How much did your nursing education cost you? Worth it?

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2011

i took my master's a hunnert years or so ago, and most all of the cutting-edge clinical stuff in my field then is old news now (not all, though, for sure). but it still opens doors, because it says i was willing to take the risk to do that cutting-edge stuff; learn how to read, conduct, and evaluate research; integrate all that into my daily practice (whatever it was/is); and keep life-long learning in my life. good things to communicate to potential employers or clients. mine was, oh, hell, i wanna say around $6k, but that was when florence was a probie. has repaid me many, many times over. do it.

Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2011

My initial ASN nursing degree via EC was approx 10K - I did it quickly. The investment paid for itself many times over.

Overall with a BS and other college experiences - less than another 10K and never had any debt.

Money spend on an education, though an investment, is still real money.

Spend wisely and carefully.

Good Luck.

:angel:

joanna73, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2011

It cost me around 35 000 for my 4 year BSN program. Well worth it.

Southern Magnolia · Jun 28, 2011

I'm just getting started (in August) as a second degree BSN student. The 5 semester program will cost around 15K give or take. I'll only be taking nursing core courses. I'm praying I'll be able to get a job when the program is over.

kythe, LPN · Jun 28, 2011

I paid out of pocket for prereqs that I took individually (usually 1 class per semester), and I never totalled what that cost. Once I entered nursing school full time, my loans totalled $12,000 for the two semesters I went before earning my LPN in 2007. Tuition itself was a fraction of that cost, but as the sole financial provider for my family, I needed loans to cover living expenses as well. It was completely worth it, since I have more than doubled my salary and have a real career.

My career mistake was becoming a Medical Assistant many years ago. I went to a private vocational school for only 9 months and wracked up $12,000 in debt that I still haven't entirely paid off yet. The only thing I had to show for it was a $9.50/hr job, no different in pay than many careers that do not require "college" education at all.

healthstar, BSN, RN · Jun 29, 2011

Over 30,000/ year

shannons1 · Jun 29, 2011

I've been a FNP for 14 years(RN for 19) & I would advise to pay for as much as you possibly can out of pocket, go to the program that delivers best education for a reasonable price. The most important thing I realized over my first few years as a NP is the learning only truly begins after you get that first terrifying job and it is a much easier transition when you don't owe thousands in school debt!!!

demylenated, BSN, RN · Jun 29, 2011

Yikes I went to an ECPI private vocational nursing school that only offered the LPN classes. This was 12 years ago. It was almost $13,000. I was young, naive, and wanted to go to school THEN!!! And, it was the one I could get into within 2 weeks. All the rest had waiting lists. I STILL have my loans. My ADN is costing me a total of about $5,000. Mt BSN will probably be an additional $7,000 if I go that route (I may go straight to MS or DR). This time I am PAYING AS I GO! No more loans, at least, not yet.

Worth it? ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY!!! I made the 13,000 extra the first year I worked!

BUT, I am actually VERY glad that I did go to the LPN school I did. I am finding the LPNs that I am in transition with are STRUGGLING with the program (and they only graduated, on average, 5 years ago), and passing with 2 points above what is needed. I have an almost 100% average (and I haven't studied nearly as hard as they have - and it is not because I am *that* smart, it is because my education was *that* good)!! At the school I went to, there was NO REST and they POUNDED the stuff into my brain. We started with 28 students, and only graduated with 6!!

Good luck.

KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN · Jun 29, 2011

Over 30,000/ year

30k/yr????? That's 120k total! That is complete insanity.

shhhh · Jun 29, 2011

I went through an ADN program at a CC right after high school (graduated HS in 2000 and then nursing school in 2003). I was really lucky; my parents let me live at home as long as I wanted and all I was responsible for was my tuition, books, car expenses, clothing and helping out with the grocery bill. I worked 20 hrs a week through the school year, and then full time in the summers. I managed my money well and took advantage of my school's payment plan. I paid about 5k for my ADN, and I ended up having a few thousand in savings when I graduated. Now, with shift differentials, charge nurse differentials, mandatory on-call shifts and some overtime shifts every once in a while, I can make in the very low 100k range a year. So I think my $5k degree is worth it's weight in gold and then a few pounds more, but I know that if I was completely responsible for myself monetarily while in school, I would have had to take out loans to survive. I was able to finance a house and buy a couple cars with cash sooner than I would have if I had any student loans to pay, so I'm utterly grateful for my parent's support to this day.

Now, I'm currently taking classes towards my BSN, and I'm paying $50 per credit because I'm employed at my university's hospital. I don't know if I want to pursue NP or CRNA eventually, but I think if I were to stop at a BSN, my entire education will cost me a little under 10k. That's still an incredibly low price tag, especially for this day and age.

Five&Two Will Do · Jun 29, 2011

I am an ADN. In NC there ae great incentives to aid nursing students. Between pell grants that I received (single parent) and those incentives, I actually came out ahead about $6000 after the five semesters were over. I have been looking at some of the online rn-bsn programs. I am probably going to pay out the yang for those so in the end I may be out $10K.