Just wanted to get your opinion on "How Much Is Too Much?" for these nursing programs. ... As you all know there are so many it there! I'm a second degree seeking student so those absn and entry level MSN programs are pricey! Especially the ones without a waiting list.
How much are you willing to pay?
Do you believe the amount spent was worth it (job prospects, income after graduating? )
It's super hard for to put a "price" on my happiness and future... but would YOU consider paying 100k to become Nurse Practioner in 3 years???
THANK YOU! ! I hope someone gums this thread useful! ..
p.s. feel free to share how much your program cost/is costing you as well :)
LOL...Like you, I am very interested in public health, and research that is what drew me to nursing, it seems to truly be a career that builds upon both,... totally unrelated to the discussion, but I thought I'd share that considering your background lol ..
If you are truly interested in research, you should look into eventually pursuing a PhD in nursing. These PhD programs actually pay YOU to attend their programs!
oh awesome! that is definitely a long term goal of mine after nursing experience ... I'd love to get paid to do research one day. .Thank you for the suggestion!
Just so you know, I started applying to nursing school when I was around 35. I started school at 39, would have originally graduated at 41. Instead I graduated at 42 and in both cohorts that I was honored to be a part of, there were students more than 15 years my senior.
What you need to do is figure out a logical plan to get you from now to licensed. There will be bumps along the way, such as not getting accepted to school when you want, but as long as your plan allows for flexibility in the event of such bumps, you'll do fine.
What I implied in my first paragraph is that it took me 8 consecutive Fall/Spring semesters to get accepted into school, requiring 15 applications to be turned in and it turned out that both of my "final" applications were accepted for the same semester requiring that I choose between programs. Had I not been accepted, I would have kept applying as I was a qualified applicant, and would have remained so as of this writing.
I am also in a fairly competitive local market for new grads to try to thrive in. All my classmates from both my cohorts have jobs, the vast majority of them are local, though a few found their first jobs in a neighboring State and some have "returned" to the local market with jobs in hand. If you're not too tied to a particular place, your ability to find a job as a new grad, even with an ADN, will be far better than someone that's effectively stuck. Once I (finally) get a BSN, I'll have a couple more doors open for me. I'm not too worried about that right now as those doors don't lead to substantially greater pay (yet), though the benefits may be quite a bit better in time.
Just so you know, I started applying to nursing school when I was around 35. I started school at 39, would have originally graduated at 41. Instead I graduated at 42 and in both cohorts that I was honored to be a part of, there were students more than 15 years my senior.
What you need to do is figure out a logical plan to get you from now to licensed. There will be bumps along the way, such as not getting accepted to school when you want, but as long as your plan allows for flexibility in the event of such bumps, you'll do fine.
What I implied in my first paragraph is that it took me 8 consecutive Fall/Spring semesters to get accepted into school, requiring 15 applications to be turned in and it turned out that both of my "final" applications were accepted for the same semester requiring that I choose between programs. Had I not been accepted, I would have kept applying as I was a qualified applicant, and would have remained so as of this writing.
I am also in a fairly competitive local market for new grads to try to thrive in. All my classmates from both my cohorts have jobs, the vast majority of them are local, though a few found their first jobs in a neighboring State and some have "returned" to the local market with jobs in hand. If you're not too tied to a particular place, your ability to find a job as a new grad, even with an ADN, will be far better than someone that's effectively stuck. Once I (finally) get a BSN, I'll have a couple more doors open for me. I'm not too worried about that right now as those doors don't lead to substantially greater pay (yet), though the benefits may be quite a bit better in time.
Thank you for your advice! I am so happy iI started this topic you have all been extremely informative! I found a local CC that offers an ADN and the wait list supposedly under 2 years! During that time I can keep working and save up for nursing school! .. Afterwards, I will be looking into rn to MSN programs. I found one that only requires a Bachelor degree and an RN license! I'm so excited about all the money that will be saved!
thank you! It's great to hear grim others like me its just an overwhelming process overall, but I'm learning too much debt may not be the best way to go about finishing school quick!
