laurdra

i would second guess entering a nursing program now. the new grads are at highest numbers and no jobs are out there. google new grads and jobs and look in all of the links of all the people desperate trying to get any job they can. we cant pay our loans and i graduated at the top of my class so i should be a top pick, plus i have years of medical volunteer experience. there is no shortage for new grads, yes for advanced nurses but not for us. while it is true that it's hard to get a job a new grad rn, i don't think giving up your dream career in nursing is wise. it's hard for new grads for any profession right now. graduates from all majors are unable to secure jobs. this includes teachers, it majors, accountants, business admin, allied health, etc. this situation is not unique to rn's. anyway, i can stomach blood and wounds but i am totally disgusted by poop.

I have the ATI study guide and have been studying since June. I have been focusing on the math and science sections.

No problem! The June 2011 decisions are on the NLNAC website now. :) I will let you know how the exam goes. I am getting ready to take the final practice test. I'm fairly confident on all of the sections except the physical and chemistry science portions.

I'm in the same boat as you. I like the school and the program structure. I have been waiting for them to get their accreditation before moving forward with the school and am taking my TEAS tomorrow morning. I have read some good reviews and bad reviews, but they are all pretty vague. I have expectations that it will be hard to find a job as a new grad and a hope to start my BSN after graduation. You will hear from some people on here that the credits will not transfer but this is not true. I contacted UCF myself and asked them if they accept Herzing grads into their RN to BSN program and they said that they do. The challenge will be finding a job, but this is everywhere and applies to all people from all occupations. UCF BSN graduates will get a job before Herzing ADN graduates. I have heard that Florida Hospital and ORMC will not hire Herzing grads because they did not have the accreditation. Now that they have their NLNAC accreditation it should change. The biggest obstacle in getting a job is the crappy economy.

I just wanted to add that I was wrong about Herzing's NLN accreditation. They had a site visit in February and decisions will be made in June. The new lab is very nice.

I would stay in. If you can get through the program, you have other options besides traditional nursing duties. You can easily get a job on the business side of heath care with only a few business courses.

It's tough right now. Every industry has been affected by the recession and it takes time for things to get back to where they were. I have done a lot of research and the market for nurses is expected to turn around in 2014 after the new health care law is in full effect. The shortage will be severe in Florida in about 15 years. Nothing in life is guaranteed, but there will always be a need for nurses. I'm not letting the current job market deter me from being a nurse. Things will be different in 3 years when I graduate.

Hi floridamama, I was really considering to going to Herzing (see my previous posts) but I decided to have a baby instead. :) Anyways, Herzing applied for the NLN accreditation last year. Decisions were made in August and Herzing was denied accreditation. I would not go there because their program is obviously lacking in something. I'd go to Keiser.

Hi Littlemissgator, It's been a while since I've posted anything. I'm so glad you are enjoying the program so far. I'm postponing starting in January becuase a few days before I was supposed to take the TEAS my hubby and I found out we are going to have our first baby in December. I'm motivated to do this but I'm NOT going to start an intense program 3 weeks after I have a baby. Anyways, please keep me posted on how you are doing.

Hi Lshealey2, You can actually enroll into the nursing program without the prereqs and then take them at Herzing as part of their program. The entire program prereqs + nursing core is 22 months. You can also take the the prerequisites at another school and transfer them in as long as you got a C+ or higher. This is a cheaper option. You will need to take A&P 1 & 2 Micro College Algebra Information Literacy English Comp Speech Computers Social Science Hope this helps!

That's awful, I'm really sorry to hear this. You are correct that this is not normal. I always received my funds after the tuition was paid. Perhaps private school is different. Can you get a private loan in the mean time?

Thanks for the advice! I'm studying with ATI and am taking the test on April 16th. I think I'll be ok, the only thing I need to brush up on is science.

Also, how was the TEAS? I'm reviewing the ATI study guide. I took the practice test and did ok on all of the sections except science.

Hi Jen, I want to reassure you that Lake Mary is a great place to live. I recently moved here from NYC and am loving it. I've lived in FL before, but was in NYC for the past 3 years. It's soooo cheap. I'm living in a very upscale apartment complex in a 1br apartment. It's huge (bigger than my 2br in Jersey City) and only $1200 per month which is considered expensive for the area. It's less than half the cost of my apartment in JC and there are actually amenities. If you consider the tax differences and cost of food, it's less than half the cost of living. I think there is a lot to do here and it's very safe. My husband got a job transfer to come down here. I'm not sure what your husband is planning on doing but the job market here is awful. It's bad everywhere, but it's so much worse here than in NYC. I was hoping to find a job to fill my time until January but I've had no luck. I'm applying to Remington for January 2011 in addition to a couple of other schools, but I'm starting to feel nervous about Remington.

Hooray! Congratulations, I know you will do great. Keep us posted on how it goes. I'll be 8 months behind you.

That's terrific news! All of your hard work is about to pay off. Littlemissgator, I'm sure you will get in, and when you do please check back and let me know what you think about the program. :) Good Luck!

Hi, I went to Keiser today and I really liked it, but it looks like I'm looking at a January start date. In a way this is a good thing because I can apply to Keiser, Remington, and Herzing for January and make my decision later. Like I said before, I really liked the nursing director at Herzing. Keiser has better facilities and nursing lab. Keiser Orlando is new so they don't have any NCLEX pass rates or placement rates yet so it's hard to tell how good their program is. Not all Keiser locations are equal, but Orlando seems like it's on the right track. I still don't know which school I'm going to go to yet, it's a hard decision.

Hi Littlemissgator, I'm really sorry to hear that you had a bad experience at Herzing, however I had the opposite experience. I though that the admissions coordinator was very nice and answered all of my questions over the phone. At the information session, I thought they provided great info and I really liked the director. She had a lot of experience and really pushes her students to do their best. She had a good sense of humor as well. I liked their nursing lab. I think your situation is similar to mine, I already have a bachelors degree and am looking to change careers and eventually want to be an NP. I still need to take Micro, but I was hoping to take it over the summer and start the nursing core in September. Unfortunately they are already full so I have to wait until January. I literally just got a call from Keiser when I was typing this message and set up an appointment for tomorrow. I like that they are already NLNAC accredited, so hopefully everything works out and I can start sooner rather than later. I agree with you in that if I was just starting out I would go the community college/university route.

Hi Littlemissgator, Did you go to the info session? I really liked the director.

That's a very good point about the number of students! Herzing is accredited by the NCACS because they are based in Milwaukee. Keiser is based in Ft. Lauderdale so they are accredited by SACS. I do intend to apply to both and make a decision from there. It's a tough decision! Hopefully I will see you on the 18th. I'm hoping that I like Herzing because it's a much shorter commute. :)

Hi Littlemissgator, I'm in the same boat as you, trying to find out more info about Herzing. Are you attending the March 18th information session by any chance? I have done a lot of research on the school and I found out that the NCLEX pass rate is decent. In 2008 they had a 81.5% pass rate. Keiser is all over the place depending on the location. The Melbourne location had an 83.3% pass rate and Lakeland only had a 56% pass rate (yikes!). They are accredited by the FL BON and are a candidate for the NLNAC accreditation. I checked with NLNAC and the final decision will be in August or September 2010. I think with an above 80% pass rate on the NCLEX they will have a good chance of being accredited. But even if they are not, you can still sit for your boards with the regional accreditation. I like the accelerated curriculum and there is no wait list! I don't mind paying $30K if it will get me to my goal faster. I am looking forward to the information session and hope that everything works out. Best of luck to you on your quest to be a nurse. :)