For profit schools/debt/nursing shortage??

LPNtoRNin2016OH, LPN · Jan 21, 2016

No real nursing shortage no, perhaps in the less desirable areas to live in. Possible to get a job? Yes but you will have to network and if your already a surgical tech then you should have some connections already putting you ahead most new nurses. How much debt will you ad? Why is private school the only option? I went to a for profit LPN school now I am at a community college which is 10x less that what my private schooling was. In my experience, I have gotten 10x the education from the community college than my overpriced for profit school. I advice all to stay away from for profit personally. In my area, the for profit students mostly do not have an issue getting hired right now because it's more of who you know a this moment than where you went to school. Good luck!

BrittanyWilkins · Jan 21, 2016

Thanks for the input, I've been researching a lot and def have more researching to do. For me personally for profit is my only option, all the state schools have a crazy waiting list and none of my credits will transfer. I'm looking at over 3years just for an associates as oppose to 1 1/2 years. I'm just not willing to wait that long at this point in life

elkpark · Jan 21, 2016

Thanks for the input, I've been researching a lot and def have more researching to do. For me personally for profit is my only option, all the state schools have a crazy waiting list and none of my credits will transfer. I'm looking at over 3years just for an associates as oppose to 1 1/2 years. I'm just not willing to wait that long at this point in life

Does it not tell you something that "all the state schools have a crazy waiting list" and you can just walk into the proprietary school and start?

These schools stay in business because people don't want to wait or jump through hoops to go to legitimate, respected schools. Is this RN program an ADN program? Because you will likely want to finish a BSN at some point in the future, and if you attend the proprietary school, there is a good chance you will find yourself in the same boat again, and your credits won't transfer to a "regular" school because many of the proprietary schools lack the accreditation of "regular" college and universities, and you'll be looking at starting from scratch again.

umbdude, MSN, APRN · Jan 21, 2016

In many areas there are no nursing shortages, especially for new grads. In my areas, even new BSNs from reputable schools have a hard time finding a decent job. Personally I would never consider a for-profit, even if I have no other choice.

LPNtoRNin2016OH, LPN · Jan 21, 2016

Thanks for the input, I've been researching a lot and def have more researching to do. For me personally for profit is my only option, all the state schools have a crazy waiting list and none of my credits will transfer. I'm looking at over 3years just for an associates as oppose to 1 1/2 years. I'm just not willing to wait that long at this point in life

I can understand that. My LPN to RN bridge programs entry is based on GPA not a waiting list. Have you looked to see if any of the schools in your area have this? Many of the nursing schools near me are moving to that because they were loosing good students to wait lists. It still took me 3 years to complete all of my pre-reqs but I worked full time and have kids so I could have completed all my pre-reqs in 3 semesters had I been able to take 15 credit hours/semester.

For profit is tricky because many times the clinical sites aren't that great. Most of the hospitals already commit themselves to the area community colleges so that doesn't leave many clinical site options for the for profit schools. For example, I interviewed several for profit nursing schools because of LPN school experience with it being for profit. I asked a lot of questions like clinical sites, pass rates, retention rates, etc etc. Most of the clinical sites were nursing homes, long term acute care, pediatric/OB offices, barely any hospital rotations. I have spent years as an LPN in those environments, I wanted exposure to the hospital during clinical so I went with the lengthier option, community college.

And I know this isn't true for ALL for profit schools but 70% of the students that were in my for profit LPN program were just downright disrespectful, rude, and lacking ambition. But they were passed because they had the money/grants/loans to attend. The school had no reason to let them go because that was their paycheck walking out the door if they did. It was insanely distracting at clinical because they would not stay on task and constantly required the clinical instructor to be their baby sitter leaving the other 30% of students on their own to figure it out. I was grossly underprepared after graduation to work as an LPN because of this. I did my work on the critical thinking end and scored great marks but I didn't have two ***** of an idea of what I was doing after graduation because I hardly had any clinical time that wasn't sitting in a conference room doing nursing diagnoses.

Just ask the hard questions is all I am saying. Find previous and current students, ask their opinions, if they had a good job after. Check with the BON on for profit school accreditation. Look at the hospital education requirements for hospitals in your area. Many for profit schools only have state certification and not other ones that some employers require.

