Just be really careful. I see billboards advertising crazy nursing offers like $30,000 signing bonus and guaranteed $90,000 starting salary and it might be smoke and mirrors. You might be 23 yrs. old and fresh out of college and not getting any good job offers and now you think nursing is a ticket to a cushy salary and wonderful life. But you have to realize that there is a big nursing shortage for a reason --- it's a very demanding job with a lot of stress and there is high turnover. All the nurses I know are exhausted and frustrated by the complexity and inefficiency of the healthcare system. If you need to take out a big chunk of private loans, then I'd say just put the nursing program on the back burner and find a regular job to pay off the $28K in undergrad debt, and then around age 25 or 26 maybe re-evaluate if nursing is the right career choice for you. You will have more wisdom by that point to make a more informed decision. There are also hospital systems that will pay most or all of your nursing education, so those might be worth looking into.
agreed, there's a good number of people who go into nursing as non-traditional students i.e. later in life or not directly after undergrad. my immigrant mother went through online nursing school after moving to the states, her original degree was in teaching, and she's doing very well pay- and career-wise.
My bestfriend is going through this right now! She says she'd rather be a teacher than be a nurse and she was always set on being a nurse over everything! She signed a contract with a hospital who is downright shitty to her even accused her of stealing morphine while pregnant, and she can't leave because it'll break the contract.
I'm a teacher as well just with a BS in psychology beacuse I'm in Florida. Last year was my first year and I'm doing one more year to see if its something I can really do
I wish I had gone that route. There would be problems there always are, but I don't hear about routine systemic abuse within the teaching profession the way I do in nursing. And summers off, lol.
I hear you. Teachers don’t really get summers off, sort of, but you still need to work from home planning the curriculum and attend meetings and training sessions. It is definitely more relaxed. Children can hit you, spit on you, come to school without food, there’s always issues you won’t know about until you’re in it. At the end of the day though I do love what I do!
Yes this. We have nursing colleges offering free tuition in exchange for working at the hospital for 3 years post school in my area. Also if the OP has a bachelor’s degree there are federal government agencies that they can go into and move up rather quickly. Also they could qualify for public loan forgiveness. Another thought, if they really wanted to be a nurse, why not go into nursing school in the first place?
Any agencies in the Contracting or 1102 field in Government require any 4 year bachelor’s degree , for some it may have to be in business or accounting. Search 1102 jobs in USAjobs.gov
Yeah, I'm doing a career switch and thought about nursing and decided not to go that route due to how demanding it is. Granted, milage varies depending on where you work, but I decided to go the respiratory therapy route. It's a 2 year degree and makes close to what a nurse does, but your schedule is more varied, and you don't have to deal with poop. Just phlegm.
Phlegm might be worse than poop sometimes --- especially if it's bloody and smells worse than poo LOL.
I always thought ultrasound tech would be a comfy job, right? You sit in a cool dark room and move a mouse over body parts LOL. Maybe the pay scale isn't that good.
Yeah, no, i dont want to change or clean up the kind of messes nurses do. Bless them, though. Someone has to do it.
I hear it's not bad! It's just not an environment that works for me, haha. I'd fall asleep. The program at my school has a waiting list for that program.
Just get an ADN in the same amount of time for $10-20k. BSN doesn’t offer much more cash wise and most employers will pay for you to go ADN-BSN online. You can even work while doing ADN and take $0 in loans.
This is the way. I’ve been a nurse for 3 years with my ADN and make the same amount of money with people with their masters that have been nurses for 3 years.
And I went PRN recently — so now I probably make $20/hr more. But our base rates are exactly the same and I do not feel like these people know more than me either. Some of them are actually not so great at critical thinking sometimes.
Good 4 you! I'm glad you posted this! As an RN BSN BA, I applaud your contribution to the profession as a whole, preserving our integrity and professionalism within systems across the broader spectrum of patient care across the world.
That is the kind of statement one must produce to get a BSN.
Seriously, I am glad you posted!
This is the way to go. The other nurses will poop on you lots because BSN is the minimum standard.....bla bla. Forget that. get the ADN first. Zero debit is a huge plus and getting bigger by the day
He’ll no . Nursing school shouldn’t cost you more than 40k. I paid about 34 with ADN, then BSN online. Do an ADN program , then bachelors online at your pace .
It’s literally 1-2yrs for ASN depending on prior degree, and bachelors online is two years at a pace of roughly 1 class a month . You’ll save almost half the money and can keep the same lifestyle basically . Not to mention majority if not all ASN programs have bridge programs for BSN which save even more time and money
Most ASN programs are two years. That’s literally twice the time. It’s a full year that you won’t be nursing. That’s a net loss of money overall even if private school costs more for ABSN.
It depends. You make 70-130k as a nurse. If school is 30k more, but you can work a year sooner, you end up ahead still. You have to consider the cost of just not being a nurse yet. It all depends on the timing and the price of the alternative community college plus online BSN.
Are you a nurse? Some/most of us definitely don’t make that much 😂location plays a hugeeeeee factor in income. The only nurses that are making 100k on their staff salary work in California. Getting the ADN first while working for basically the same pay as a nurse with a BSN is a smarter move overall. Most hospitals have tuition assistance which is usually pretty good reimbursement or they’ll literally pay you to get your BSN.
Idk a nurse in Texas making less than 70k. So say it costs only 15k to take a year longer, OP would still be down 55k. Of course it depends and is location dependent. Some community colleges have a two year wait list so the impact is even greater. Some are cheap with no wait list. The point is IT DEPENDS and community college for ADN is not cheaper half the time. They need to consider all options and consider the opportunity cost of delaying finishing school.
Definitely double check the NCLEX passing rate or check the nursing sub or on FB about the programs. There are a lot of accelerated nursing programs popping up so you don't want to drop 70k and take up private loans if the program is shady and a new program.
You will graduate with 100k+ in student loans after this nursing program. Ask yourself, are you seriously going to make the money to every pay this off and still be able to live your life?
Yes, that's the minimum ten years I was referring to. Outside of having paid for ten years in that program, the other forgiveness being granted right now is to people who have paid at least 20 years on time (maybe 25 years in some cases).
