MedTech College v.s. Ivy Tech

[jhinds12]

PLEASE COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Hi everyone! My name is Jessica and I am currently 23, single mother, and working at my local hospital as a mental health tech. I have been interested in nursing for a while now and was accepted into Ivy Tech of Columbus campus PN program, I was very excited when I found out, this was this year by the way, however once I started the program it was not what I had thought/hoped it would be.

Ivy Tech is just not a good school in my opinion, at least from my experience. We started off with 15 PN students, after just the first semester of classes 7 out of the 15 failed Fundamentals. Later on after the second semester we now only have 3 students on track to graduate on time. This is insane to me! I feel like that is a horrible statistic to start off with 15 students and then after two semesters only have 3 on track to graduate on time. Again this is at the Columbus campus, so it may be different at other campuses.

After thinking about something's and considering my future, I looked into MedTech College in Indianapolis. So far so good, I have met with an admissions advisor and a financial aid advisor. I really like the atmosphere that MedTech offers as well as the free tutoring. Only down fall is that they are expensive compared to Ivy Tech, but you get what you pay for. The Indianapolis campus is accredited for their PN program so their credits will transfer for those individuals wanting to further their education...you can find their accreditations on their website.

I just wanted to see what other people think about the two schools and what their experiences have been. Thanks for your help!

[myoglobin, ASN, BSN, MSN]

Well, as an Ivy Tech graduate (Indianapolis ASN class of 2008) I am biased. However, my wife's sister in law suffered greatly at Med Tech. She couldn't afford her tuition the third semester into the program and they literally gave her the boot from classes. The cost difference between Ivy Tech and Med Tech is probably on the order of 20K for an ASN. Also, at least in Indianapolis where we had over 500 applicants for 60 ASN spots I felt that the caliber of student was quite high. I had SAT's in the high 1200's (back when the max was 1600) and a 3.8 GPA in a four year program and I was one of the "weaker" students in my class (our average TEAS percentile score was around 95% percentile). The instruction was sometimes hit and miss the the instructors worked hard to make it work for everyone and my classmates were amazingly awesome.

[jhinds12]

Maybe it was just the Columbus campus then, our ATI average score for our class was never that high...we didn't even come close. We were all scoring around 40-50% on them, every time. I just think it looks bad that we started with 15 and then only 3 will graduate on time and that is if all three of them make it threw the final semester.

[myoglobin, ASN, BSN, MSN]

Keep in mind that with Ivy Tech you could commute to other campuses such as Indianapolis. It may be that there are unique factors such as a difficult instructor with a poor attitude that is creating the issue. Also, you might consider going for the ASN program. I believe that they may be "unfairly" increasing the difficulty of LPN programs because of the emphasis on ASN/BSN nursing (this is a theory, but it is based upon the rhetoric that I heard among instructors while a student there back in the early 2000's). Also, if you are going to pay the big bucks required for Med tech college you might consider other private colleges like the University of Indianapolis which have relatively high acceptance rates for their BSN programs (mostly because of their high price tags and thus relatively lower demand relative to public schools). However, the high tuition might be offset by increased financial aide and scholarships especially if your income is lower and if you have multiple children. Good luck and many blessings.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Moved to our Colleges forum for more replies.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

You think Ivy Tech is not a good school, but MedTech is? Really? Have you researched MedTech at all? They are or even accredited and the IN BON is about to strip them of even allowing their students to take the NCLEX. That school is nothing but a scam.

I graduated from Ivy Tech Anderson. Their programs have some of the best NCLEX pass rates in the state. I have a friend that went to MedTech for a year and now owes over $15k to MedTech and doesn't even have a her LPN certificate.

Research the Internet for MedTech. They are a scam. Ivy Tech is a good school. Yes, it's hard. But that is why their graduates are hired above others. I was told by nurses on my unit, Oh you graduated from Ivy Tech? That's great. Their graduates can get hired anywhere. Their rep is one of the best around.

[jhinds12]

I have researched MedTech, and while going to a school that offered a Bachelors program would be ideal...I don't have that time frame. I am 23 and still on my dad's insurance I have a couple years left before I legally have to find my own. That is one of the nice things about Med Tech is that I can be done with my PN in 15 months and have an Associates Degree as a PN, unlike Ivy Tech they offer an Associates Degree vs just a Diploma. The Indianapolis campus is accredited the same as Ivy Tech, they have the exact same accreditations for their PN program. A negative is the cost, they are obviously pricey....however with them offering and Associates Degree vs a diploma, free tutoring, small classes, and they have the Kaplan Review as part of their program, along with Nutrition classes and Med terms (which Ivy Tech dosent include in their program) from what I have read online it seems like a good program. Plus Ivy Tech in Columbus (the campus I am currently at) so far has a 33% success rating for their PN program. Where as Med Techs is higher at 70%. Plus as of last year all of their PN students, on the first attempt, passed their NCLEX.