DLB6370

Thanks to all of you for such wonderful advice and encouraging words! I want so badly to be a nurse and wish I would have made this decision a long time ago. I'm already 40 and feel I should not waste any more time with waiting lists, etc. I may bite the bullet and go to the more expensive school and just work overtime for a few years to get the loan paid off.

The Masters program has a 100% pass rate for the NCLEX. I'm not sure about Ivy Tech. I'm enrolled at Ivy Tech for the prereqs but can't get a call back from the Nursing Adminstrator. I talked to a few hospitals and have been told that I would get hired at entry level like everyone else but with a Masters I could advance a lot faster. The amount of money I need to borrow scares me to death though. I just think it's strange that I applied to both schools at the same time and have already been accepted into the Masters program and there is such a waiting list for the Associates program at Ivy Tech. I appreciate your input. I have a lot to think about and I want to make sure I make the right decision.

I have a B.S. in Business and have been working as a Medical Market Research Analyst for 6 years. The longer I work in this field the more interested I become in the medical field. I want to be a nurse. I don't know what to do at this point. Do I go to Ivy Tech where I have to take the TEAS test and "wait" to get into the nursing program or do I spend 3 times as much money and go to a school where I've been accepted into the Master of Nursing program (accelerated) where the entrance exam was waived and I will be done by September, 2010? The price difference has me worried. Ivy Tech is less than $10,000 to complete the program. The Master of Nursing program I'm considering is $37,000. Will I find a hospital that will reimburse me for that much money? Is it worth it to have a Master's degree? Keep in mind it is NOT a Master of Science degree. It is just a Master of Nursing. This degree was created for people holding a bachelor degree in a non-nursing field. I'm having a hard time deciding where to go. right now I am taking my prerequisites at Ivy Tech (Anatomy and Microbiology).