is nursing really worth the debt

[starnurse2b16]

Hello everyone,

I would really love to be a nurse. But, because I made a c in both human anatomy 1 and 2. I have been denied acceptance to my local community colleges. I am now forced to turn to private nursing college which have higher tuition. The two schools that I am looking into are keiser college which is now accredited and jersey college. Keiser college only offers an adn which cost 38,000. Which does not include any books , uniforms. This amount only includes the tuition and nothing more. if I choose to attend this program I would be in a lot of debt. When I already owe 9,000 in loans from a previous college.

Or i can attend jersey college, which offers a lpn program . This program will cost me 15,000. I will probably average about 6,000- 8,000 more in debt. Later I can attend the local community college bridge program which my financial will be able to cover . So my lpn-rn program will be free. I will just have to pay back the loans I have already accumulated.

The reason I want to attend keiser college, everyone says lpn are being phased out. I have spoken to several lpn who tell me to go straight to becoming a rn. I do not want to accumulate too much debt an I will only receive my adn. The reason I want to attend jersey college, I will have less debt. I can work while attending the bridge program. Where I live lpn can only work in long term faculties. I do not really want to work in long term facilities. I want to work in a hospital.

Finally, my question is : For the nurses who accumulated debit from loans while in nursing school. Was it really worth it to become a nurse in the end? Is your debit manageable?

PLEASE ONLY RESPONSE IF HAVE DEBIT. PLEASE DO NOT RESPONE STATING THAT UOUR EDUCATION WAS FREE.

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

Have you been to floridas nurses page here on AN? What do the nurses there say?

Regardless of why you need to retake them, you still need to retake them. Don't be tempted to take the quickest easiest way out. You will live to regret it.

[Natasha A., CNA, LVN]

Why are outside sources like scholarships difficult to find?

[firstinfamily, RN]

Even though I finished my ADN in 1981, the process I went through being a self-supporting student taught me a lot. I spent about 28,000 total in student loans for both my ADN and BSN programs. I knew I would make that amount up within the first two years of nursing(most likely first year). The trick with student loan debt is that you really should not borrow more than you can make in a years of salary and you can defer the loans while you are in college full time, you can never claim bankruptcy with student loans, no matter what, they have to be paid back. Having said that I have no idea how you got the figure 190,000. If you are that much in debt then it has to be from more than student loans for nursing college. You need to streamline your lifestyle and concentrate on what is really important for you. It is true you could work as an LPN however, be forewarned that working and attending nursing college is very difficult even for the brightest students. There will be a time that your clinical requirements for college will interfere with your employment schedule. I agree that LPNs tend to work mostly in nursing homes, also MD offices. There have been rumors of LPNs being eliminated since I entered the nursing field in 1981. The nursing profession needs LPNs, however, as an RN you will have greater responsibility and be able to do more advanced nursing procedures. You should also be looking at obtaining your BSN instead of ADN because BSN has become the entry standard for RNs. Good luck, you have a lot of major decisions to make!!! I repaid my student loans before my 10 year obligation was up and have never regretted going in debt to achieve the advancements I have been granted through my nursing career. I have been able to contribute significantly to my own lifestyle, and put three children through college. I would say I have a fairly comfortable lifestyle, not wealthy by any means, but above the average standard of living at this time in our country.

[KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN]

I'm graduating in May, and I have $35,000 in debt (no I in debt, FYI). That is worth it to me, and I plan to pay it off as quickly as humanly possible.

I agree. There are a lot of new grads that wouldn't think twice about dropping that kind of money on a new car.

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

I would not pay 38,000 for an NP degree, let alone an ADN, and 15k for a LPN license is ridiculous.

Retake the classes.

[Natasha A., CNA, LVN]

firstinfamily

you made a great point. I am debating that once I get my LVN license to go private to a lvn-rn bridge. I am single, no children and afraid of debt. Right now I have a student loan of 2k that I pay $50 a month and find with that , but taking out a 60k loan scares me!! I have not completed all my prerequisites yet its just the *time* vs *money issue. *sigh* I wish there were more ways to raise money for college students besides scholarships

[caliotter3]

I know an individual who graduated from LVN school in 2004, it is now 2014, and they have not paid off their student debt. You are wise to be leery of acquiring too much debt.

[ThatBigGuy]

Do not take on more debt than you can realistically make in your first year of work.

You have to retake those classes, out of state tuition or not. You have really painted yourself into a corner with those grades.

If you get your grades up, you can get back into the public school programs. Those are going to be much less expensive, and the potential headaches that come with for-profit schools are minimized, like credits that transfer, accreditation, and cost.

I went to a very affordable state school and incurred about $24,000 in debt. I will make approximately $50,000 in my first year. I'm lucky to have my wife's second income, so between the two incomes, I expect to have the student loans paid off in a max of 12 months.

They key is you have to live according to your debt, not according to your income. My wife and I will combine for six figures, but we're still staying in the same small apartment and I'll still be driving the same car with 160,000 miles on it until my loans are paid off.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

My nursing debt is definitely worth it. My private university masters in teaching was NOT! ADN then RN-BSN total debt 50K/year. Teaching degree-60K in debt last salary 35K. Nursing is a much better deal.

[Mel_p]

Biology classes are the basis of any nursing program. Making a C in those classes is an average grade. Nursing school requires above average students. Not only because nursing programs are very difficult but because A&P is easy compared to classes you will take in a program. Most community colleges do not allow you to re take these courses with in 5 years to get a better grade because they know that the students who do not put in the extra work and effort to make a A in A&P 1 and 2 will most likely fail out of nursing courses and waste a spot for another potential student who would have buckled down and passed. If nursing is really what you want to do in your heart then consider your other options. I feel like someone who wanted to be a nurse would have not only done better in the courses because they had to to get into their program but would go to what ever length they had to to become a nurse. Debt should not be your stopping factor is you truly want to be a nurse because all debt can be repaid. It is difficult to ask someone if it was worth it to them because there answer to that question is YES. That is why they are paying off college loans. You need to ask yourself is becoming a nurse worth the debt to you? Also are you going to put in the effort to be an above average student in order to become not only a nurse but a good one.

[windsurfer8, BSN, RN]

You have "run into many nurses" who are not bright? How did you prove this theory? What do you base "bright" on? Are you arguing schools should lower their admission standards? You seem to be saying that nurses are not "bright" and for that they should lower admission standards? It would seem if you feel nurses are not "bright" you would want to make admission standards more strict. If they are nurses they had to have taken and earned a certain score based on the requirements of the school. You have zero evidence that these nurses are not "bright" except you have "run into many"???

[ready2baRN]

I totally understand how you feel. I am in the same boat. Although I do have a BS degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology I received a C in A&P II and had a tough time passing chemistry so public/community college option was out of the question.

Retaking the two classes could pose a challenge, especially if you are trying to retake the classes at a public school. A lot of states have laws where if you already passed any class with a grade of C or above you are not allowed to repeat the course for a higher grade due to state regulations on public schools. At least that's how it is here in Florida. You could repeat the classes at a private school because they are not regulated by the state but that would cost at least 3200 dollars for the two classes.

It's a pain but you have to decide two things 1. Do I have any other options besides taking on the massive debt. 2. I have exhausted all options and this is the best option available to me at this time.

From my perspective it seems as though your situation will best fit repeating the classes and applying to a community college.

Good Luck!