LVN programs

[jetgirl]

I decided to get into nursing less than a year ago and I've been trying to take my prereqs - but it is so competitive (they want straight A's!) to get into the schools (I want an assoc. degree) and my current job as a patient care tech is so stressful (because of colleagues who don't know the meaning of professionalism) that I've decided to take another path. I'll become an LVN and then take a bridge program to RN later on and I can still make a decent living.

My question is, I live in the Dallas area and I've looked into this school in my area, North Texas Professional Institute, and everything sounds great (12 month program and an easy high school level entrance exam) - the only problem is the tuition which is upwards of 15k. I'll have to take out a loan and I'm sure I'll pay it off eventually.

There is another school that is 3 long hours away in the middle of nowhere! that is only 5k, I think. I still need to call the school for more info but I'm not too keen on driving everyday there (I don't even want to think about the cost of gas) .

Does anyone have any suggestions for alternatives? By the way, the main reason I'm interested in the Dallas school is that I can basically get in the program without much effort - I'm trying to get away from spending another year taking pre-reqs.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Does your employer offer tuition reimbursement? That can help defray the cost. Some employers base the amount of tuition reimbursement on the final grade you get though.

Going back to the idea of going the ADN route, is it possible to plan to take the science pre-reqs one at a time so you can put in the maximum study time to get the "A"s needed?

Check the state board of nursing and ask about nursing loans and scholarships. There are supposed to be plenty of them out there. It's a matter of finding them. Also, some hospitals are getting very creative in offering to pay off tuition in return for a promise for the nurse to work a certain number of years for the facility. Again, your state board of nursing or state hospital association may be of help in finding those programs if any exist in your area.