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

[020405Mama]

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.

[Matthew700]

To me the money is worth it if it helps me to accomplish my goals as quickly as possible. To me the cost is not as important as is the terms that the money is repaid. Thanks to my aid I didn't come with much out of pocket and then I don't have to repay till I'm out of school for good which is another 3 years away. By that time I will have the skillset and earning potential to easily pay off this amount. Let me ask you. Would you rather get to making some money and having a job with possible loan repayment and tution reimbursement for your future plans or be like everyone in my graduating class. They all ended up here after wasting time and realizing that the pre-req's took another yr and then the waiting list was long and not knowing when they were going to get in so planning was hard. I applaude you going to school and this is just how I see the other side of the forest.

PS: If I had the pre-req's and could do it all over again and could get in then I would do the weekend and online nursing program in gainsville at the community college. www.nctc.edu

[Alum08]

I think it is only worth it if you don't have any student loans yet and you are having trouble getting into a regular program. I thought about it too. I already have a bachelor's degree and about 60k in student loans. soooo... that program didn't seem realistic. I think LVNs are making near 40k. So I think that if you 150% sure about being a LVN and you dedicate yourself to the program. I hear those schools are a lot harder and you still have to pay if you quit or need to withdraw for any reason.

[TxPedsRN]

There is Navarro College, thier main campus is in Corsicana, but they have a campus in Waxahachie, which is where I went to get my LVN and I lived in Arlington at the time. There were 2 other girls driving from Arlington, so we carpooled and it wasn't so bad. You could look into getting your prerequisites at Tarrant County College.

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

No. Go to a community college and get your RN or even a state school and get your BSN. It would be cheaper. I don't know Texas but if California you can get your LVN at a community college and tuition is only 26/ unit with only 64 units for an AS. (Thats under $2,000 not including books; chump change compared to $20,000). Its 3 semesters long; Fall, Spring, and Summer.