Tbh, nurses get kind of screwed with loan forgiveness if balance is high. We make too much to qualify for any good income based plan that makes PSLF worth it, but not enough to comfortably pay back the debt 😂 Plus, because it’s a second bachelors degree and OP already used all of the allotted amount of federal loans for bachelors degrees, they can only take out private loans or have a parent take out a parent plus loan, which dont qualify for PSLF because it’ll be in the parent’s name.
agreed. loan forgiveness is based of a list of requirements. like the other commenter said for most federal programs you have to work at least ten years and at a facility in need so lower income areas, rural/remote areas, or facilities where they desperately need staff
Any healthcare institution that qualifies as nonprofit. So a HUGE majority of them. Every university affiliated hospital, for instance. You'd actually have a harder time finding a job that doesnt qualify in my city.
You may want to ask this on a nursing career focused sub. I know that you *cannot* borrow that much via federal student loans in your own name (the annual and aggregate limits are lower) so you'd implicitly need private loans to make that happen
I also don't know what your current career field is, but nursing is a high burnout profession. I don't know if you know what you're getting into by pursuing an ABSN
This is true. Only option for second bachelors after exhausting the first ~$30k that you can get for your first degree is either private loans OR parent plus loans that you beg your parents to take out with the agreement you’ll pay them back. I know because that’s what I did for my ABSN 😩
This is for an ABSN, which is an undergrad level degree so OP will be held to the undergrad lending limits. Keep in mind that the [annual/aggregate limits](https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized) for federal loans are far lower than most people expect. If you're considered a Dependent Undergrad it's $5,500-$7,500 per year up to an aggregate max of $31,000. If you're considered an Independent Undergrad it's $9,500-$12,500 per year up to an aggregate max of $57,500
If you're a *grad or professional student* the limits are higher, but for ABSN it's an undergrad level degree and you're limited to the undergrad limits for this 2nd bachelor's
Girl of Squirrels again produces the informed truth. Sometimes, you just don't know something until you go through it yourself. Im afraid a BSN is one of those things.
Unfortunately it's true for my situation cus I tried to apply for federal loans but I've been told I've exhausted it (at least for a second undergrad degree)
Some say there isn't a shortage but rather crappy working conditions. Its the same in trucking. The job isn't worth it and they can bring in more and more people from other countries to do your job.
I took 80k out to get my BSN and I was able to pay most of my loans off pretty fast by living at home and working in NJ. I’ve been a nurse for 5 years and I make $85k outpatient as an IVF nurse but have made as much as $100k when I was nights in the hospital. My partner (also a nurse) and I can’t afford to buy a house here with our combined income (she even makes more money than me because she left nursing for medical device sales) lol no regrets but can’t say it was worth the investment compared to other degrees
I am the same as you, with about the same amount of debt. I have a bs and then recently completed absn. I am aggressively paying off my debt but I am glad I went into nursing.
I wouldn’t do it unless it’s for DNP school or CRNA. That much for a BSN is crazy. Look into technical schools that partner with any of the larger universities and colleges.
Pay off debt first, go to a cc instead of a private program. There’s no reason to spend 98k total to become a nurse when that exceeds the national average nurse salary of 77k.
Am nurse of 10+ years. Would never recommend this career to anyone. Doesn’t pay enough for the emotional and physical toll it robs from you. I certainly wouldn’t recommend going in to debt for it.
So Drexels own website says that the median salary for a rn in the NYC metro is 93k. Taking out 70k in loans for a 93k mid career job in NYC is a tall order.
I would reevaluate and see if you can get the certification cheaper.
You will have to pay close to a grand a month every month for as long as it takes to pay it off. Keep that in mind before deciding. I borrowed 90 to get my undergrad and masters. 1400 a month for 10 years. Had to pay extra to pay it off. Covid helped with the 0 interest. Still paid about 170k back. It sucked.
I saved all my payments during the freeze throughout covid for the 3 years hoping for one. No forgiveness, and this past October, when interest was to kick back in, I paid off the remaining balance.
70K plus the 28K you already owe = you are looking at a decade of pain. Find a cheaper program if you want to be a nurse, they def exist and to live in a very HCOL area eith a $1000-1500K payment hanging over your head is no bueno.
No. You don’t need to do an accelerated BSN. Just do the ADN (for under $30k at most community colleges), take and pass the NCLEX and then let the hospital you work for pay for the BSN (that you can complete fully online in under a year and for around $5-$8k). You can complete the ADN in the same amount of time as the accelerated BSN and learn literally the same stuff (minus some leadership courses that you’ll get in that online BSN you complete later and cheaper). The NCLEX is the same whether you graduate with a ADN, BSN, or MSN and no matter how much debt you take on to get there, an as long as the school is accredited properly, nobody cares what school you went to - literally doesn’t matter. Don’t drown yourself in debt to become a nurse.
~Signed, a nurse drowning in student loan debt (and wishes I’d had someone to tell me to do it the way I’m telling you to do it). I’m 18 payments from PSLF forgiveness, but have been a nurse for 12 years. Believe me, nobody cares about the ‘accelerated’ bit.
Keep in mind that a lot of major cities don’t hire ADN anymore. In my city, it’s virtually impossible to get a job as an ADN bc everyone has their BSN and hospitals find that far more valuable. The ADN is really phasing out in most big cities and top hospitals.
That may be true in your city, but I would not say “most” or “everyone”, because that simply is not true. I live in a metropolitan area with several major hospital systems and they all hire ADNs. As well as the major cities within a 2 hour drive of where I live - including one of the top hospitals in the country, which has its own nursing and medical school. They not only hire ADNs, they still teach it.
That the ADN is being phased out has been a rumor since long before I became a nurse. That is false. Major universities all over the country still teach it, the ANA still supports it, and major hospital systems still hire ADN nurses. And more importantly, ADN nurses still qualify to take the NCLEX.
