money anxiety...

bano.bsn · Mar 19, 2009

I'm in the same boat. Except I already have about 30k in debt from my first degree at a state school in Ca. I'm starting a accelerated BSN in a week and have applied for financial aid which added up to about 40k for one year. It does make me nervous to be in so much debt, but I see it as a total investment in myself. These days, I want to be as marketable as possible and I think further down the road it will pay off to have that higher degree.

Good Luck!

oolilxminnieoo · Mar 19, 2009

I think it depends on what hospital you want to work in. Some hospital's pay more for nurses with their BSN versus ASN (for example NY), but some pay the same. I went to a two year college to obtain my associates degree in nursing and am now working at a hospital that pay their BSN and associate degree nurses the same. I decided not to pay for my BSN because the hospital I work with actually pays for you to go back to school. Each hospital facility is different in terms of tuitition reimbursement, but I was going to take advantage of that since I am pretty knee deep in debt from school loans (I also went to school for business also). Getting your Bachelor's in nursing is very important but I figured I want my experience and I can handle working and going to school. SO I guess I am trying to say is... the hospital's that you might be interested in working for in the future, you should really do your homework and find out if they have tuition reimbursement and if they do, make use of your resources at your job! It is also important to question yourself and know if you can handle the workload of work and going to school, whether full or part time.

snortzmom · Mar 19, 2009

I took the hit and graduated from an accelerated program May 2007. I think it depends on timing and wait lists.

Is there a wait list at the CC in your area? Some can be as long as 2-3 years. If not, I would go for the ASN and then bridge over to the BSN online.

If there is a long CC wait list, go for the Accelerated program. I worked part-time as an aide while in the accelerated program and only had to take out about 20k in student loans (monthly payment is 153 bucks a month for the next 10 years). However, the accelerated program is very very compact and stressful and my grades definitely suffered from the part time job. I virtually have zero chance of going back for my CRNA and now that I am in the nursing field it really sucks because it is the 1 thing I really like. If you have any clue that you might want to go to grad school I would definitely think twice about working during an accelerated program.

Good luck! SM

oramar · Mar 19, 2009

It sounds as if you don't really want to talk about the employment situation right now for new grads so I probably shouldn't bring this up. I just have to say that I would bet my house that people starting classes this year things will not have problems in three to five years when they graduate. Yes, new grads are having problems right now but if I were just starting nursing school I would not be too concerned. The tight job market came up so fast it gives me the feeling it will turn back to a favorable job seekers market as quickly also. Some would say "how do you know what is going to happen". I don't really KNOW but after 40 years of watching these swings I have gotten very good at guessing what is going to happen. Naturally I can't say that on a given day such and such is going to happen but longer term the job market for nurses will be wide open.

RNDreams · Mar 19, 2009

hopefully by the time you graduate, hospitals or any facilities that hire rn's will be back to offering jobs to new grads as well as sign on bonuses, and ideally tuition repayment options. i wouldn't worry that much, i think your parents are right, i am not in ns yet but i have friends who have been or currently are and you would be surprised (that if you want to and can) the number of places that i call student friendly and pay ok but mainly allow students in intense day programs to work part time and basically make their own schedule. most of my friends told me that these are places that are great to make that little bit of money for living expenses and the jobs aren't bad either, just places that they didn't consider when they weren't in ns.

that may be a thread that you want to start under your state region because i am sure a lot of people will have input as to where they worked p/t during ns to get by and get rid of that anxiety. i had people tell me they did better in ns when working as opposed to when they weren't, no time for procrastination, but it just depends on your personality and what you prefer.

good luck, this is the main thing that has kept me out of ns for too many years so i am just getting my a.s. in business this summer b/c i was so scared to let go of my well paying day job in management, well i lost my well paying day job and my husband and i are coming up with creative ways to keep afloat and that is why ns is finally back in the picture b/c we know we have been making it work while i look for a new job so we can make it work for ns which has a much higher return on investment after struggling for a short time when you think of the span of your whole life.

take care,

christine

:heartbeat

ZenStudent · Mar 19, 2009

Thanks so much for the thoughtful advice everyone! I feel a lot better about everything :wink2: I think I'm going to go ahead and go for the BSN and try to remind myself that the loan will be worth it in the end.

I guess the good thing about my situation is that I'm young and have no family of my own to worry about. Also, I am not too attached to the area I live at the moment, so I may make a big move somewhere new with some good opportunities for new grads.

Thanks again!

cruisin_woodward · Mar 19, 2009

yeah, I have $45000 in undergrad, and another $50000 to go for my DNP ($600/credit hr)! I have no idea how I will pay it back!!

Agrippa · Mar 19, 2009

wow you think 7k in loans right now is bad? If you really want to feel bad, read some of the stories here:

http://www.studentloanjustice.org/

Cranmans · Mar 19, 2009

7k....50k.... that is so much money (lol). Make you maxed out your grants....how about scholarships....there is so much money out there....you may have to research and find some....but taking out loans....especially in this market, no thanks, for me.

Mollypita · Mar 19, 2009

Since you are so young, you should be fine, assuming you are reasonably good at managing money. At my age (36) I would definitely do the ASN route, as I chose to three years ago and graduated without debt. It was definitely worth it, but I wouldn't mind having that BSN too. However, my employer will pay for that if I really want it. Good luck, and work hard!

w2bhappy · Mar 20, 2009

I could have started this thread. Been spending the last 3 months online trying to figure this out. Now Im considering my local CC Assoc. degree. The deadline is tomorrow. Applied to 3 Accel BSN programs cuz Id like to put my psych degree to some use (which I received 12 y ago). Im still waiting to hear back from 2 schools. Im 9K in credit debt and no idea where any of the money will come but I feel like it will definitely be worth it in the end. I do wonder......do hospitals look at where you got your BSN? Does that even matter? Im looking at 50K student loans. Spent $150 to apply to one school and have to wait till Im in to see if I can afford it.. this is screwed up. Thanks for all the help and reassurance that Im not the only one in this sit.