Prospective BSN student needs encouragment

[gfgs]

Hi everybody, I am taking pre-requisites to apply for an accelerated second degree BSN and for what I have been reading, the job marketis terrible for nurses and now I am wondering if it is worth it to spend $40kor more to change careers.

This is my story: I moved from Argentina in 2003 to Massachusettsescaping the economic crisis. I learned English and soon got into college andobtained my BS in Applied Mathematics hoping to work in the financial field.Meanwhile I was hired at a local hospital as a dental assistant and interpreterbecause of my language skills. After graduating in 2009 I was again caught inthe middle of the worst economic crisis this country had faced and it wasimpossible for me to find a job in my field of study. So I went and got myteaching license, but I couldn't find a job either because of the hiringfreeze. After working for 10 years inthe health care field as a medical interpreter, dental assistant and patient coordinator,I decided to make a career change and become an RN since I truly enjoy workingin the healthcare field. The thought of going through all of it again, just tofind myself struggling to find a job or make a loan payment makes me sick to mystomach. I need some point of view thatwill enlighten me.....please help!!

[Formyle]

I recently graduated from an accelerated BSN program, and I will say this: I immediately regretted spending so much money to do it. I haven't found a job yet, and every day that goes by I try not to think about how much money I owe. Once I get a job I'm sure I'll feel better. But my advice is if you can do it for cheaper, then go for it. Don't spend 40k or more at some of these schools. Do it part time or whatever you have to because the economy isn't all that right now, and the potential for owing more than 40k and then still having to work some crappy job to make ends meet is the reality. And these schools sell themselves by making you believe that the affiliated hospital will hire you. In my class, maybe 2 out of 100 got a job there. Everyone else is scrambling or hitting up contacts at other hospitals where they used to work. Go to a state school, not the private ones.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

This is an excellent reason to do your research when applying to programs. There are a few schools in the Boston area that not only have a 100% pass rate for the boards but also have a nearly 100% new grad employment rate.

The future job market for nursing is encouraging. Every year it seems to open up a bit more, an the majority of the nursing workforce is approaching or past retirement age.

Go talk to students in the programs you are considering. Remember it is a big investment, and you wouldn't make any other big investments without researching the product.

[watersamy]

I say go for it, find a school with a great reputation whose tuition is low. Once' you've graduated and are an RN, it really doesn't matter which school you earned your degree in. I also suggest finding a part-time job at a hospital while you're in school so that its easier to get full time employement as an RN once you're done. I graduated in December, Took my NCLEX in February and started working as an RN the middle of March. I was already employed as a part-time Nursing Assistant at a Boston Hospital. Once I told them I was taking my NCLEX, they were more than willing to take me on as an RN once I had my lilcense in hand.