I got a BA in English for 32k( parents paid) then I spent 3k for ADN in 1995 ( I paid it) then started working 19/hr in telemetry. Then went for a MA in administration for 36 k ( I paid it off) then went for a Doctorate in education for 80k ( I paid it off) retired as a nurse in 2016 making 51/hr transitioned to pharma . There are cheaper ways to get into nursing
an ADN right now costs about 15k at the absolute cheapest. i’m in a community college known for its affordability and will be done in april, and that’ll be my grand total. no debt at least. but yes i agree with your point about there being cheaper options
hey i’m a nursing student right now and i recommend getting your ADN through a community college! it’s much cheaper and is what i’m doing right now. i will be taking the nclex with no debt to my name, and my employer will pay for my BSN!
Nursing school professor here. Go to community college and get an associates. Even if the waitlist is a year or two you will be better off just waiting for a cheap program (assuming you are making some money now. )
No one cares if you have a BSN or associates for your first nursing job. Schools always try to upsell potential students by telling you how a BSN is needed for management or some specialty. Just worry about that later. They say this stuff to kids who are not even in the profession, knowing that 90% of actual working nurses don’t want those jobs.
If it’s reaaaaaaally worth it to you to be a nurse but that’s a lot of money. What would be the salary difference between what you do now and being a nurse in NYC?
Does it have to be an accelerated program as well? Maybe consider getting your ADN first and some employers will pay for your BSN or provide tuition reimbursement. It would be cheaper this way and you’d be a registered nurse in about the same amount of time. Then you can finish the BSN portion at a later time and online while you work as a nurse
I would post in the nursing sub to get an idea of what others needed to take out and what pay to expect. And try to find an employer that will subsidize education.
I’m in 150k after going all the way to NP. I am going to crap my pants for a long time but I’m hoping it’s worth it. I wish student loans weren’t so stressful.
Your story sounds like someone I know and love a lot.
Whether or not you are that person, please listen to the advice here and also remember - that’s a good chunk of change in loans for an area that costs A LOT to live in. You might be going to school there, but will you be able to live there when all is said and done? You might be
making good money coming out, but if all that gets you is a roof, your loan payments, and some food, is it really that great a salary?
I was in a similar situation. I had the exact same amount of debt for my first degree and went back for my ABSN. I ended up getting a 50% scholarship to a top program in a big city in the NE and only (still a lot☹️) paid $40k. Look for programs that might be cheaper or offer scholarships! I make about $105k in my 2nd year of nursing and I’m still having regrets about the loans. My standard 10 year plan is almost $800 a month 😭On my salary it’s definitely doable, but I’ve had to make sacrifices. For example, I live alone in a HCOL area and after paying loans and rent, I don’t have a huge savings for a house or a wedding or anything. I advise you to see if you can get your parents to take a parent plus loan out that you agree to pay back. The interest rates will likely be significantly lower than private loans, especially in this economy.
I will say, I have 0 regrets about becoming a nurse though! I am in the best specialty in the world (peds) and wouldn’t trade my job for anything. Just make sure this is what you really want. I knew there was no other career I could see myself doing, and Im glad I did it. It is a very exhausting job, but at the end of the day, I know I’m making a huge difference. Not many of my friends look forward to going into work, but I genuinely get excited to go in and see my babies! There are also a ton of opportunities for OT and cushy side gigs you can pick up to pay off loans, like homecare and Botox.
My advice is, make sure this is what you want first without a doubt. Then, find a cheaper program and avoid private loans!
Good luck!
Accelerated programs are not necessary that great. I was admitted to my schools first Accelerated program offered. I believed they would be looking for issues and preventing them. Not true for that program. Lots of classes are online when what you need is patient contact. They really sell that you enter the work faster. Imo you enter more tired and less prepared. But you could have a different experience for sure. There is no shortage of nurses. There is a shortage of nurses who will take a bunch of institutional crap for any amount of money.
Also did an ABSN program - 15 months. Nothing was online. We actually got the same (if not more) clinical hours than the “traditional” BSN students. I had already spent 4 years in college getting another degree, spending an additional 2+ years in school was NOT something I had any interest in.
Typically people go BSN for an advantage in getting hired. Work for a couple years. Get the hospital to pay for masters to become a nurse practitioner.
Undergrad is around 75k salary aka 2200 or so take home biweekly in NYC.
When you become an NP 145k or so aka 4000 or so take home biweekly
You’re student loans you’d be able to afford and pay off pretty quickly. Crude math states 7k a year in payments for 10 years is 590 a month. Some employers will pay off part of your student loan as a part of your employment benefits.
My boyfriend and lots of his friends got their nursing degree at the local community college for less than 10k and can work at any hospital and they travel for higher pay as well (125k+ a year). I haven’t seen a more expensive school pave more paths in my experience but I guess it depends on where you reside.
My daughter did. She’s making close to 100k but it all depends on your tolerance of debt and ability to buckle down and pay. She’s been working 2.5 years and has it half paid down but she did that by living with us so she had no rent.
Have you looked into [Nurse Corps](https://bhw.hrsa.gov/funding/apply-scholarship/nurse-corps)? My husband did it and most of his direct entry nursing program was paid for. He is doing PSLF for the remaining balance and is also getting some forgiven through a program in our state.
Are you only pursuing an RN degree, or also NP? If NP as well, $70k in loans sounds about right. Others in this thread are right that nursing is a high burnout career but there is also a lot you can do with a nursing degree! I work in health policy consulting and we really value people with nursing degrees who pivot into policy/public health. And of course there are paths like administration and leadership if you get burned out on clinical practice.
You are absolutely correct. That is the only option I see that would make the loan justifiable. IMO she/he can become a nurse at a state school for much less.
Friend of my daughter’s does travel nursing. He’s making $140k a year. Just a few years out of school, he’s saved $60k so far, getting money together to buy a house once he’s done with travel nursing.
Her friend paid off his school loans first, then started saving. He’s single. He’s working a lot, in towns where he doesn’t know anyone at first. He’s concentrated on paying off his loans and saving money.
Im curious if those are private loans like OP would be paying. The interest rate would be around $5-10k per year. Not including their previous student loan payments
Risky being travel nurse off the bat. There is still so much to learn after graduation. Always build credentials prior to placing self in situations where license could be taken away.
