Should I stay or should I go, now?

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Mar 1, 2016

Why did you apply to a school across the country if you did not plan to attend? Did you not look at the cost of the school? Cost of living in the area where the school is?

Get quantifiable data not just "I guess I should do it". Yes it is good you are aware of massive debt and the job market for a new grad RN. However you need DATA. Get a calculator and start figuring it out. Do you have savings? Are you taking out student loans? If you are going to be in the DC metro area you will be paying a ton for housing as well. If you are going to the middle of South Dakota it will probably be much cheaper.

No one on here can tell you if you will "land a job" after graduation. You might be awful in job interviews. Or you might be great. There may be very limited new grad positions in the area you apply or there may be many.

Get statistical data and work from there. Figure out what your loan repayment bills will be. I know nurses paying 900 a month to student loans for YEARS.

Good luck

Whispera, MSN, RN · Mar 1, 2016

A BSN in one year?? That seems illogical to me. Pacing four years of courses into one year....how is that possible??? How would it be possible for you to learn all you need to learn?? Is the school accredited? Please gather more information before you go there.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Mar 1, 2016

Whispera Accelerated BSN programs are at many major universities. They require a Bachelors degree in something else with usually a MINIMUM of 3.0 GPA as graduating GPA. Then pre reqs completed usually with a B or higher. You then go often...for example...Fall, Spring, Summer, Fall and take around 20 hours a semester. It is super intense, which is why they require proven ability to work hard (first bachelors..excellent grades) to do it. Check out any University with nursing programs and an enormous amount of schools offer them. You take the exact same classes as the traditional program.

Ioreth, ADN, RN · Mar 1, 2016

I would stay. The medical experience is very important and will help to set you apart from the rest of your nursing class. Also I have a friend who is a hiring manager at a local hospital, and she says she only hires students from accelerated BSN programs if there are no other options. In general, she has found that the accelerated students just don't know the material as well as the traditional BSN or ADN to BSN students.

conchobar · Mar 2, 2016

Wow, thank you for the input.

I was aware of the risks when applying, now I'm making the final decision - to go or stay

$900/ month is extreme. I will have loans for some years - in all scenarios - but the most from moving out-of-state.

In my heart, I guess I know that staying in my home state in Northern New England and putting in my dues/working my way up, from Tech to Nurse to beyond is the most genuine, safe, realistic, etc. It just means investing 2-5 years in this place.

However, I do feel like getting a start in a world class city could have advantages for my ultimate career goals in Travel Medicine. Not travel nursing, but Travel medicine. (

Thank you for your input all. Its just my own situation, but I appreciate the time you took to share your opinions.

Whispera, MSN, RN · Mar 2, 2016

I know they exist. I think they're illogical anyway.

Whispera Accelerated BSN programs are at many major universities. They require a Bachelors degree in something else with usually a MINIMUM of 3.0 GPA as graduating GPA. Then pre reqs completed usually with a B or higher. You then go often...for example...Fall, Spring, Summer, Fall and take around 20 hours a semester. It is super intense, which is why they require proven ability to work hard (first bachelors..excellent grades) to do it. Check out any University with nursing programs and an enormous amount of schools offer them. You take the exact same classes as the traditional program.

swimmingfever00 · Mar 2, 2016

@conchobar, I was in a similar situation as you last year. I naively applied to a ABSN program one month after graduating from my first degree. I was accepted into the program, which was about 3 hours away from home, in a large city. Tuition for the program was expensive and so was the cost of living in the city. I ended up turning down the offer and I got a job as a nursing tech in my hometown. I worked for eight months and then applied to a nursing program in my state. I got accepted into the program and my patient care experience definitely helped me stand out in my application. I even saved up enough money from working to cover the cost of the whole program. I start school in 2 months and it was worth the wait. Good luck and I hope I helped you!

bluebirdflyx · Mar 3, 2016

Unfortunately there is no guarantee you'll find a job after school no matter which path you take. I graduated with some RN's that were previously LPN's or CNA's and they struggled to find a job. Others got hired right away. A lot factors into getting hired as a new grad and most of it is luck and timing. I don't believe the city in which you attend school will matter, what is more important is where you will be looking for a job. Find out what the market for new grads is in the different areas and try to speak with nursing recruiters about their hiring criteria.

I chose to go the ADN route so I could start working as an RN sooner rather than later. About two years later I finished an RN-BSN bridge program. I wanted to be an RN and I wanted it ASAP, however I would not have racked up a huge amount of debt or gone to an expensive accelerated program just to cut 1-2 years off my schooling.

If you want to get started with your RN career then I don't see the point in spending 6-12 months working as an EMT. If you had 2-5 years to invest in that career it might give you the network or experience you need but 6 months? You'll barely be off orientation, it won't count for anything. Just my 2 cents.

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Mar 3, 2016

I did an ABSN program (15 month) and the first semester (summer) was intense, but the Fall and Spring semesters were normal semesters and the final Summer semester wasn't too bad. Fortunately, it was local and I was able to work 2 12 hr shifts per week to keep the bills paid. What is the job market where the ABSN program is compared to your home city? If the job market is much better there, then you have a better chance getting a nursing job there since you went to a local school. If the school is in California, then there is very little chance of finding a job there. Like a previous poster stated, you need to run the numbers on tuition, books, uniforms, housing, food, utilities to get an idea of the cost of that year. Ideally, a tech job in a hospital would boost your chances of a nursing job after graduation.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2016

Why is it "illogical"? You take the EXACT same classes and you complete the EXACT same clinicals. You are dealing with highly motivated proven operators. Do you have evidence to support your "illogical" point of view? Do you have evidence or poor patient outcomes from nurses with a BSN who completed the degree faster? People off the top of their head just "think" they know what is best. The motivation and work ethic to complete it is second to none.

vanilla bean · Mar 4, 2016

Why is it "illogical"? You take the EXACT same classes and you complete the EXACT same clinicals. You are dealing with highly motivated proven operators. Do you have evidence to support your "illogical" point of view? Do you have evidence or poor patient outcomes from nurses with a BSN who completed the degree faster? People off the top of their head just "think" they know what is best. The motivation and work ethic to complete it is second to none.

I appreciate your defense of this path to BSN. I chose this path. I earned my BSN in 12 months, passed NCLEX on my first attempt, and was hired directly into my specialty of choice (NICU). I graduated with some of the smartest and most highly motivated individuals I have ever had the pleasure to get to know.