kittypepper028

Columbia is one of my top choices but I do fear the expense! My undergrad degree is from Barnard & I shared an apt w/ 2 Columbia SON students in my junior year.

TY for the replies! They've given me a lot to think about. I know there's a lot of money out there for nursing education. However, I haven't found much that would take a serious chunk out of the 50K in indebtness that would be incurred for some BSN programs. My state has a loan forgiveness program, but IMO it gives too little $ and requires too much time in service to a single organization to be worth it. I don't want to live saddled down in student loan debt. I have almost paid off the loans from my 1st undergraduate degree & would like to be able to buy a house in the next 5 years. I've heard that some anesthesia groups will pay off all nursing loans for their CRNAs w/ just 2 years of service. Thinking that would be fantastic!

I went up to the trail on Peters Mountain yesturday. Took this pic with my camera phone which is looking north towards Matamoras, PA:

Is it associated w/ the AT Club? I have a friend that's in the local chapter & has been trying to get me to join. It's a great idea b/c I haven't been able to enjoy the trail as much as I'd like. My boyfriend doesn't hike (city boy) and there's been a nature trail rapist striking in central PA for sometime now. Since I don't have any weapons, I guess group hiking is the next best thing. :typing

I can SO relate to this post. I took my current job (non-nursing) in part b/c of its proximity to the trail & a gorgeous area. In Pennsylvania, the trail crosses the Susquehanna and cuts through Dauphin County near my home. Harrisburg is 10 minutes away and has various hospitals. The Hershey Medical Center is about 20 minutes away. You'd probably be able to enjoy the trail more in SC b/c of the weather but I dream of Maine! :typing

Ever since graduating w/ a lib arts Bachelors, I've considered accelerated BSN programs. I went so far as taking many of the prerequisite courses at community colleges and working part-time as a SICU nursing secretary. My nursing dreams have taken a backseat, however, to advancement ops in my full time work. My current salary of 42K isn't much to start a life on though & I've made the decision to finish the prerequisites w/i the next year & apply to accelerated programs. In investigating the programs, I've found some are CRAZY re: their tuition rates. Johns Hopkins now wants 50K for their 13 month accelerated BSN?!? The cheapest (and quickest) program I've found so far is at a lesser known college - 11 months & 22K. My goal is to get the BSN, work for a year or two in critical care and apply to CRNA programs. Question: Do employers really care where you went to school as long as it's accredited and you pass the RN exam? Does going to a school with a better reputation open you up to better opportunities & pay? TIA

Yeah, I agree that at least some experience should be required before entering critical care. After posting, I went through job listings at the hospital where I currently work and was shocked to see that they're taking nurses straight out of college for CCU jobs. Have a BA in Psychology and currently do medical evaluations for Social Security Disability. I also have a part-time job as a nursing secretary on a SICU at a major medical center. Having scoped for a while, I've decided that nursing is what I want to do. Thanks for your replies!

Hi:-) I'm thinking about applying to 2nd degree BSN programs and had a quick, stupid question. Can you get a nursing job in a critical care area w/o any nursing experience (i.e., just after graduating from nursing school)? I'd like to be an anesthesia nurse and am wondering how long it would actually take to get the 1 year critical care experience needed to enter most nurse anesthesia programs. TIA for any help!