MSN or MA I STILL have to go on and get my doctorate and there are a lot of direct ABSN-DNP and I just figured it fit more into what I want. I read a lot about how direct entry MSN programs are maybe a little too accelerated...a lot of people suggest gaining 3-5 years before getting your NP or DNP. I mean, everyone takes their own path...I got into both an entry MSN and ABSN programs and it was still more cost effective for me to attend Duke and I have zero financial aide. I think both have their positives and negatives.
I was working a hospital shift today and I had a nurse say that her close friend attended Duke's ABSN program and LOVED it...she got her dream job working at Georgetown for Peds right after graduation. I also had two doctors say that it's an excellent school, with a great reputation, and that they are good about helping you get a job and that working for Duke University Hospital system is fantastic.
I paid my deposit so I guess I'm officially a future student!! Excited to meet you guys.
Who all has said yes?