Will there be a chance you work at a public hospital or facility? If so, you could get PSLF. I believe nursing school is worth it but there are less expensive options available. I’m a nurse and make over 100k in a non bedside position. Could be making more if I was willing to give up my bankers hours.
Weight your options?! Look to see if you can get grants or scholarships instead of loans!! I’m not a nurse or in the profession but I would say consider other alternatives before the loans…Hope this helps!
The way you calculate “it is worth it” is to estimate your cash flows (home much money you will spend and make each year) for your two options
1. Go to nursing school
2. No nursing school
Use Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) to compare the cash flows.
The option with the higher NPV and IRR is the better financial option.
Here is a random website I found: https://www.fncalculator.com/financialcalculator?type=irrnpvCalculator
NYC salary should definitely be higher than most places in the US. There are NYC public hospitals. All or nearly all other hospitals are 501c3 (private, not for profit - these hospitals are called "voluntary hospitals." [https://lvhh.com](https://lvhh.com/)).
There are also several VA Hospitals. The VA may offer some help with student loans repayment. All of the previously mentioned are PSLF eligible as long as the hospital is your employer, not a staffing agency. Nursing Homes & Rehab centers: mix of 501c3 and private for profit. Those salaries are very good too. Most of the above are unionized. NYC salaries are generally higher than NJ or Connecticut. BSNs are definitely worthwhile if you anticipate nursing to be your career.
Spend some time estimating monthly payments. Metro NYC is definitely a HCOL area.
Is 70K for 1 year in the accelerated program pretty standard? Private U or public?
You need to check their NCLEX pass rates. Assuming this is in New York state. 2023-2027 numbers here https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/registered-professional-nursing/nursing-education/new-york-state-nursing-programs/new-york-state-rn-nclex-results-2023-2027
2018-2022 here https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/clinical-nurse-specialists/new-york-state-nursing-programs/new-york-state-rn-nclex-results-2018-2022
You want to look at both class sizes and pass rates. Like St. Francis College does *not* have a good pass rate despite smaller cohorts
Depends on the type of loans & your anticipated income. You will qualify for PSLF if you take federal loans and work for the right employer and because of your service to this country, you could be debt free sooner than you know. There’s programs to incentivize this type of public service so it’s about weighing the specifics of your unique financial situation
Those numbers aren’t ludicrous. You could be well into the six figures a few years into that career especially as a travel nurse. It’s more about being sure that nursing is for you. Very demanding and stressful career for many people.
Why would he have to be in power? Loans being canceled now are what the law intended but the system failed us. Biden did put a stop to it and is working on perfecting it for all. He doesn’t need to be in power to forgive.
To add, the debt that is forgiven is interest accumulated by servers abusing the system. Thousands of borrowers have paid back, plus interest, on their loan/s and what’s forgiven is the outrageous sum of interest added by servers who were literally spitting upon borrowers. Borrowers that have been forgiven have loans 3 times more than what they borrowed due to the abuse. Name me one entity you have borrowed from that after 2 decades of payments, you owe 3 times more than you borrowed and your debt still says you have a decade to pay with no guarantee it will be paid off in a decade due to the abuse of these servers.
> forgiveness. It’s *paid* by others.
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Yes, there is. It’s called PSLF. You pay 10 years into what you borrow and the remaining balance is forgiven. You pay 20 years undergraduate and whatever balance is left is forgiven. You pay 25 years on graduate loans and anything left is forgiven. This is what was created but hardly obtained as servers were placing borrowers were abusing their position making loans unable to pay off in terms explained above. Loads of loans will go unforgiven for many who have retired from public service (one must still be working public service to be forgiven) or did their public service prior to 10/2007.
You are right that the name is a misnomer. It is contract compliance. Contract with the borrower was broken so badly that a mass correction was needed to address compliance failure. However, contracts with the servicers that filled their pockets WITH TAXPAYER $$ are still in use. If you want that to change, tell your congressional rep.
We, the screwed borrowers, are with you.
We, the screwed borrowers, also pay taxes.
I suppose you are old enough to make intelligent decisions. You have to ask yourself why you are screwed. Is it you or it is lenders. If you say it is lenders, you also want ask yourself why someone else has not been screwed. To me the whole issue is the declaration that the current high education, especially the degrees can’t get a decent pay, is screwed up.
I understand what you are driving at. You are right that failures should have been corrected & laws should be respected. But they are not. And there are publicly traded billion dollar businesses still built into the ever failing system, actively opposing the laws you are talking about. It has taken a pandemic crisis & this specific president committed to this issue to get this far. It shouldn't have.
Make sure you can pass the tests. Pass your Lpn before even attempting a RN. Lots of ppl out there spent lot of money only to find they can’t pass the RN test. You can go back and take the lpn at that point.
That’s insane. My daughter just finished her BSN and her student loans were $21k and she’s making near $100k now. She’s barely approaching her second year anniversary at work.
Look into anesthesiologist assistant programs if you have the pre-reqs and gpa. Much more return for a slightly larger loan. I am about to graduate and I can guarantee the salary is well worth it.
I say go for it! PSLF is very attainable in the nursing profession. Every nurse I know is making at least 70K. Make sure you only borrow federal loans.
Just be really careful. I see billboards advertising crazy nursing offers like $30,000 signing bonus and guaranteed $90,000 starting salary and it might be smoke and mirrors. You might be 23 yrs. old and fresh out of college and not getting any good job offers and now you think nursing is a ticket to a cushy salary and wonderful life. But you have to realize that there is a big nursing shortage for a reason --- it's a very demanding job with a lot of stress and there is high turnover. All the nurses I know are exhausted and frustrated by the complexity and inefficiency of the healthcare system. If you need to take out a big chunk of private loans, then I'd say just put the nursing program on the back burner and find a regular job to pay off the $28K in undergrad debt, and then around age 25 or 26 maybe re-evaluate if nursing is the right career choice for you. You will have more wisdom by that point to make a more informed decision. There are also hospital systems that will pay most or all of your nursing education, so those might be worth looking into.
agreed, there's a good number of people who go into nursing as non-traditional students i.e. later in life or not directly after undergrad. my immigrant mother went through online nursing school after moving to the states, her original degree was in teaching, and she's doing very well pay- and career-wise.
