RN or EL-MSN programs near Olathe?

[dj76]

I have only lived in KS for a year now (my husband's home state, not mine). I have a BS and MS in Criminal Justice, but have decided to go back and earn a nursing degree. I had wanted to go into nursing long ago, but it just wasn't the best decision at that point in time for our family's needs.

I've noticed that the earliest I can enroll would be for Fall 2012 for JCCC and other area schools. I was hoping someone familiar with nursing and Kansas regulations could help advise me on a few matters.

Is it reasonable to pursue a RN degree from JCCC then attempt to gain admission to a MSN program since I already have a BS and MS in a different field? Or would it be best to pursue an EL-MSN from the start-although I have been unsuccessful in finding any in the local area.

Would it make sense to try Brown Mackie or another school and start as an LPN? (I'm not sure that would be the best move). Also, does anyone know if I would be eligible for financial aid if I am going back for an undergrad degree again? Also, since we are so close to MO, can I take both the KS and MO exams?

If anyone has any knowledge in thise area, please advise!

Thanks for the help!

[CNM2B201?]

If you have a BS then I would go for an accelerated BSN program. Mid america nazarene has an accelerated BSN I think they are still taking applications for the Jan 2012 start date and you would graduate Dec 2102 with your BSN.

Once you have your BSN you could apply to any of the MSN programs you wanted. There are not any direct entry MSN programs here, you have to get your BSN first, regardless if you already hold a bachelor's or masters in another degree. Although KU does offer a BSN/MSN option that you might be interested in..you get to knock off a few classes by enrolling in the dual option.

attending a community college and then bridging to BSN online thru KU or any other BSN program is also smart. I would not pursue your LPN especially at brown mackie...they are really $$ compared to the cost of getting your LPN at a community college.

regardless of where you go you still have to have all your pre reqs done which mean microbiology, anatomy and physiology, gen psych, chemistry, to name a few.

No you can not get a pell grant if you already have a BA ..and Im not sure you can get any stafford loans either..you can still apply for school scholarships though.

[heathert_kc]

Unfortunately even if you would financially qualify, pell grant is out if you already have a bachelors. There are a few Accelerated BSN programs in the Kansas city area; as posted above, MNU in Olathe, also William Jewell in Liberty, MO and Rockhurst in KC, MO they can be completed in 1 year to 18 months of very intersive study, once you are accepted and have all of the general education courses. The downside is these are private universities and cost around or about 30,000+. UMKC in Kansas City MO has started an accelerated program also it is a year and a half and a bit cheaper.

LPN can be a good option for some people you cannot deticated 2+ years to nursing school without working or who do not have all of their prerequisites required for RN programs. But for the sake of your saving account or avioding massive amounts of debt I would suggest that if you decide to go this route check out local community colleges, they are much cheaper and just as good if not better than Brown mackie or concorde (which can cost over 25,000 of LPN:eek: not worth it in my opinion); Johnson CountyCC, Kansas City Kansas CC, Penn Valley all have LPN programs and they range from 3-10 thousand, with penvalley being the most expensive option, jccc is the cheapest and kck is about 5,000 nowadays. All nursing programs are highly competitive so you may not necessarily need to decide exactly what to do, research find all of the programs that are accredited and that you qualify to apply to then see where you are admitted and then weigh your options.

I don't know of any accelerated direct entry MSN programs in this area, all that I know of around here require you to have a RN license in order to apply whether they be RN-MSN or BSN-MSN programs.

Which ever route you go you can obtain a license in both states, but you only need to test once, the exam is the same. YOu just set for your test in one state then contact the state board of nursing in the other state about getting a license by endorsement, which generally requires you to provide proof of your initial license in another state, paying a fee, and giving them your proof of indentity and what not.(not too hard)

[jillianbeans]

I have a BA (in another field) and I've been accepted to the RN program at JCCC for Fall 2011. I'm not eligible for Pell grants because I completed my BA but I am eligible for Stafford loans if I want to take them- I think you can get $9500 a year. I'm not sure of that number because the tuition at JCCC is so low that I can swing it without any student loans. I applied to other area accelerated BSN programs and the only one I've heard from so far is KU-Med, and it was a rejection letter. From what I've heard they prefer to fill their nursing class with students who did their earlier undergrad work there. I'm not sure if that's true but I thought it was worth mentioning...