I hate to wait as well and this has been a tedious process but I know it's the right way because I am learning SO much. I didn't want to speed through my RN this time and end up on the floor clueless KWIM?

rfrishe · Jan 21, 2016

Nursing shortage? Probably, but most likely not in the area you're trying to find a job. I'm looking at the NURSE Corps as a way to pay for school, and they require spending a minimum of two years working in an underserved community upon graduation. For me, that means one to five hours away from where home is currently (if I want to stay in the same state. I could move anywhere in the country if my license will transfer). Those are the places that need nurses and will hire new grads. I'm hoping to get that scholarship so I can get the two years experience, use my Public Health degree, and then move on to be valuable as an "experienced" (sort of) nurse when I come back to the community I want to make a career in. So yes, there is a nursing shortage, but mostly where there is also a shortage of quality and accessible health care.

As for for-profit schools, please don't. They aren't interested in you, they're interested in profiting off of the disadvantage you're currently facing. Look specifically at public schools and technical schools that are non-profit, even if it takes three years, there are places that will employ you as a student with two semesters of clinical experience under your belt. You could also look into getting your CNA/CMA or PCT to start off with and then continue your education. The goal is to be the best, most prepared you can be when you sit for the NCLEX, so I would look at options other than for-profits. Remember, there is no one single right (or even linear) path to your goals!

SentinelTruth · Jan 22, 2016

You'll probably have good luck getting a nursing job in the rougher areas of Michigan... Saginaw, Flint, Detroit. Nursing homes are always desperate too.... at least around here. Covenant in Saginaw has over 100 RN listings, but all for night shift. MidMichigan in Midland is over 30 I believe. New RN in this area I think is around $23 an hour, McLaren in Bay City I think pays $31 an hour for BSN, but that is probably with experience... McLaren only accepts BSNs. If you work in the hard cities, I believe some of your debt can be forgiven too....

ready2baRN · Jan 22, 2016

I may can shed some light on your situation.

As far as the "for profit" schools go. I would do A LOT of research and determine if it is suitable for you. I"m currently a student at a for profit institution and I chose the school for three main reasons.

Reason 1. I already have a bachelors degree in another science related field and did all my prereqs at a regionally accredited college so I will have no issue transferring credits when I go to pursue my BSN.

Reason 2: As stated in reason 1 because I already have a bachelors degree and maxed out my undergrad loans I'm ineligible for financial aid. The school I attend awarded me 35k in scholarships plus with my transfer credits my total out of pocket expense will be around 8k (and I'm currently trying to apply for scholarships to cover that!)

Reason 3: Other schools I looked into told me it would be difficult for me to work and attend school or they flat out told me I couldn't work. This program is more geared towards the working adult.

AGAIN, research, research, research THOROUGHLY and decide if it will benefit you in the long run.

Nursing shortage? When I worked in nursing administration, our CNO would talk about the shortage often. We had a hard time keeping up with staffing needs and needed to often hire agency nurses to help with the staffing shortage. Also there may not be an "immediate" shortage, but looking at the long term all the baby boomers have to retire eventually and the profession need new nurses to fill those gaps. Plus there is a major shift of nurses leaving bedside and going into other areas of nursing because of how 'corporate' acute care has become. With all of those causes the effect will eventually be a shortage in the future.

augurey · Jan 23, 2016

If you're considering a for profit school, research it. Someone I "know" in a facebook group is considering a for profit school, but in her situation, it's properly accredited. Many for profit schools aren't, even if they have BON approval to sit the NCLEX.

If it's not accredited, you're going to probably pay a very hefty tuition while being very limited on where you can go to continue your education as well as it will likely severely decrease your job prospects (depending on where you live and what prospect employers expect of potential new employees).

I started at a for profit. 40k for an ADN, non-accredited with BON approval. No pre-reqs required. Admission requirements after getting a passing TEAS score (which was very low) were an essay and an interview with the DON. They also asked that you had some kind of medical background as that would help you succeed in the program. If you didn't have any medical background / experience, they wouldn't admit you until you had some and recommended their medical assisting program (convenient, eh?). One of my former classmates had to do that. When I asked about graduation and NCLEX pass rates, I was just told it varied year by year just because it just depends on the individual. When it felt like my former school was my only option, it felt too good to be true that I got accepted.

I've since moved on to an accredited school.

Back when I applied and started at the for profit, I felt like I was in a similar place as you. There were some benefits to me going as it , in the end, actually helped me get into the school I am in now despite the fact hat they were unaccredited and my GPA didn't count, but it doesn't sound like it's the same situation for you.

If I were you, work on your admission requirements / pre-reqs for the other accredited programs while working, and then apply (while trying to pay down some loans). If you're on a waiting list, work and pay down some loans. Even if the for profit is accredited, it might be a good idea to pay down some loans first as previously suggested.