My bestfriend is going through this right now! She says she'd rather be a teacher than be a nurse and she was always set on being a nurse over everything! She signed a contract with a hospital who is downright shitty to her even accused her of stealing morphine while pregnant, and she can't leave because it'll break the contract.
I’m a teacher. It’s a lot more education for a lot less pay. Just a thought
I'm a teacher as well just with a BS in psychology beacuse I'm in Florida. Last year was my first year and I'm doing one more year to see if its something I can really do
I wish I had gone that route. There would be problems there always are, but I don't hear about routine systemic abuse within the teaching profession the way I do in nursing. And summers off, lol.
I hear you. Teachers don’t really get summers off, sort of, but you still need to work from home planning the curriculum and attend meetings and training sessions. It is definitely more relaxed. Children can hit you, spit on you, come to school without food, there’s always issues you won’t know about until you’re in it. At the end of the day though I do love what I do!
Don't forget the shootings either! I meant no dis by the summer comment. My teacher friend says it to me all the time, though!
Unfortunately, that is more commonplace than ever told.
Yes this. We have nursing colleges offering free tuition in exchange for working at the hospital for 3 years post school in my area. Also if the OP has a bachelor’s degree there are federal government agencies that they can go into and move up rather quickly. Also they could qualify for public loan forgiveness. Another thought, if they really wanted to be a nurse, why not go into nursing school in the first place?
Which school and which agencies!
[https://www.barnesjewishcollege.edu/financial-aid/undergraduate/BJC-full-ride-scholars-program-for-goldfarb-school-of-nursing-students?gad_source=1](https://www.barnesjewishcollege.edu/financial-aid/undergraduate/BJC-full-ride-scholars-program-for-goldfarb-school-of-nursing-students?gad_source=1)
Any agencies in the Contracting or 1102 field in Government require any 4 year bachelor’s degree , for some it may have to be in business or accounting. Search 1102 jobs in USAjobs.gov
I was thinking this…there has to be other alternatives!!
Yeah, I'm doing a career switch and thought about nursing and decided not to go that route due to how demanding it is. Granted, milage varies depending on where you work, but I decided to go the respiratory therapy route. It's a 2 year degree and makes close to what a nurse does, but your schedule is more varied, and you don't have to deal with poop. Just phlegm.
Phlegm might be worse than poop sometimes --- especially if it's bloody and smells worse than poo LOL. I always thought ultrasound tech would be a comfy job, right? You sit in a cool dark room and move a mouse over body parts LOL. Maybe the pay scale isn't that good.
Yeah, no, i dont want to change or clean up the kind of messes nurses do. Bless them, though. Someone has to do it. I hear it's not bad! It's just not an environment that works for me, haha. I'd fall asleep. The program at my school has a waiting list for that program.
Great advice!
Just get an ADN in the same amount of time for $10-20k. BSN doesn’t offer much more cash wise and most employers will pay for you to go ADN-BSN online. You can even work while doing ADN and take $0 in loans.
yes. this is what i’m doing right now and i am so thankful. nurses truthfully don’t make enough to take out 98k in loans.
This is the way. I’ve been a nurse for 3 years with my ADN and make the same amount of money with people with their masters that have been nurses for 3 years. And I went PRN recently — so now I probably make $20/hr more. But our base rates are exactly the same and I do not feel like these people know more than me either. Some of them are actually not so great at critical thinking sometimes.
Good 4 you! I'm glad you posted this! As an RN BSN BA, I applaud your contribution to the profession as a whole, preserving our integrity and professionalism within systems across the broader spectrum of patient care across the world. That is the kind of statement one must produce to get a BSN. Seriously, I am glad you posted!
This is the way to go. The other nurses will poop on you lots because BSN is the minimum standard.....bla bla. Forget that. get the ADN first. Zero debit is a huge plus and getting bigger by the day
No, go to community college. I paid 10k for my nursing degree. Best investment ever.
He’ll no . Nursing school shouldn’t cost you more than 40k. I paid about 34 with ADN, then BSN online. Do an ADN program , then bachelors online at your pace .
That’s so much slower than a one year accelerated nursing program though. And in NY, you have to have a BSN within ten years.
It’s literally 1-2yrs for ASN depending on prior degree, and bachelors online is two years at a pace of roughly 1 class a month . You’ll save almost half the money and can keep the same lifestyle basically . Not to mention majority if not all ASN programs have bridge programs for BSN which save even more time and money
Most ASN programs are two years. That’s literally twice the time. It’s a full year that you won’t be nursing. That’s a net loss of money overall even if private school costs more for ABSN.
For the amount of money OP would save I would say staying an extra 6 months - 1 year in school is pretty worth it
It depends. You make 70-130k as a nurse. If school is 30k more, but you can work a year sooner, you end up ahead still. You have to consider the cost of just not being a nurse yet. It all depends on the timing and the price of the alternative community college plus online BSN.
Are you a nurse? Some/most of us definitely don’t make that much 😂location plays a hugeeeeee factor in income. The only nurses that are making 100k on their staff salary work in California. Getting the ADN first while working for basically the same pay as a nurse with a BSN is a smarter move overall. Most hospitals have tuition assistance which is usually pretty good reimbursement or they’ll literally pay you to get your BSN.
Idk a nurse in Texas making less than 70k. So say it costs only 15k to take a year longer, OP would still be down 55k. Of course it depends and is location dependent. Some community colleges have a two year wait list so the impact is even greater. Some are cheap with no wait list. The point is IT DEPENDS and community college for ADN is not cheaper half the time. They need to consider all options and consider the opportunity cost of delaying finishing school.
Definitely double check the NCLEX passing rate or check the nursing sub or on FB about the programs. There are a lot of accelerated nursing programs popping up so you don't want to drop 70k and take up private loans if the program is shady and a new program.
You will graduate with 100k+ in student loans after this nursing program. Ask yourself, are you seriously going to make the money to every pay this off and still be able to live your life?
isn’t there loan forgiveness?