Thank you for both your post! Your feedback in very encouraging and motivating. I am not yet 30 and If I were to go the ADN route(granted I can actually get in) I would finish around 35, which is a great age, and at that poin in my life I am sure that I will appreciate not having to pay Sallie Mae the equivalent of a mortgage payment until I die. LOL...Like you, I am very interested in public health, and research that is what drew me to nursing, it seems to truly be a career that builds upon both,... totally unrelated to the discussion, but I thought I'd share that considering your background lol ...i also have a mountain of debt due to my prior degree :-( also something for me to consider.
This is another reason you don't want $100,000 student loan. If you have a mountain of student loan debt already and take on an additional $100,000 (even over 30 years) you'll be paying off a loan until you are practically retired.
I can't imagine working my whole life to watch much of my salary go towards paying off my education that happened years prior. You could be tied to working a lot more hours than you might want to at some point in your life.
This is another reason you don't want $100,000 student loan. If you have a mountain of student loan debt already and take on an additional $100,000 (even over 30 years) you'll be paying off a loan until you are practically retired.
I can't imagine working my whole life to watch much of my salary go towards paying off my education that happened years prior. You could be tied to working a lot more hours than you might want to at some point in your life.
You are totally right! ! I can't imagine still having to pay off debt well into retirement. I just hate that the "easier"to get in nursing programs are the expensive ones. I'll just have to take my time work on getting great grades in my remaining prerequisites and maybe I'll get into an affordable program one day lol
Hey, the system is not letting me respond to your private message about IHS loan repayment. So I will do it here. You get both a salary and loan repayment. You can apply to the LRP (loan repayment program) before you have a job (I did) but you need an IHS job before you can be approved and loan repayment can begin.
Once you have a job and LRP is approved then you get the first lump sum payment unless the LRP is out of funds for the fiscal year, then you have to wait for the next year to receive funds. This happened to me as well. I started in Sept and the fiscal year ends Oct 30 so they were out of funds. I had to send in a letter saying I was still interested in the program for the next year, luckily you don't have to go through the entire application process again, just send a letter.
Once repayment begins you owe them 2 years of service, that is your only obligation. You get half the money the first year and the 2nd half of the money the 2nd year. It's your job to apply it appropriately. You still get your paycheck every 2 weeks, the job itself has nothing to do with loan repayment.
If you don't think you can stay in IHS service for the 2 years then don't do it. They use some formula that makes you pay back more than they gave you if you don't stay.
I hope this is helpful, if you have more questions please email me. [email protected]
Hey, the system is not letting me respond to your private message about IHS loan repayment. So I will do it here. You get both a salary and loan repayment. You can apply to the LRP (loan repayment program) before you have a job (I did) but you need an IHS job before you can be approved and loan repayment can begin.
Once you have a job and LRP is approved then you get the first lump sum payment unless the LRP is out of funds for the fiscal year, then you have to wait for the next year to receive funds. This happened to me as well. I started in Sept and the fiscal year ends Oct 30 so they were out of funds. I had to send in a letter saying I was still interested in the program for the next year, luckily you don't have to go through the entire application process again, just send a letter.
Once repayment begins you owe them 2 years of service, that is your only obligation. You get half the money the first year and the 2nd half of the money the 2nd year. It's your job to apply it appropriately. You still get your paycheck every 2 weeks, the job itself has nothing to do with loan repayment.
If you don't think you can stay in IHS service for the 2 years then don't do it. They use some formula that makes you pay back more than they gave you if you don't stay.
I hope this is helpful, if you have more questions please email me. [email protected]
Thank you! !!! And thank you for sharing here. Hopefully, someone else will also appreciate this insight!
CarpeDiem'15
35 Posts
If you are truly interested in research, you should look into eventually pursuing a PhD in nursing. These PhD programs actually pay YOU to attend their programs!