Looking into Nursing Program, Weighing my options

[jerp]

hello all,

i am looking for advice on which program would be the most logical in my situation to attend.

i have a bachelors of music and have applied to (schools in houston texas) chamberlain school of nursing, houston baptist university, and houston community college. i have been accepted to hcc where i plan to take some pre requisites i did not meet while gaining my bm.

i already applied to chamberlain and i am currently studying to take the hesi a2 exam before i can learn of an acceptance.

i have already applied at hbu undergrad program and have no idea when i will be contacted to notify me if i was accepted or not. i was told that completing as few as 12 credits will give me preference when i decide to apply to their nursing program.

there are three options that i have if i am accepted to all three. ( not sure of the chances that it will happen)

1. would you advise i take all of my pre requisites at hcc (fall 2011) and possibly complete adn and then transfer to hbu? (expected cost for entire program approx. $5,000 at hcc)

2. start at chamberlain (summer/fall 2011) and complete my bsn in three years?

$69,000

3. attend hbu (spring 2012) and complete bsn in 4 years?

$79,000

since this is my second degree i am hesitant to spend $69,000-$79,000 dollars for a second degree.

what would you do in my situation? which has a well known respectable reputation? which would future employers prefer?

thank you in advance for all of your help!

:)

*i currently volunteer at a hospital and i will be applying to cna course during summer of 2011 to start working in a hospital.

[jerp]

Another thing to consider is getting a job in a hospital now. Many hospitals will help pay (or pay for entirely) your schooling. Our local hospital even has ties with the community college that ensures X amount of their employees be accepted into the nursing program each semester, so people working there can get away with not waiting the two years that I'll have waited when I start in the fall.

Thats a great idea. I currently work at a Pain Clinic doing billing so maybe I can find a job in the hospital and try to make my way in. Tuition assistant/reimbursement would be lovely.

[msward1987]

I got accepted into Chamberlain and I begin classes this summer. I also have a Bachelors degree which helped me out tremendously. The only bad thing is how expensive the school is. I do not want any more loans, so I have been applying to as many scholarships as I can, one of which is the Nursing Scholarship program which if you get it they will pay for your entire nursing education but you have to dedicate two years to a facility where there is a shortage of nurses. My advice to you would be to apply to BSN programs because I heard more hospitals want you to have a BSN now rather than a ADN. Even though they both are RN's, so I dont get the point.

[allikay1]

Has anyone heard from the HBU nursing program yet? Spring 2012.

[sc0628]

I am interested in learning more about Chamberlan in the Houston area and if they will accept transfer credits. Also, I am looking at HBU as well. Anyone have any advice?

Thanks,

Sc

[furelite]

I would totally take the pre-reqs at the Community College. Then you can either go forward with the ADN there, transfer to get your BSN, or get your ADN and then get a BSN through an online or hybrid program. Any of these will be much less than 70K. I have just applied to an ABSN program, and in order to do so I had to first complete 30 hrs of pre-reqs and I already have a Masters Degree in Psychology! I went to a private university the first time around, so they did not follow the Texas state core curriculum. This meant that in addition to getting all the sciences and whatnot, I had to take two semesters of Government and one of History! Oh, and wouldn't you know that of all the classes I took to get my masters in psychology, the ONE course (Lifespan Psych) needed for a pre-req to the ABSN program that I needed was one I didn't have under my other degrees! Talk about insult to injury. Anyway, I completed all 3O hours over one academic year at a Community College for maybe 3K. ONE CLASS at the University was going to cost $1200. Community Colleges are great for saving money.

[BusyBee91]

I'm in the same boat with trying to find financing for a second bachelors - to the extent actually, that I'm leaning towards the MSN-CNL - which is a entry to practice GENERALIST degree - so you qualify for graduate funding, but you are still just a regular RN when you graduate. Either way, I would DEFINITELY take your pre-reqs at the CC. In my experience, you can easily (and cheaply!) get a quality education at the CC level, if you are willing to research the professors before signing up, and put in the effort. Ratemyprofessor is my best friend!