Kaplan college in San Diego RN program

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Hi, I will be starting the RN program with Kaplan as soon as we relocate. My husband's in the Military so the wait lists at other colleges turned me away from them.

Do any of you go to Kaplan? If so, how did it work out for the student loans and stuff , I am confused. It seems as if tuition is around 45000 for the couple years of the program. I am eligible for the pell grant and the military grant of 3000 per year. But would the loans be able to cover everything else since it's a vocational school more than a traditional college? Thanks!

Please remember most people in this thread are trying to get into the program and are not going to have the most objective view of the program or it's dangers. I've put in my two cents, and have passed on the warnings from fellow nursing students who have witnessed the issues first hand - my statement is bold, but I have no tolerance for this program's offerings or the money machine they run. There are no short cuts in life. Kaplan feels differently. You decide. ~

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Specializes in ER psych.
I'm sorry but I've read this whole thread front to end and end to front and this is actually the first negative thing I've seen. That is a really bold statement to make, do you have any evidence to back it up? if so, please tell us everything you know so we may be out of ignorance.

I will chime in with what I know from personal experience (I work in an ER, am about to enter nursing school, and know tons of nurses). New grad jobs are EXTREMELY hard to come by now. To give you an example, Scripps just had a new grad program, over 200 applicants for 40 jobs. However 25-35 of those jobs were already taken by internal applicants. This left 5-10 jobs for the remaining 180 applicants. You do the math.

At Sharp, for their new grad program, they had almost 1100 applicants for less than 20 positions, again with a lot of those positions being filled internally.

New grads don't have a chance unless they are already working at a hospital. Ask any nurse in school right now how to get a job. They'll tell you the exact same thing as I'm writing. If you are in nursing school and don't have a job in a hospital doing something else (HCP, LVN, CNA, etc), your chances of getting a job in a hospital upon graduation are extremely slim. This is something Kaplan and every other school won't tell you.

And don't get me started on ADN nurses. If you are planning on going to school and aren't at least shooting for a BSN, you're chances of landing a job right now are less than slim because you're going to be competing with all the new grad BSN students.

I just looked at my hospitals new grad hire list. Out of the 15 or so nurses they hired, 2 of them did not have a BSN.

Another problem is the Phillipines. They are oversupplying the world market with nurses.

If you think things are gonna be peachy when you graduate, just Google "nursing glut". Enjoy!

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Another problem is the Phillipines. They are oversupplying the world market with nurses.

If you think things are gonna be peachy when you graduate, just Google "nursing glut". Enjoy!

This sounds like a personal problem to me.....

Did you know that South America is oversupplying the world market with cocaine?!? I'm pretty sure that's a more serious issue than an oversupply of nurses!!!

Also, Scripps and Sharp are NOT the only two places in the world to apply to as an RN!!! If you want life to be peachy then nursing isn't for you...it's about helping others not yourself.

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Specializes in ER psych.
This sounds like a personal problem to me.....

If you want life to be peachy then nursing isn't for you...it's about helping others not yourself.

It's about helping others. But you have to GET A JOB and help yourself before you can help others. That's a basic fact of life, and one you should know as a wanna-be-nurse. Once you get your head out of the clouds, you'll see that I'm just trying to give advice based on reality.

Sharp and Scripps aren't the only two places to work, but in order to get most jobs, i.e. traveling nurse, registry, etc. they want 1 year ACUTE experience. Guess where you get that?

As far as the Philipines goes, I'm just giving a fact here. One hospital in Nor Cal actually went as far as banning the hiring of Filipino nurses who were here on Visas. Looks like I hit a sore spot with you:rolleyes:

I'm just trying to provide people on here with some advice based on my experience and the experience of nurses I know. The fact that most people wanting to go to school for nursing have absolutely no idea what the market is like is scary.

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The "ADN" certificate program at Kaplan costs over 50k. You will need to find a job immediately upon graduation in order to begin to pay back that amount of debt. You will not be able to find a job and you will be shocked and amazed to see just how fast 50k in school debt becomes 70k with interest. You will be paying back the loans forever. As far as I can tell, there is only a small handful of people who would ever have a half baked decent reason to go to this factory; if you have a military bill that will pay for most of your certificate; if you have money coming out your ears and simply want the letters "RN" after your name, but don't actually intend to ever work as a nurse; or if you're flat out CRAZY.

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It's about helping others. But you have to GET A JOB and help yourself before you can help others. That's a basic fact of life, and one you should know as a wanna-be-nurse. Once you get your head out of the clouds, you'll see that I'm just trying to give advice based on reality.

Sharp and Scripps aren't the only two places to work, but in order to get most jobs, i.e. traveling nurse, registry, etc. they want 1 year ACUTE experience. Guess where you get that?

As far as the Philipines goes, I'm just giving a fact here. One hospital in Nor Cal actually went as far as banning the hiring of Filipino nurses who were here on Visas. Looks like I hit a sore spot with you:rolleyes:

I'm just trying to provide people on here with some advice based on my experience and the experience of nurses I know. The fact that most people wanting to go to school for nursing have absolutely no idea what the market is like is scary.

