$20k+ for LVN school....is it worth it?

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I have wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl. Life happened, and now I'm married with three little kids and no education. I thought about taking the LVN route (at Concorde in Arlington) because it wouldn't take as long, and I need to start working asap, but is it worth it? If I went that route I would bridge over to RN as soon as I could. I've read on here that most LVN's work in nursing homes or hospice, which I don't mind, but how much do they make? Would it be enough to justify the high tuition? Do new LVN's have a hard time finding jobs in the DFW area? Would the LVN experience help when looking for a job as a GN? I understand that nursing isn't all about the money, but right now I can't afford to take out a huge student loan if I can't afford to pay the bills and the loan payments after I graduate.

Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for any info!

And if anyone here knows anything about the Concorde program I would love to hear about it.

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Honestly, I would suggest taking the courses and going through your local community college; or another college close to you to get your LVN. You may be able to qualify for a Pell grant which would pay for your school. That amount-$20,000 is just too high to comprehend and not worth it-IMO .

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This site has had 10 or 20 people ask this same question in last year. I recommend you use search function top right and read all the previous discussions. They might help. But I agree with above post go to a community college and check out that possubilty before assuming spending large cash will be quicker and easier. Colleges in Texas are almost free you cant beat them for any price.

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I did do a search. but didn't find the answers I was looking for. And what community colleges near Arlington offer LVN courses? I can't find any. In fact, the only school that I can find at all is Concorde.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

I paid way less for that for my BSN.. and that is w/o scholarships or any fin aid.

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I paid way less for that for my BSN.. and that is w/o scholarships or any fin aid.

I understand the cost is outrageous. I think I'm just going to slowly take my prereq's and hopefully be ready to apply to UTA or TCC within the next 10 years. :wink2:

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$20k + for lvn,i wouldn't recommend someone i know to do it, take a few courses at the community college(tcc,dccd)and go for the rn if not bsn.as for local community colleges around dfw area, you have to be willing to commute a least an hour depending on where you live in the dfw area. check out these community colleges; weatherford, cleburne, corsicana and tyler.

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Thanks Jean36! Corsicana and Tyler are totally out of the question, but I didn't even know there was a school in Cleburne! That's not too far from me so I'll check it out.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Weatherford College, North Central Texas College, Grayson Junior College, and a few other community colleges in North Texas offer the LVN program.

Although I know that some of these schools are far from your home, please realize that many people in DFW commute to schools many miles away from their locations. They apply to multiple nursing programs and feel fortunate to even get admitted into even one of them due to all the competition in the area.

I attended a pricey trade school for my LVN education back in 2005 and have no regrets for going that route. I am now enrolled in an RN program. The money I spent on the LVN diploma has been earned back many times over.

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Although I know that some of these schools are far from your home, please realize that many people in DFW commute to schools many miles away from their locations. They apply to multiple nursing programs and feel fortunate to even get admitted into even one of them due to all the competition in the area.

I realize this, but driving over an hour a day to school and then back is just not possible right now. Location was one of the top reasons why I was even looking at Concorde.

Weatherford is about 45 miles, so not too bad. Do you have any information on the school in Cleburne? I'm not finding much on the internet.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Weatherford is about 45 miles, so not too bad. Do you have any information on the school in Cleburne? I'm not finding much on the internet.
It's called Hill College. Hill College has several campuses in North Texas, with one of them located in Cleburne.
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yes, you can look up www.hillcollege.edu, i don't know exactly where you live, there is also tarleton state university in stephenville, it's about 1.5 hours from arlington, that's where i went to school, there are always people to commute with.

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