Why Are So Many Students Worried About Expensive Tuition

ccjus123 · Jun 18, 2009

Living in Metro NYC and going to school full-time is very daunting financially for some - at least $800 for rent - from a reasonable commuting distance.

I've lived here all my life and unless you live in a rent-stabilized apartment or housing projects- that's the only way you're only going to pay $800 dollars in rent. Now for the rest of NY'ers the rent is atleast $1100 and in some areas that's for a studio.

BZ2SCS · Jun 18, 2009

I believe the incentive is called "profit." But that brings up an interesting point: Let's say a Nurse has worked his/her tail off, is dedicated and smart, and hears of two teaching vacancies. One is at a CC; the other at a private institution with fee$ commen$urate. Which would attract the Nurse's atention and why? Which institution would likely attract and hire the better and more qualified instructors?
Oh Dear Heavens, I'm starting to sound like one of my instructors. Somebody slap me.

Wow Interesting. So, let me say this, maybe you would appreciate this site "allnurses.com" more if they start charging you some big fees for it every months :twocents: . As far as am concerned you are taking advantage of it like everyone else. Is that the slap you were asking for? :bow:

carolc415 · Jun 18, 2009

I believe the incentive is called "profit." But that brings up an interesting point: Let's say a Nurse has worked his/her tail off, is dedicated and smart, and hears of two teaching vacancies. One is at a CC; the other at a private institution with fee$ commen$urate. Which would attract the Nurse's atention and why? Which institution would likely attract and hire the better and more qualified instructors?
Oh Dear Heavens, I'm starting to sound like one of my instructors. Somebody slap me.

is5512--you bring up a great point. Community college has been my 2nd home for many years for various things and I have had some of the best and most qualified instructors EVER. Many of them have strong convictions about accessibility of public school for those who can't attend a pricier school. I have often considered the possibility of teaching at a CC after earning my licensure & experience. I wonder if those of us in this forum who are a little older entertain these possibilities because of life experience....being happy vs. having $$$$$$$. Not that $ isn't important, but being happy is, too!

CuriousMe · Jun 18, 2009

Wow Interesting. So, let me say this, maybe you would appreciate this site "allnurses.com" more if they start charging you some big fees for it every months :twocents: . As far as am concerned you are taking advantage of it like everyone else. Is that the slap you were asking for?

No, but if we all paid big fees to be a part of it, we wouldn't have to put up with them testing out new versions of their software on the live server. They would have enough resources to run it in Beta and get rid of the many bugs BEFORE we dealt with it. So, as with all things....we would have a different experience if the organization had more resources.

carolc415 · Jun 18, 2009

Wow Interesting. So, let me say this, maybe you would appreciate this site "allnurses.com" more if they start charging you some big fees for it every months :twocents: . As far as am concerned you are taking advantage of it like everyone else. Is that the slap you were asking for?

Is it me, or does everyone seem bristly about this topic today?

netglow, ASN, RN · Jun 18, 2009

No, actually my point was no sit down look it up time... we need to have knowlege prior to coming in that we can apply. Critical think now, not later. Not that my friend's route was bad, just his particular route was very different than mine. We discuss it often, we don't argue.

It's a time/$ factor this time for me and many. Taking more peripheral courses doesn't mean smarter or better for an RN, it just means you signed up. The older you get the more you look at things simply as they are. It is really not emotional at all. So, that brings it down to just simple strategy.

The smarter/better part comes more with experience as a working RN.

CuriousMe · Jun 18, 2009

No, actually my point was no sit down look it up time... we need to have knowlege prior to coming in that we can apply. Critical think now, not later. Not that my friend's route was bad, just his particular route was very different than mine. We discuss it often, we don't argue.
It's a time/$ factor this time for me and many. Taking more peripheral courses doesn't mean smarter or better for an RN, it just means you signed up. The older you get the more you look at things simply as they are. It is really not emotional at all. So, that brings it down to just simple strategy.
The smarter/better part comes more with experience as a working RN.

Sit down & look it up time? Who said that? I was assuming you did check a drug book/PDA of some sort that's all. The MOA, pharmacodynamics, pharmoacokinetics, etc. should be known d/t the class of the medication (that's what our 6 months of pharmacology class was for). I would guess that as a nursing student you'd double check contraindications, drug interactions, Y-site compatability if it was a IV drug....that sort of thing.

I agree taking more peripheral courses doesn't mean smarter or better. For that matter taking more nursing courses doesn't mean smarter or better....but it sure doesn't mean worse. That's the attitidue that has surprised me (not necessairly from you, your post just gave an opportunity to talk about it).

I was also trying to get the point across (evidently not effectively, sorry I'll try to be more clear) that the BSN degree isn't just more peripheral courses. For the program I'm in, there are 6 non-nursing classes (over the 4 years or 12 quarters, not including summer) that aren't required for the ADN. The rest of the time, it's nursing course work.

