Need Help Deciding

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Okay, please don't kill me. I am not trying to start a war of Bachelor's versus Associate's degrees. You're all nurses here and I respect you for that.

I've seen a few posts on here similar to my situation, but I'd like to get a little more specific and see what the experts have to say.

I'm planning on getting my LPN certificate and transferring into an RN program right after. The question is, do I transfer into a community college or a private four year college. The certificate itself is $15,000, and the private college is about $31,000 a year including fees. The community college program on the other hand is about $10,000 total.

I live in upstate New York and Nazareth college is the private school I'm looking into. I really like it. After I become an LPN I would have to take about five semesters worth of classes to get my Bachelors degree, and I would have to take three more semesters at the community college to obtain my Associates.

We've got some pretty good hospitals around here, and I'd really like to be an ER Nurse. It seems like getting my Bachelors degree would be the best route to my end goal, especially since most of the hospital job postings strongly prefer a Bachelors degree and require you to obtain one within four years of hire anyway.

But, I don't know. $30,000 dollars a year is a lot of money. Especially since I'd be there for two and a half years, and may have to take a couple summer courses like Statistics and Chemistry.

So what do you all think? Also, I have no idea if this matters in the grand scheme of things, but I am planning to move to South Carolina eventually. Charleston in particular. I think they prefer Bachelors degrees as well.

Thank you so much for all your help :)

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.

$15 thousand for an LPN certificate is ridiculous! As is $30 thousand per year for a private college for a BSN. Your return on investment will be in the red. Do you know what LPNs earn in your city/state? My Master's degree for FNP was about $9,800.

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Yeah, I kind of thought $15,000 for the LPN certificate was ridiculous as well. Especially since I believe the starting salary is around $15-$17 dollars an hour. That's why I was going to go right into the Bachelors program. The LPN is basically just a short cut to get there, and something that would give me a bit of experience.

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.

Well I looked at Nazareth college, it has an RN to BSN program? You could go to community college, get the RN/ADN for $10,000 then finish your BSN at same private highly priced college for a total of $70,000 or so. You could also look for a cheaper RN to BSN program. If you can get your CNA you could work as CNA while in school, get some bedside nursing background, get your foot in the door at a hospital.

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That's always an option. The thing that makes me nervous is my community college is well known for putting the majority of applicants on a wait list forever. I don't want to be waiting around to get my degree. LPN's have a much easier time getting into the program and they don't have much of a wait list.

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.

So you are only applying to one nursing program?

The wait lists? How do you know they even have wait list? is this a rumor or has the community college put this in writing somewhere. Many students say they have been wait listed when they have not made the cut, I taught in a BSN program for ten years. No wait list ever, each semester every one who wants in applies, this happens twice a year. Each cohort/group is evaluated and the top 48 were accepted. There was not a pre-nursing major but we would always here about so & so got wait listed. Get the facts, how many slots are open each semester/year. What is the minimum GPA? So even if you are put on some list, it is still cheaper to attend? You could be getting your CNA in the meantime.

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Without knowing why you are pursuing a LPN...maybe it's the path you have found yourself on to enter nursing, but if your ambition is to be a RN, and if possible for you, I would suggest nixing the LPN program and go straight for the RN, preferably a BSN at minimum. In the long run, earning your BSN is going to make you more marketable and you will be able to have more lucrative opportunities; so I would suggest earning your BSN sooner than later. The profession is evolving and BSN/MSN have become the new 'expectation' and minimum for many of the more desirable orgs and jobs. BSN programs have popped up all over this country with online and brick & mortar options...and I would suggest you shop around for the best programs and compare pricing and study plans because they range quite a bit. Of course there's lots of variables that play in to choosing a school and program, but based on what you've written, I would suggest prioritizing earning your BSN. The school, program, costs, schedule, etc...can be filtered by your own personal preferences, needs, and flexibility. Good luck.

-theRNjedi

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing, Pediatrics.

LPNs receive licenses just like RNs, not certificates!

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I agree with you, theRNjedi, I definitely want to be an RN and definitely want my Bachelors degree. Cost is a huge problem for me though. All the BSN programs around here are at private schools, so the LPN was sort of a short cut. Plus when I graduate from that I could start earning a lot more money than I am now to help me pay my way through school.

LeChien, I'm sorry I worded it poorly! I know LPN's are licensed. I just meant locally here it's referred to as a one year certificate program as compared to an RN four year Bachelors program.

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