dancechica

I feel ya on the cost of living, which is why I stayed in Vegas after graduating nursing school. I'm paying 800 per month for a 2 bd/2 ba condo and I make pretty much what they would pay someone in SoCal. If you can manage it, I would have your home in Vegas and travel to CA. That way you can keep your tax-home in Nevada and travel where you need to

Every situation is different. You say you're going to move back in with your parents to save money and pay back the loans faster, many people either wouldn't have that opportunity or just simply don't want to. I probably could persuade my parents to let me move back home for a while so I could pay my loans down, but I would much rather use the extra money to move into my own apartment and start paying for everything myself while trying to be as frugal as I can. I chose a for-profit university that charges 675 per credit hour because I didn't want to wait another 2 years to get my ADN when many hospitals aren't even considering new grads unless they have a BSN, plus I would like to go back for my MSN in a few years after I've gotten some experience and have paid my debt down. So far my LPN and BSN programs have been through private colleges, so I would like to not go that much further into debt. There are public service loan forgiveness options available, like HRSA or IHS, which several people have mentioned on here already. I say do what you think is best for you.

Depends what state you are in. I've lived in CA and MO and currently live in Nevada. Hospitals with magnet status require 80 percent of their nurses to have a BSN. I was looking for jobs in Southern California and most of them want a BSN or enrollment in a BSN program within a year. I'm Vegas, where I live, it's not required but preferred

No, I'm on the right one. If you look at number 4, it says "Are a licensed practical or vocational nurse", so that takes me out of the running. I don't see anything about being a licensed RN, so you're probably fine.

http://www.hrsa.gov/loanscholarships/repayment/nursing/guidance.pdf Go to page 5 or 6 for the list of ineligible things. It's toward the bottom of the list at 11, I think.

OP I don't know if this applies, but I just looked on the HRSA application and it says LPNs are ineligible, so you might not be either. It might be for pre-licensure BSN graduates and NPs only, so really look at that.

I know how you feel. I'm graduating with my BSN from a private college in May and will have over 50000 in debt, myself. It's worth it, though, because I these days a BSB is pretty much required just to work as a new grad and I started as an LPN, not an RN, and the waiting lists are so long. Anyway, if you want to pay it off quick, find a hospital that qualifies as a critical access hospital and apply for the HRSA loan forgiveness. They pay 60% of your loan for a 2-year agreement or 85% for 3 years. Keep in mind that those types of hospitals will probably pay less and have not as great working conditions because they don't get adequate funding. I've never heard of hospitals paying loan forgiveness, but they will pay tuition reimbursement if you want to go back for your MSN.

Well for nurses like myself that are both interested in NP and CRNA, this would be a good option. Also it is a lot harder to find a job as a CRNA than it is as an NP.

Can you e-mail me the info as well? Thanks

OMG yes! Take the spot at Chico State! I'm actually from Chico and went to Chico State for two years before I moved to Southern CA. Chico State is one of the best programs in the nation; DO NOT turn this down! It's especially cheap, only 8,000 for the whole program, which is going to be a fraction of what online LVN-BSN programs will offer. Many nursing students would kill for a spot in any BSN program, let alone Chico State.

Ok that's good to hear. I got a call from Mizzou today asking for an interview so hopefully it goes well.

This probably has been brought up before but I couldn't find the right information. I am a new grad LPN from California applying for jobs in Missouri. I sent out my application to the Mizzou medical center and they told me that the starting pay for a new grad LPN was 13.15, while I had put my minimum salary at 16.00/hr since that's more realistic for Southern California. Is 13.15 the norm or is Mizzou just being cheap? I know the cost of living in Missouri is far less than Southern California, but can you really live off 13/hr???

I"m very glad you mentioned this because when I met with the representative he said it IS transferable to a master's degree, which I intend to get.

Totally! Why would they let you save money transferring to a State university for your BSN when you can spend 90,000 for their own BSN!!

10 working days? Ha! Here in CA it takes a minimum of 4 wks just to get your results, then another 3 wks to process your license. I sent them an e-mail after 5 wks asking if my letter was coming; they told me they would send it out the next day!! Five weeks? Especially since my test shut off at the minimum number of questions, which I think means I did really well. I too am having a tough time finding LVN work here in Orange County. LVN jobs are few and far between, and those jobs they usually give to the experienced ones.

Unfortunately our program doesn't require Anatomy or Physiology so I have to take all the prerequisites, which will put me back about 2 yrs of part-time school

My school, Concorde Career College in Garden Grove, CA, is planning to start an LVN to RN bridge program in March that includes prereqs like Anatomy, Physio, Micro, etc... Does anyone know of any programs like that? I'm not too picky about location.

As a nursing student, I feel embarrassed for that student that had the audacity to say 'that's the nurse aid's job'. I appreciate someone like you who is about caring for the patient. My hospital has CNAs that automatically avoid the rooms the students are assigned to, even if we take up half their patients that they would have to care for had we not been there; it's like pulling teeth getting them to help, especially if it's a total-care patient. Unfortunately no place is immune from nursitis... I feel your pain.

What nursing schools are there? My husband and I are looking to move to Paris and I will graduate from LVN school in December, so I don't think I can work.

I've had ADD since I've been in school but was unofficially diagnosed with it right after high school. I'm in my 3rd out of 5 terms in an LVN program and am struggling with clinical right now. My most difficult thing is time management and I will fail if I don't fix it. I have a hard time getting my tasks done in a timely manner, especially when I have patients that require a lot of my time. My question would mostly be about how long each task takes, like assessments, taking vitals, doing ADLs, and completing paperwork.

My situation is that I'm graduating from a VN school in Orange County, CA but I plan to move to NY right after. Should I just apply for the CA license and take the test then use that license to get my NY license? Or should I just take both state tests?

Another cheaper option is living in Jersey City across the river and commuting from there. My friend lives there and it seriously takes like 20 min to take the PATH train into the city.