I am about to enter Nursing school in October. It is a PN program from a private school here in NC. Its 12 months in length and over-all not too hard to get into ( .i.e..no waiting list!!) Anyway, after passing the entrance exam, submitting all the required paper work etc, including a 500 word Essay , Having the Interview and so on...I'm in...The down side is that this school is VERY $$$,..I'm talking to the tune of $19,000. ( Its all inclusive,.meaning books, uniforms etc)
The local CC here has a waiting list so to speak, so I'm looking at another 1-2 years easily...I don't want to wait that long!! Plus I found out that NONE of my 33 credits will transfer simply because they ( the CC) has a 5 year rule I was told that I would have to start all over from scratch....By the way my credits were from 8 years ago..ugh! I'm ticked too because the local CC here is only minutes from my home while the school in Raleigh is a good 1 hour + each way...
Anyway my concern is paying for or shall I say "Investing" in this PN program... In addition to other financial aide, I am sure that I'll also have to take a student loan to help cover some of the cost....I don't have all the final "numbers" ( financial aide wise), but I am fairly sure there is no way grants will cover 100% of the cost and the thought of owing so much after-wards kinda worries me...
My question ( and concern is..) Is the cost really worth it? I mean if I were to have a debt of $10,000+ for getting my RN,...that would be fine, but for getting my LPN...well I just don't know... One thing I do want to add is that once I finish my PN, I plan on working and then going the Excelsior route for my RN....
Anyway time is running out and I really need to make a firm decision....I Love coming here and value your opinions...Please share the "pros and Cons" from your point of view......Thanks so much!!
Yes i did consider the BSN route!! We have a private college here ( Barton College) which is actually walking distance from my home. Its very $$$ but I was told by current BSN students that there is no waiting list etc..
The problem for me has been the thought of going long 4 years!...however as you ( and a couple of others here) have stated...Its very possible that it will take me the 4 years anyways...to get my RN. degree!!...Wow you are so right because with all the pre-reqs and possible re-applying 1,2,3 or more times...I could have DONE it already!!
I was talking to a Nurse at work and she told me that when she applied to the LPN program there were some 700+ students and of-course they only choose the 60....She got in on her first try, however she was already attedning for 2 years before even applying,..so yup...its been a 3 year situation for her.....
You have given me something to think about...thats for sure!!..thanks so much
Specializes in PICU, Nurse Educator, Clinical Research.
Anna,
I recently left NC for DC, and I think i know the school you're talking about in Raleigh. I don't know where you live, but if you do clinicals at some of the hospitals in the south of Wake county, you are in for TERRIBLE traffic. Also, if this is the same school I'm thinking of, you're not going to be able to transfer all the credits from that school if you choose to go on to an ADN or BSN program. That being said, it's a good program for LPN's....I hired several of their graduates, and they were all really top-notch.
If you're going to be on a waitlist for the CC, you might consider getting certified as an EMT or phlebotomist in the meantime. EMT's make dreadful pay in NC, but the training will be an excellent groundwork for nursing school. I had a much easier time getting job offers in intensive care because (as the hiring managers told me) I had my EMT in addition to my ADN. Also, if you're working in a major hospital, see if they'll pay for you to take ACLS, PALS, etc....I took ACLS as a CNA, and that was a HUGE benefit to me when I applied for nursing jobs.
As for phlebotomy, I don't know what hospitals pay for phlebotomists, but you can get a job at a research facility in Raleigh that pays around $15-$16 an hour (PM me for details). Several of the phlebotomists there are nursing students, and it works out really well for them- they get to study between scheduled blood draws, and it's loads easier on you physically than hospital CNA work.
Feel free to PM me- I ran into the whole waitlist fiasco when I was applying to nursing school, and ended up going to a CC over an hour away, since they admitted based on entrance exam scores and GPA, not waitlisting. It was worth it.
I just took a PN course and paid 18,000. Here is my opinion on the program (i went to hamilton). the 18,000 covered my books, and uniforms. Also the colleges here (in ia) have a 2 year waiting list and this college did not. I figured that 18,000 was expensive but i got my education completed 2 years sooner and i am on the floor 2 years sooner. So i thought it was a good idea. The only bad part about it was since it was an "accelerated" program (1 year or less) financial aide doesn't help out very much. So it's up to you to weigh the pros and cons.
I was told that I would have to start all over from scratch....By the way my credits were from 8 years ago..ugh! I'm ticked too because the local CC here is only minutes from my home while the school in Raleigh is a good 1 hour + each way...
wasted-enough-time
151 Posts
VickyRN...
Thanks for responding!!
Yes i did consider the BSN route!! We have a private college here ( Barton College) which is actually walking distance from my home. Its very $$$ but I was told by current BSN students that there is no waiting list etc..
The problem for me has been the thought of going long 4 years!...however as you ( and a couple of others here) have stated...Its very possible that it will take me the 4 years anyways...to get my RN. degree!!...Wow you are so right because with all the pre-reqs and possible re-applying 1,2,3 or more times...I could have DONE it already!!
I was talking to a Nurse at work and she told me that when she applied to the LPN program there were some 700+ students and of-course they only choose the 60....She got in on her first try, however she was already attedning for 2 years before even applying,..so yup...its been a 3 year situation for her.....
You have given me something to think about...thats for sure!!..thanks so much
Anna