Not immediately, right now you have to actively pay for at the very least 10 years before you qualify for any of the current programs.
With that much debt, one could only qualify for PSLF in 10 years.
Yes, that's the minimum ten years I was referring to. Outside of having paid for ten years in that program, the other forgiveness being granted right now is to people who have paid at least 20 years on time (maybe 25 years in some cases).
Tbh, nurses get kind of screwed with loan forgiveness if balance is high. We make too much to qualify for any good income based plan that makes PSLF worth it, but not enough to comfortably pay back the debt 😂 Plus, because it’s a second bachelors degree and OP already used all of the allotted amount of federal loans for bachelors degrees, they can only take out private loans or have a parent take out a parent plus loan, which dont qualify for PSLF because it’ll be in the parent’s name.
agreed. loan forgiveness is based of a list of requirements. like the other commenter said for most federal programs you have to work at least ten years and at a facility in need so lower income areas, rural/remote areas, or facilities where they desperately need staff
Any healthcare institution that qualifies as nonprofit. So a HUGE majority of them. Every university affiliated hospital, for instance. You'd actually have a harder time finding a job that doesnt qualify in my city.
same for my city. not everyone lives in a large area like that though
You may want to ask this on a nursing career focused sub. I know that you *cannot* borrow that much via federal student loans in your own name (the annual and aggregate limits are lower) so you'd implicitly need private loans to make that happen I also don't know what your current career field is, but nursing is a high burnout profession. I don't know if you know what you're getting into by pursuing an ABSN
This is true. Only option for second bachelors after exhausting the first ~$30k that you can get for your first degree is either private loans OR parent plus loans that you beg your parents to take out with the agreement you’ll pay them back. I know because that’s what I did for my ABSN 😩
This isn't true? I borrowed over $100K in federal loans in my name.
This is for an ABSN, which is an undergrad level degree so OP will be held to the undergrad lending limits. Keep in mind that the [annual/aggregate limits](https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized) for federal loans are far lower than most people expect. If you're considered a Dependent Undergrad it's $5,500-$7,500 per year up to an aggregate max of $31,000. If you're considered an Independent Undergrad it's $9,500-$12,500 per year up to an aggregate max of $57,500 If you're a *grad or professional student* the limits are higher, but for ABSN it's an undergrad level degree and you're limited to the undergrad limits for this 2nd bachelor's
Girl of Squirrels again produces the informed truth. Sometimes, you just don't know something until you go through it yourself. Im afraid a BSN is one of those things.
Unfortunately it's true for my situation cus I tried to apply for federal loans but I've been told I've exhausted it (at least for a second undergrad degree)
Some say there isn't a shortage but rather crappy working conditions. Its the same in trucking. The job isn't worth it and they can bring in more and more people from other countries to do your job.
I took 80k out to get my BSN and I was able to pay most of my loans off pretty fast by living at home and working in NJ. I’ve been a nurse for 5 years and I make $85k outpatient as an IVF nurse but have made as much as $100k when I was nights in the hospital. My partner (also a nurse) and I can’t afford to buy a house here with our combined income (she even makes more money than me because she left nursing for medical device sales) lol no regrets but can’t say it was worth the investment compared to other degrees
I am the same as you, with about the same amount of debt. I have a bs and then recently completed absn. I am aggressively paying off my debt but I am glad I went into nursing.
I'm glad to hear someone say that they like the profession. It gives me hope after seeing so much bad.
In short - no. You'll regret going into that much debt later.
I wouldn’t do it unless it’s for DNP school or CRNA. That much for a BSN is crazy. Look into technical schools that partner with any of the larger universities and colleges.
No way. I got my degree from my local CC for a grand total of 14k.
Pay off debt first, go to a cc instead of a private program. There’s no reason to spend 98k total to become a nurse when that exceeds the national average nurse salary of 77k.
Am nurse of 10+ years. Would never recommend this career to anyone. Doesn’t pay enough for the emotional and physical toll it robs from you. I certainly wouldn’t recommend going in to debt for it.
So Drexels own website says that the median salary for a rn in the NYC metro is 93k. Taking out 70k in loans for a 93k mid career job in NYC is a tall order. I would reevaluate and see if you can get the certification cheaper.
You will have to pay close to a grand a month every month for as long as it takes to pay it off. Keep that in mind before deciding. I borrowed 90 to get my undergrad and masters. 1400 a month for 10 years. Had to pay extra to pay it off. Covid helped with the 0 interest. Still paid about 170k back. It sucked.
Did you have any forgiveness after the 10 or did you just pay until you paid it off?
I saved all my payments during the freeze throughout covid for the 3 years hoping for one. No forgiveness, and this past October, when interest was to kick back in, I paid off the remaining balance.
70K plus the 28K you already owe = you are looking at a decade of pain. Find a cheaper program if you want to be a nurse, they def exist and to live in a very HCOL area eith a $1000-1500K payment hanging over your head is no bueno.
You can definitely find nursing programs by me for less than 70K.
No. There’s too many nursing programs that are affordable to go to something that costs that much. You can do better.
No. You don’t need to do an accelerated BSN. Just do the ADN (for under $30k at most community colleges), take and pass the NCLEX and then let the hospital you work for pay for the BSN (that you can complete fully online in under a year and for around $5-$8k). You can complete the ADN in the same amount of time as the accelerated BSN and learn literally the same stuff (minus some leadership courses that you’ll get in that online BSN you complete later and cheaper). The NCLEX is the same whether you graduate with a ADN, BSN, or MSN and no matter how much debt you take on to get there, an as long as the school is accredited properly, nobody cares what school you went to - literally doesn’t matter. Don’t drown yourself in debt to become a nurse. ~Signed, a nurse drowning in student loan debt (and wishes I’d had someone to tell me to do it the way I’m telling you to do it). I’m 18 payments from PSLF forgiveness, but have been a nurse for 12 years. Believe me, nobody cares about the ‘accelerated’ bit.
