Too Many Schools in Albany, NY area to Choose From...HELP!

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Hello,

I'm a guy 35yrs looking to change my career. I would like to eventually become a Neurology Nurse. But choosing a school is very daunting. Which of these schools

offer the best training? Do any of them offer accelerated BSN, or BSN? Has anyone

been to or is currently a student at any of these schools? How do they compare? Which school offers better clinicals? Is going for a BSN the right thing to do? Or should I go for LPN, then go for RN, later BSN?

St. Peter's Hospital

Maria College

Ellis Hospital

Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC)

Schenectady County Community College (SCCC)

Capital Region Boces (Votec)

Mildred Elley

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Any help you can give me is really appreciated.

Thanks,

JD

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Sounds like you have some Googling to do. Programs all have websites, there are websites comparing one program to another, etc. I'm not sure if any of those are private universities, but look at the costs, NCLEX pass rates, accreditation, transferability, feedback on here about the schools (use the search tool). Avoid any tech schools (Everest and the like).

If you plan to go for your BSN, and you can swing it, go straight for your BSN. It's more costly, both financially and time-wise, to do it all step-by-step. Also, in NY, you'll want your BSN. There are fewer and fewer jobs for LVNs and ADNs, especially in hospitals.

One thing to think about, too, is that the more schools you apply to, the better the odds of you getting in somewhere. I applied to 10 schools and got into 2. If you can be more open now, and then choose from whichever school(s) offer admission, you might save yourself some headache.

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I've been to there sites, but it leaves more questions than answers. It would help to get some feedback for others that have been through these programs. I like to know the positives and negatives. So far searching here I only seen two of programs I listed posted.

The information I find for them is mixed. As for Googling, I've been doing plenty of that. That lead me here. :) I was hoping to get some valuable nursing feedback.

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Specializes in LTC, TCU, Drug Rehab, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.

Hi NYguy2Bnurse,

I am not in NY so I know nothing about the schools there. However, I remember being in your place and trying to figure out which school to go to and BSN vs RN vs LPN. Here are a few thing to consider. Note everything I say is about nursing schools in MN.

LPN- 2years of fulltime school

RN - 2 years of fulltime school

BSN-4 years of fulltime school OR 1 year with a non-nursing bachelors

If you go fulltime it is nearly impossible to work. In MN it makes no sense to go to LPN school when both take 2 years to complete. Also, there are very few LPN to RN programs in MN and only one LPN to BSN program. If you already have a bachelors degree some schools offer an accelerated program that allows you to become an RN in year. At completetion you will have a bachelors of nursing or a masters of nursing. Note it is not a like Nurse Practitioner masters. It is just a general masters of nursing.

The NY State Board of Nursing website will have a list of all approved nursing programs in NY. It will also have the NCLEX passing rate for all the schools. Use this to find all the schools in your area. I would consider the schools that have the highest passing rate. From there pick you top maybe 5 schools and look their pre-reqs and admission criteria. I used microsoft excel to make a spread sheet to make a grid of all the classes required by each school. I learned that about 80% of the non-nursing classes overlapped like chemistery, biology, and anatomy. If you are not going to go fulltime start taking all the non-nursing classes now. A lot of nursing programs give preference to students who have taken credits at their school. Do a semester of biology and comuunications at one school and then chemistry and anatomy at another. It may increase you chance of getting accepted.

If you already have a bachelors and can afford to not work for a year that is the best option. You get the highlest level of education in the shortest amount of time for the least amount of money. Even if the program is expensive you will be making RN money after one year. With the associates RN it is atleast 2 years.

I hope this helps. Again this is based of MN schools.

Howard :)

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Specializes in LTC, TCU, Drug Rehab, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
NYS Nursing:Nursing Programs
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Russell Sage is the only Albany area school that offers a BSN. If you already have a BS, admissions says you can transfer in credits from your prior degree and complete the program in as little as 3 semesters. The graduate school of Sage also has an RN-to-BSN bridge program. From what I understand, this program does not have a lot of spots open so it is extra competitive. However, it is free to apply and they accept applications every semester. Local nurses have told me that Sage graduates are smart, but do not have much clinical experience.

The other schools you mentioned offer ADN diplomas.

I've learned that HVCC is an excellent school, but there is a wait list. If it's appropriate for you, take some prerequisite classes at HVCC or online at SUNY SLN if you don't already have them because they are very cheap and convenient.

Good luck researching! I also noticed how terrible the websites are for these area schools.

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At 35 years of age, you should be looking at BSN programs if you are serious about furthering your career and not just obtaining a "job". You will incur a lot of time, effort, and expenses in starting at the LPN route. Now, if you can be content with an LPN license, then, maybe that is the route for you. Up to you to do the inquiry and seek the route that is best.

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Hello,

I'm a guy 35yrs looking to change my career. I would like to eventually become a Neurology Nurse. But choosing a school is very daunting. Which of these schools

offer the best training? Do any of them offer accelerated BSN, or BSN? Has anyone

been to or is currently a student at any of these schools? How do they compare? Which school offers better clinicals? Is going for a BSN the right thing to do? Or should I go for LPN, then go for RN, later BSN?

St. Peter's Hospital

Maria College

Ellis Hospital

Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC)

Schenectady County Community College (SCCC)

Capital Region Boces (Votec)

Mildred Elley

Access

Any help you can give me is really appreciated.

Thanks,

JD

Any status updates?

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I'm still trying to decide if I'd be content with LPN or would I prefer going for RN.

One career I may like to do is working in the EMU (Epilepsy Monitoring Unit). Which would be better for me to have?

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Well I'm hoping someone who is an RN or LPN in the area can chime in, as I am neither (currently). But, based on job searches and the department - I'm thinking RN. But it also depends on what capacity you wish to serve the patient.

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Great advice, my issue is time, how can i do clinicals and i have to work full time? I dont know what to do myself, i need 4 prereq's before getting in a program. And iam almost at the 10 year mark for accelerated program.

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Great advice, my issue is time, how can i do clinicals and i have to work full time? I dont know what to do myself, i need 4 prereq's before getting in a program. And iam almost at the 10 year mark for accelerated program.

This thread may offer some insight: https://allnurses.com/pre-nursing-student/not-working-during-997480.html

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