MCI 's cost is ridiculas

smn2010, BSN, RN · Aug 7, 2009

interesting....$633 month for how many months??? my girlfriend is considering mci but she has not gone to discuss anything with admin/financial aid yet. is it true that the rn program is $40k+ a year??

TAANDOHRN · Aug 7, 2009

I have a friend (in Va bch) that is taking the MCI route and states that it is right around $40,000! Thats a lot and I heard that your credits wont transfer! To know for sure you can look up the accredited schools on the board of nursing website.

smn2010, BSN, RN · Aug 8, 2009

taandoh:

you're right, the credits do not transfer with the lpn program at mci!!! at mci in the lpn program, the lpns that decide to pursue an rn degree at other universities, they are no further ahead in the program than students who have no medical experience/nursing prerequisites. they have to retake, a&p, biology, psych, etc. all over again if they intend to advance to an rn program. [...the mci a&p book is about only 1/2-1" thick (about 150-200 pages and covers the "basics" of all body systems) while the local community college a&p book is about 3" thick and comes with a workbook/lab book!!!...] i am not sure about the transfer of credits with mci's new bsn progam. it is supposed to be accredited (but so is their lpn program). for $40,000....it is sad that the mci students are paying so much money and still have to test out of courses or possibly repeat courses if they intend to advance their education.

Lil' Pretty Nurse · Aug 8, 2009

interesting....$633 month for how many months??? my girlfriend is considering mci but she has not gone to discuss anything with admin/financial aid yet. is it true that the rn program is $40k+ a year??

i would have to pay the $633 for 14 or 15 months!!! that was to much money for me!!!

sambollina · Aug 11, 2009

I went to ECPI which is part of MCI to their LPN program, which ran about 25,000. Yes, it is a lot of money. But it is also a good LPN program. Considering that in Northern VA nursing schools are closing down all around due to losing their accreditation, it was a safe choice. My class was large in comparison to the other classes, about 15 people, and every single one passed the NCLEX-PN exam. When I began at the school, my class size was about 30 students, and by the second term, was down to half. It is a tough program, and weeds out those who are not really devoted to becoming a nurse. I will not say that the program was perfect by any means, i still have my complaints, including the cost of course. But in the end I was glad I went there. I have heard horror stories from classmates who went to other schools that cost about 11,000 and the schools closed down while they were attending and they did not get a refund and their credits did not transfer either anywhere. I really would recommend overall to go for your RN in the first place rather than LPN to RN...You will save money and time in the end. They also had a night program at the school in Manassas, which was slower paced and allowed students to work in the day time. A lot of students worked as home care nurses so they would go see their patients early and then head to school. It worked out well for them honestly. Good luck

jrbw113 · Aug 12, 2009

I met with MCI today in Newport News. Their tuition is $34,825, I wonder why the difference. However, she said it "may" go up in the fall, they haven't decided yet. I guess that's a "red flag"! Do you know of anyone that has gone through the program and gotten hired? I'm am still considering this route, even with the cost, because it's so quick. I'm concerned that the clinicals aren't long enough to really learn the info.

TAANDOHRN · Aug 12, 2009

Yes... I have heard that Sentara give the most hands on clinical experience in the nursing program. I have from some older nurses that students from MCI and Nofolk State seem to take longer to catch on then Sentara or TCC.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 12, 2009

Yes... I have heard that Sentara give the most hands on clinical experience in the nursing program. I have from some older nurses that students from MCI and Nofolk State seem to take longer to catch on then Sentara or TCC.

Sentara does have the most clinical experience for their students...but keep in mind, Sentara's got several hospitals and facilities to give them their experience at. It helps when you own the clinical sites

I met with MCI today in Newport News. Their tuition is $34,825, I wonder why the difference. However, she said it "may" go up in the fall, they haven't decided yet. I guess that's a "red flag"! Do you know of anyone that has gone through the program and gotten hired? I'm am still considering this route, even with the cost, because it's so quick. I'm concerned that the clinicals aren't long enough to really learn the info.

I don't know of anyone who went to MCI and gotten hired recently, but that's not so much a reflection on MCI's ability as it is on the fact that right now the area is swamped with new grads...and since most of the hospitals are Sentara ones, guess to which students the majority of the area's new grad hospital spots are going to :)

That's not to say that MCI/TCC/Norfolk/other new grads can't get hired--they can--but it's tough to get into the hospitals when, besides Sentara, a couple of the area's other hospital chains have their own NS attached to them as well.

One of my friends knows someone who teaches at MCI in NN: I'll ask her to see what she can find out for you.

jrbw113 · Aug 12, 2009

That would be great! Thanks I really appreciate it.

sambollina · Aug 17, 2009

I live in the D.C area and went to MCI and some people found jobs. But in this area there are few nursing jobs open and very few for new grads. Most places are laying off, not hiring here, so I think that greatly affects it. I dunno, most people I have talked to that work in nursing have heard of MCI's nursing program here and are impressed by the nurses that they have worked with from the program. I think no matter what school you go to, you need to be proactive in learning skills. I saw plenty of students stand around at clinicals acting like they knew it all and didn't need to be there. So always participate in what you can. At MCI we had pretty amazing skills labs, and if we asked for extra skill days we would get them. You just have to keep in mind that MCI considers itself to be an accelerated course, so no you might not spend as much time in the lab. Yes it is not perfect, but if you jump at skills in clinicals and let the instructor know what you want or need to work on, they usually try to get them for you as long as you are participating in clinicals and not standing around not doing anything. I dunno about the other schools, never looked into them since they are not in my local area and at the time i went to school i was unable to relocate.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 22, 2009

That would be great! Thanks I really appreciate it.

Reporting back from my sources: yes, some MCI graduates are getting hired around here, but not many because it's a very tight market for new grads--there's lots of GNs in the area and not enough openings.