"Better to soar like an eagle than quack like a duck....."

How did you know I had a sore spot??? I went white-water rafting last weekend and it took a toll on my body :lol2: BTW the only VISA I know about is the plastic one I swipe at the grocery store...

Here are some basic facts of life that people can actually use......

1. Getting a job is a job in itself. It took me four months of applying to numerous places as an LVN before I got 3 job offers at one time (I accepted one full-time job at the VA and another part-time at a Substance Abuse Clinic)...so don't be discouraged (and I've never been asked what school I went to either)

2. Debt will always be there for the majority of Americans. Once you start getting a paycheck then pay-off the debt. But if you're not willing to work after school than it's probably better to go on a non-private school route instead.

3. Don't waste your life being bitter and resentful...especially if you want to be a nurse. Life is way too short.

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Specializes in ER psych.

3. Don't waste your life being bitter and resentful...especially if you want to be a nurse. Life is way too short.

That is some good advice. Kudos!

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"Better to soar like an eagle than quack like a duck....."

1. Getting a job is a job in itself. It took me four months of applying to numerous places as an LVN before I got 3 job offers at one time (I accepted one full-time job at the VA and another part-time at a Substance Abuse Clinic)...so don't be discouraged (and I've never been asked what school I went to either)

2. Debt will always be there for the majority of Americans. Once you start getting a paycheck then pay-off the debt. But if you're not willing to work after school than it's probably better to go on a non-private school route instead.

3. Don't waste your life being bitter and resentful...especially if you want to be a nurse. Life is way too short.

I'm so glad someone here is actually being positive about all of this. I agree with you 100% MdgL26.

Not everything is perfect, it's always hard to find a job no matter what degree you have in this damn economy. Why do you think there are so many people with their bachelors but are still working minimum wage jobs? jesus. Nursing, like any other medical field, is always going to be needed everywhere at anytime in the whole world. How many people do you know with their RN, whether it's BSN or ADN that don't have a job? EXACTLY. Even if they don't have have at the moment or it takes them a little while longer, they will eventually get one. No duh, there's NO nurse out there who doesn't have a job. And if they don't, it's only cuz they didn't apply to enough places. There are things in this life called NETWORKING, PERSISTENCE, DETERMINATION,AND PURE WILL TO SUCCEED IN LIFE.

I just recently got in the program and I am not going to let all this negativity get to me. Pathetic. I don't get why certain people are so damn bitter about all this. It sounds more a like a personal problem to me, no offense. Unlike you guys, there are people out there who are actually thinking positively about there situation and always have their chin up.

You know what I think? I think that once I start the program this September, I'm going to work my ass off for the 1.5-2 years I'm in Kaplan, get the best grades I can get, and learn everything there is to be the best nurse I could ever be. And once I pass the board exam and become an RN, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to smile, build my already well-established network of working nurses, and apply EVERYWHERE. I know without a doubt that I'm going to get a job no matter what( even with an ADN only) and do you know why? Because I have no choice but to succeed. And so do millions of other people in the world.

So please, go ahead and continue with your negativity, it's only making me want to rebel and push me forward that much more, while making you worse of a person and that much more bitter.

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Specializes in ER psych.
Because I have no choice but to succeed. And so do millions of other people in the world.

Hopefully those millions of other people wont be fighting for the same new grad spot as you:eek:

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.....

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Specializes in ER psych.
I could keep going but i m pretty sure you get my drift.

Actually, most of the message was incomprehensible. I really can't get past the poor grammar and all the misspelled words.

I really hope that any nurse who treats me can not only speak English, but read it and write it.

p.s. and it's all good. I'm not mad. I wasn't the one who paid $50k to go to that school!

So let's stop with all the attacks. I point out a few legitimate facts and get personally attacked? Real classy Kaplan nurses, real classy!

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Thanks for the advice. I appreciate you spending some time to tell us how the nursing job market is.

But I already know that ever since I started researching about going into nursing last year.

I have read this NSNA flyer a long time ago- http://www.nsna.org/Portals/0/Skins/NSNA/pdf/RealitiesOfTheCurrentJobMarket.pdf as well as other nursing websites and specially the posts of the nurses in this forum who had or still are having difficulty finding a job.

But I still decided to go on and pursue Nursing and I AM NOT WORRIED. :smokin:

I was an engineer, I have a Land Surveyor-in-Training CA license, I've been fixing computers for 15 years...etc.etc.. my point is, I can do something else while waiting for a nursing job after nursing school no matter how long it takes.

And with this economy, is there any career where its easy to land a job right after graduating?

As long as hospitals offer New Grad programs then I know I'll have a chance.

If they only accept a few out of hundreds then why can't I be that "few"?

I was a single sperm out of millions and I am here today. :lol2:

Lastly, I know $54K is a lot of money. But I know my math and I always lived within my means, so I know I can pay for my loans after school with or without a nursing position. :)

P.S. I don't know if I missed some posts, but who is attacking who?

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