Best,

CuriousMe

NewGoalRN · Jun 18, 2009

Thank you I feel the same way, I think some of the readers thought I meant if you go to a comm. college then your not making the sacrifice. That is definitely not the intended message. If the comm. college has a waiting list of 2 yrs and the private school accepts you right away then why turn down the private school to wait 2 yrs for the comm. college? That is what i meant. Some are more fortunate than others to get accepted right away to the comm college, i'm not saying anything negative about that, I have lots of friends who went to community colleges, i even started in a community college. I apologize if I offended anyone or made this thread seem as if i was degrading you for not attending a private college. That was not my intentions.

Thanks for explaining. Your post above did alot to take the sting out of your first post even though that was not yoour intention.

I sy run from student loans if you can get by withoug them. If you can't borrow responsibly. If you can get into a private school, some which, will give out a nice package to attend, then go for it. However, if you can get into a govt school/CC then that would be my first choice based on the savings and the fact that the starting pay is virtually the same, pound for pound. It is the same license afforded to a BSN or ASN whereever it is attained.

However, I understand if someone perhaps don't have the grades (and it could be good grades) to get into a state 4 yr or 2yr college that they would turn to a private school that may not be so competitive due to the cost barrier.

At one of our local state colleges, one has to have at least a 3.8 or 3.9 gpa to get in- that's ridiculous and their NCLEX rate isn't that much higher than the local cc college.

LEN-RN · Jun 18, 2009

Ok, without getting all emotional and fired up about it, I would suggest that community colleges are the equivalent of the Free Clinic or the V-A. I have gotten significant treatment from the latter because of my income (or near absence thereof), and will almost certainly donate some of my time and talents, such as they are, to the former.
But if Mom needs a bypass or if my Nursing advisor says I need a total brain transplant, those two institutions won't be my first choices.

LOL. Oh my....

In a clinical setting, I doubt anyone could tell the difference from a BSN or ASN nurse. In fact, I know of several graduates of ASN who work in critical care, emergency care and surgery. Not in clinics or the VA. One is even a flight nurse.

When you get your degree, you will see that the topic of "what you have" or "where you went", will not be a major topic at the nurses station. No one cares. Unless of course someone feels the need to bring it up.

And with that being said, its still fairly commom for nurses "to eat their young." That includes seasoned ASN nurses who are over new BSNs. Especially the overconfident ones.

Dreamer-RN · Jun 18, 2009

My BSN pals got to go in the day before to hospital, review the chart, review the meds etc. totally briefed on the patients they would have the next day in clinical. In my program, we go in cold, as a nurse would in real life. We better know our stuff. Receive report, then assess, be ready to report SBAR and be able to expand upon any point of physiology asked by our instructors as well as have researched all meds ready to pass and be questioned on all pharmacokinetics, basically be a walking PDR all within 30 minutes of being given the pt room number, initials, and RN name. This even if interrupted by physician, lab, code brown or whatever. If dressing change, foley etc. required be ready to do all at once if at all possible.

Just to add another BSN perspective. I recently graduated from a two-year Accelerated BSN program. My clinical experiences were equivalent to your experiences. We went in cold turkey, no reviewing patient charts prior to the clinical day. We were also expected to understand our assigned patients (pathophysiology, phamacology, etc.) and be ready to report on our assigned patients. Our clinical instructors frequently quiz us on these things. If we did not know the answers, we had to look them up and report back. We were required to receive report from the assigned nurse prior to seeing the patient, chart our assessments, and report off to the assigned nurse before leaving the floor. During the senior year, we had 12-hr clinical days (some 12-hr rotations over the weekend), etc. Writing-up our care plans and research were completed during non-clinical times. Therefore, the clinical experiences vary by the individual program rather than degree type.

In response to the OP's posting, the decision to attend public or private college/university or community college is a personal decision based on the individual's circumstances and preferences. I took the private university route and am satisfied with my choice despite the cost to attend this university. It's a calculated risk I chose to take based on my educational preferences, circumstances at that time, and the availability of nursing programs in my local area.

AngelsRN · Jun 18, 2009

i have not had the time to read all of the posts but money is a HUGE factor for me. I have been a RN for 3 1/2 years in NY and dont even make close to the $70,000 a year the original poster quoted. And I work a full time job, and a per diem job 1 day per week. By the time I pay my mortgage, bills, food etc., I am living paycheck to paycheck! Where I would love to go back to school, I just cant right now until the economy gets a little better. And that is reality in NY.

MadisonsMomRN, BSN, RN · Jun 18, 2009

Well in all fairness, and not to step on any toes, but cc is the hyundai and a school like duke is more on par with a lexus. Both will get you down the highway and where you want to go but it all depends on what you want from a school. I've been to private schools and I've been to community college - they are apples and oranges. The end game is to get a cert., diploma or degree and maybe license so you can get a job. It's up to the consumer/student to decide what they want to pay for.

I guess this IS true BUT... whether we go to a community college or a big university we all take the same boards (at least in my state we do) I do realize that you do get more education at the university however. (I mean higher degree)