cync31

Welcome to allnurses! I am also new(er) on here. Are you attending Galen in Cincinnati/Sharonville? I visited there yesterday and it seems to have its drawbacks but for me, being able to start right away in October is a huge plus. I was also looking at Miami U but would not be able to start until next fall, if I get in. Do you know what the qualifications of the A&P and Micro professors are? It sounds like you passed A&P (yeah!!)--would you say that the failure rate was more student- or teacher-related? Thanks for your input, and good luck!

Thanks, Commuter and pn77, for your input! You have been very helpful. I may not qualify for the federal loans anyway due to having 2 bachelor's degrees, but it is still a concern of mine. I am going to the school tonight and will let everyone know what they say!

Hi Tasha- I am pretty new on here and just saw your post, so you may have already decided. I am also looking into these same schools! I am in the Miami Valley area. You may have discovered that Hondros does not accept federal financial aid, only private loans through Sallie Mae, and that may be a big deciding factor for you, unless your mom is willing to fund your full education. They are much less expensive than Galen, but I believe Galen does accept federal loans as well as outside scholarships. Also I know that Hondros is not regionally accredited at this point, being so new. I am not sure about Galen. I am going to an informational session at Hondros tomorrow to find out more about financing and accreditation- will let you know what I find out!

Were you overall satisfied with your program, even though it wasn't regionally accredited? Have you had any problems finding employment because of that? Around here, there is a standard 2-year wait for most RN programs and this is one of few I could find that doesn't have a wait. I don't know if that is because it is new, because of the loan issue, or the accreditation. Thanks!!

Does it happen to be Hondros College? I am looking into their program and am getting worried because from what I understand, they do not do federal loans, only Sallie Mae. I have heard a lot of bad things about private loans, especially Sallie Mae, and I just wondered why they would not offer federal loans...I looked them up on the OH Board of Nursing and they are accredited, although only conditionally because they are a new program. I am going to meet with some school advisors tomorrow and will ask about it then. Will let you know what they say!

topgungirl, I'm guessing that was the only one you've had so far? I would say talk to your doctor about whether you should disclose or not. If you have only had 1 seizure, are still allowed to drive, and haven't been diagnosed with a seizure disorder, then there is probably very little reason to share with your school or employer. On the other hand, if you have been diagnosed, need testing, or have had driving privileges temporarily suspended, then you might want to share this..but that's ultimately up to you. Good luck, and congrats on getting in!

I also have epilepsy and am planning on starting an ADN program this fall. I used to have a lot of problems with meds and had difficulty with work because of it. Even though I worked in physicians' offices, they were not at all understanding of my situation. I finally got a vagus nerve stimulator 3 years ago and have not had a seizure since, knock on wood! The Americans With Disabilities Act in the U.S. protects you from having to disclose your condition to employers or schools. However, it is a good idea to at least inform your boss or a trusted advisor in the event of an emergency. They are not legally allowed to reveal your condition to anyone else in the company. Also in the U.S., the disability act protects you from discrimination and retribution if you need to miss a bit of work for an appointment, which is another good reason to inform someone of your condition. Epilepsy IS covered under the act. If you have questions about your rights, you can find answers on epilepsy sites or by looking up the disability act.

That's great- I just got my B.S. in psychology and I am also looking into nursing! I don't know about schools in your area, but I'm sure if you look on this site or do a search you can find a lot of info on Bachelors-to-MSN (if you are interested in being a nurse practitioner or teaching, etc.) and accelerated Bachelors-to-BSN information for students with bachelors degrees in other areas. Both of these types of programs are structured to save you a little bit of time, as opposed to completely starting over. I am looking at Wright State and University of Cincinnati in Ohio for these two programs. I will have to take a lot of science prerequisites because I never had to take courses like anatomy or organic chemistry for my first B.S., but I think it will be well worth it! If you just want to get your 2-year RN somewhere, it is often very affordable but you may find that there are wait-lists for those programs that can be quite long. Again, not sure about your state but in Ohio the wait-list time for most Associate Degrees in nursing is about 2 years. Good luck, and let us know what you find out!