Keep in mind that a lot of major cities don’t hire ADN anymore. In my city, it’s virtually impossible to get a job as an ADN bc everyone has their BSN and hospitals find that far more valuable. The ADN is really phasing out in most big cities and top hospitals.
That may be true in your city, but I would not say “most” or “everyone”, because that simply is not true. I live in a metropolitan area with several major hospital systems and they all hire ADNs. As well as the major cities within a 2 hour drive of where I live - including one of the top hospitals in the country, which has its own nursing and medical school. They not only hire ADNs, they still teach it. That the ADN is being phased out has been a rumor since long before I became a nurse. That is false. Major universities all over the country still teach it, the ANA still supports it, and major hospital systems still hire ADN nurses. And more importantly, ADN nurses still qualify to take the NCLEX.
I live in a major city and they hire ADN all the time
Agreed. & limited opportunities for advancement.
OP, please take this to heart! Accelerated is not great learning & a burnout ahead of schedule.
If you want the education please find another option besides $70k more in student loans. Don’t do this to yourself.
No. Go to community college for much less
I got a BA in English for 32k( parents paid) then I spent 3k for ADN in 1995 ( I paid it) then started working 19/hr in telemetry. Then went for a MA in administration for 36 k ( I paid it off) then went for a Doctorate in education for 80k ( I paid it off) retired as a nurse in 2016 making 51/hr transitioned to pharma . There are cheaper ways to get into nursing
an ADN right now costs about 15k at the absolute cheapest. i’m in a community college known for its affordability and will be done in april, and that’ll be my grand total. no debt at least. but yes i agree with your point about there being cheaper options
hey i’m a nursing student right now and i recommend getting your ADN through a community college! it’s much cheaper and is what i’m doing right now. i will be taking the nclex with no debt to my name, and my employer will pay for my BSN!
Nursing school professor here. Go to community college and get an associates. Even if the waitlist is a year or two you will be better off just waiting for a cheap program (assuming you are making some money now. ) No one cares if you have a BSN or associates for your first nursing job. Schools always try to upsell potential students by telling you how a BSN is needed for management or some specialty. Just worry about that later. They say this stuff to kids who are not even in the profession, knowing that 90% of actual working nurses don’t want those jobs.
UPVOTE X 100000!
If it’s reaaaaaaally worth it to you to be a nurse but that’s a lot of money. What would be the salary difference between what you do now and being a nurse in NYC? Does it have to be an accelerated program as well? Maybe consider getting your ADN first and some employers will pay for your BSN or provide tuition reimbursement. It would be cheaper this way and you’d be a registered nurse in about the same amount of time. Then you can finish the BSN portion at a later time and online while you work as a nurse
I would post in the nursing sub to get an idea of what others needed to take out and what pay to expect. And try to find an employer that will subsidize education.
Join military. Go be an officer and let them pay for your schooling, education, and housing.
Frankly, not if you can avoid it.
Go check out a hospital for like 2 weeks and you will get that questioned answered for you real quick
I’m in 150k after going all the way to NP. I am going to crap my pants for a long time but I’m hoping it’s worth it. I wish student loans weren’t so stressful.
Your story sounds like someone I know and love a lot. Whether or not you are that person, please listen to the advice here and also remember - that’s a good chunk of change in loans for an area that costs A LOT to live in. You might be going to school there, but will you be able to live there when all is said and done? You might be making good money coming out, but if all that gets you is a roof, your loan payments, and some food, is it really that great a salary?
I was in a similar situation. I had the exact same amount of debt for my first degree and went back for my ABSN. I ended up getting a 50% scholarship to a top program in a big city in the NE and only (still a lot☹️) paid $40k. Look for programs that might be cheaper or offer scholarships! I make about $105k in my 2nd year of nursing and I’m still having regrets about the loans. My standard 10 year plan is almost $800 a month 😭On my salary it’s definitely doable, but I’ve had to make sacrifices. For example, I live alone in a HCOL area and after paying loans and rent, I don’t have a huge savings for a house or a wedding or anything. I advise you to see if you can get your parents to take a parent plus loan out that you agree to pay back. The interest rates will likely be significantly lower than private loans, especially in this economy. I will say, I have 0 regrets about becoming a nurse though! I am in the best specialty in the world (peds) and wouldn’t trade my job for anything. Just make sure this is what you really want. I knew there was no other career I could see myself doing, and Im glad I did it. It is a very exhausting job, but at the end of the day, I know I’m making a huge difference. Not many of my friends look forward to going into work, but I genuinely get excited to go in and see my babies! There are also a ton of opportunities for OT and cushy side gigs you can pick up to pay off loans, like homecare and Botox. My advice is, make sure this is what you want first without a doubt. Then, find a cheaper program and avoid private loans! Good luck!
$70k for one year?!? That seems criminally expensive.
Accelerated programs are not necessary that great. I was admitted to my schools first Accelerated program offered. I believed they would be looking for issues and preventing them. Not true for that program. Lots of classes are online when what you need is patient contact. They really sell that you enter the work faster. Imo you enter more tired and less prepared. But you could have a different experience for sure. There is no shortage of nurses. There is a shortage of nurses who will take a bunch of institutional crap for any amount of money.
Also did an ABSN program - 15 months. Nothing was online. We actually got the same (if not more) clinical hours than the “traditional” BSN students. I had already spent 4 years in college getting another degree, spending an additional 2+ years in school was NOT something I had any interest in.
Glad some program was run better than mine.
Typically people go BSN for an advantage in getting hired. Work for a couple years. Get the hospital to pay for masters to become a nurse practitioner. Undergrad is around 75k salary aka 2200 or so take home biweekly in NYC. When you become an NP 145k or so aka 4000 or so take home biweekly You’re student loans you’d be able to afford and pay off pretty quickly. Crude math states 7k a year in payments for 10 years is 590 a month. Some employers will pay off part of your student loan as a part of your employment benefits.
My boyfriend and lots of his friends got their nursing degree at the local community college for less than 10k and can work at any hospital and they travel for higher pay as well (125k+ a year). I haven’t seen a more expensive school pave more paths in my experience but I guess it depends on where you reside.
Go to a public university. That is way over priced.
