Finding $ for RN to BSN program; stress of going to school and working as NEW RN

[samaletta]

i have a few things on my mind. i will be graduating from a community college in may 07 with an adn, and i've found another college that i want to go to in the fall of 07 to pursue a bsn.

i come from a single parent family and i am the first person to have a college education. i am 23, have no children and live on my own. i'm worried about paying for the college. i think this would be the only thing holding me back. i have called their financial aide office and asked them what else could i do besides fill out the fasfa in january, and she told me that was about all i could do at this point. like i said i am from a community college where tuition is $80 a credit and now i want to go to a bigger college where it's $420 a credit. and i have no money. i would kinda think that a college wouldn't let a potential student slip by just because that student doesn't have enough money....would you?

secondly, i concerned because i will be starting out as a new rn and trying to work full time. there's a lot of stress and learning involved with working as a new graduate, and i'm worried that it could be too much with taking classes in addition to it.

the college i want to go to has an 18 month program. it holds it's classes on the same night throughout the 18 months (ex: wednesday nights 6p-10p). i have heard that the adn program is the hardest and the bsn you're basically taking all of the extra liberal arts classes and there is a big difference - not as stressful. is this true???

i don't want to take a year off in between the time i graduate and the time i will be heading back to school. my boyfriend and i have been together for 4 years and i am afriad that once i start working, we'll get used to the money......get married.... buy a house....get a dog...get pregnant....and before i know it 10 years will pass by. so i'm really trying to get into this accelerated rn to bsn program this fall.

have you been in this situation before? was your life miserable working as a new rn and going through an rn to bsn program? were you able to go to an expensive school even though you were broke (and i mean broke - i have $2.33 in my checking)??? is the bsn at all easier?

thanks for reading this, and thanks even more if you have comments!!!

[suzanne4, RN]

If you will start working as an RN, most facilities offer an educational stipend for you to get your BSN while working. Much cheaper for you to go that route. The benefits as far as education usually do not start until you have been thru your orientation program and have started working, some require that you be there one year first.

But they will pay for most of it.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

First of all RN to BSN programs are not just a few liberal arts courses. To complete my degree I had a few co-req courses like Western Civ., World Religions, statistics, chemistry, but also patho-pharm, nursing research, community health, nursing leadership, just to name a few. But yes, the ADN is the hardest.

2nd of all RN to BSN programs are usually set up with the understanding that the RN is a full-time working RN. If you work 3 12-hour shifts such as myself it will be tough, but very doable.

Talk to the financial aid people there, you should be able to get loans to pay for it. As Suzanne mentioned above, it's almost a universal benefit of hospitals to have some sort of tuition reimbursement program. My employer pays $2200/year. Not enough to cover it all, but it surely helps.