Seeking Advice in Philadelphia!

[davidinphiladelphia]

Hello all. I have been following allnurses.com for many years and am finally posting! I have had a longing to be a nurse for over 13 years. My concern with following this dream are the costs! I believe I have a game plan in place and would appreciate any feedback. I am not looking at the Post-Bac accelerated programs in the area due to the costs ($35-$45K). Thank you in advance!

Some personal information: I am 36 years old with a BA in a non-healthcare field (and $100K in student debt). I plan to work as a CNA while completing prereqs and possibly during the nursing program at CCP. I have a 9-year-old son and my spouse would be the main source of income for our family during this time. My plan is as follows:

Red Cross CNA program: $1,250(working as a CNA will provide some income and get my foot in the door—would hope to work in a hospital setting)

I am interested in completing CCP’s Post Bac Acceletred Nursing Program: to complete the program prereqs, the cost would be approx. $2,895(4 courses over two academic terms / 1 year).

Estimated cost for CCP’s post-bac program (based on tuition rates online): $6K-$8K(left some wiggle room)

I was able to find some RN-BSN programs for as low as $25K—Total estimated cost over 3 years $37,145.

I would hope to find a nursing position while completing the RN-BSN.

Is this realistic? I feel that I would only be adding an additional year compared to the post-bac programs, but would be able to save a lot of money.

Any feedback/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all

[Golden_RN, MSN]

Before paying for Red Cross CNA training, take a look at your local community college schedule. Some offer the course for less.

Answers to some of your questions depend on your region of the country. Where I live, it is hard for a CNA to get their foot in the door at a hospital. Most work at nursing homes, which is also great experience.

It is awesome that your community college offers that program, and you should go for it! Please know that it may not be realistic for you to work while in the program.

(Edited after I googled what CCP is)

[davidinphiladelphia]

Golden_RN, MSN, thank you so much for your reply! I will look into the community college cost as well (and keep in mind that I won't be able to work while in the program). I really appreciate the feedback and support!

[Golden_RN, MSN]

3 hours ago, davidinphiladelphia said:

Golden_RN, MSN, thank you so much for your reply! I will look into the community college cost as well (and keep in mind that I won't be able to work while in the program). I really appreciate the feedback and support!

Best of Luck, please let us know how it goes! I did CNA training at a community college and I really miss my CNA days. I did it for 4 years. I never worked so hard and no job since has been as rewarding. I learned a ton.