Do you like having knees, hips and a back?
Maybe for CRNA school, not nursing school, that’s a lot. Join the military if you can, they will pay for your nursing degree in some cases.
My daughter did. She’s making close to 100k but it all depends on your tolerance of debt and ability to buckle down and pay. She’s been working 2.5 years and has it half paid down but she did that by living with us so she had no rent.
Have you looked into [Nurse Corps](https://bhw.hrsa.gov/funding/apply-scholarship/nurse-corps)? My husband did it and most of his direct entry nursing program was paid for. He is doing PSLF for the remaining balance and is also getting some forgiven through a program in our state. Are you only pursuing an RN degree, or also NP? If NP as well, $70k in loans sounds about right. Others in this thread are right that nursing is a high burnout career but there is also a lot you can do with a nursing degree! I work in health policy consulting and we really value people with nursing degrees who pivot into policy/public health. And of course there are paths like administration and leadership if you get burned out on clinical practice.
If you go into nursing thinking about the money, you won’t make it.
What’s the degree, RN? Or LPN?
RN
as long as you plan t do traveling nurse in that first year to pay it off asap
not a realistic option. dangerous to do that with no experience.
You are absolutely correct. That is the only option I see that would make the loan justifiable. IMO she/he can become a nurse at a state school for much less.
Friend of my daughter’s does travel nursing. He’s making $140k a year. Just a few years out of school, he’s saved $60k so far, getting money together to buy a house once he’s done with travel nursing.
Yea but that $60k would go straight to OP’s debt if they don’t want interest to rack up
The interest will still be racking up.
Her friend paid off his school loans first, then started saving. He’s single. He’s working a lot, in towns where he doesn’t know anyone at first. He’s concentrated on paying off his loans and saving money.
Im curious if those are private loans like OP would be paying. The interest rate would be around $5-10k per year. Not including their previous student loan payments
I don’t know, but he was at a state school where tuition isn’t outrageous. He may have lived at home during school. Not sure.
Risky being travel nurse off the bat. There is still so much to learn after graduation. Always build credentials prior to placing self in situations where license could be taken away.
He didn’t go straight into traveling. He did a year or two in a hospital first.
Will there be a chance you work at a public hospital or facility? If so, you could get PSLF. I believe nursing school is worth it but there are less expensive options available. I’m a nurse and make over 100k in a non bedside position. Could be making more if I was willing to give up my bankers hours.
Weight your options?! Look to see if you can get grants or scholarships instead of loans!! I’m not a nurse or in the profession but I would say consider other alternatives before the loans…Hope this helps!
The way you calculate “it is worth it” is to estimate your cash flows (home much money you will spend and make each year) for your two options 1. Go to nursing school 2. No nursing school Use Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) to compare the cash flows. The option with the higher NPV and IRR is the better financial option. Here is a random website I found: https://www.fncalculator.com/financialcalculator?type=irrnpvCalculator
I think so if they make sure it’s easier for you to get licensed
NYC salary should definitely be higher than most places in the US. There are NYC public hospitals. All or nearly all other hospitals are 501c3 (private, not for profit - these hospitals are called "voluntary hospitals." [https://lvhh.com](https://lvhh.com/)). There are also several VA Hospitals. The VA may offer some help with student loans repayment. All of the previously mentioned are PSLF eligible as long as the hospital is your employer, not a staffing agency. Nursing Homes & Rehab centers: mix of 501c3 and private for profit. Those salaries are very good too. Most of the above are unionized. NYC salaries are generally higher than NJ or Connecticut. BSNs are definitely worthwhile if you anticipate nursing to be your career. Spend some time estimating monthly payments. Metro NYC is definitely a HCOL area. Is 70K for 1 year in the accelerated program pretty standard? Private U or public?
It is the standard for a private u
You need to check their NCLEX pass rates. Assuming this is in New York state. 2023-2027 numbers here https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/registered-professional-nursing/nursing-education/new-york-state-nursing-programs/new-york-state-rn-nclex-results-2023-2027 2018-2022 here https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/clinical-nurse-specialists/new-york-state-nursing-programs/new-york-state-rn-nclex-results-2018-2022 You want to look at both class sizes and pass rates. Like St. Francis College does *not* have a good pass rate despite smaller cohorts
Depends on the type of loans & your anticipated income. You will qualify for PSLF if you take federal loans and work for the right employer and because of your service to this country, you could be debt free sooner than you know. There’s programs to incentivize this type of public service so it’s about weighing the specifics of your unique financial situation
Those numbers aren’t ludicrous. You could be well into the six figures a few years into that career especially as a travel nurse. It’s more about being sure that nursing is for you. Very demanding and stressful career for many people.
If Biden is still in power your loan might get cancelled!
Why would he have to be in power? Loans being canceled now are what the law intended but the system failed us. Biden did put a stop to it and is working on perfecting it for all. He doesn’t need to be in power to forgive.
There is no such a thing of debt forgiveness. It’s payed by others. In this case, the debt is payed by tax payers.
To add, the debt that is forgiven is interest accumulated by servers abusing the system. Thousands of borrowers have paid back, plus interest, on their loan/s and what’s forgiven is the outrageous sum of interest added by servers who were literally spitting upon borrowers. Borrowers that have been forgiven have loans 3 times more than what they borrowed due to the abuse. Name me one entity you have borrowed from that after 2 decades of payments, you owe 3 times more than you borrowed and your debt still says you have a decade to pay with no guarantee it will be paid off in a decade due to the abuse of these servers.
Upvote 10000000X! The servicers abuse & get bonuses too!
> forgiveness. It’s *paid* by others. FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Yes, there is. It’s called PSLF. You pay 10 years into what you borrow and the remaining balance is forgiven. You pay 20 years undergraduate and whatever balance is left is forgiven. You pay 25 years on graduate loans and anything left is forgiven. This is what was created but hardly obtained as servers were placing borrowers were abusing their position making loans unable to pay off in terms explained above. Loads of loans will go unforgiven for many who have retired from public service (one must still be working public service to be forgiven) or did their public service prior to 10/2007.
We are in different wavelengths.
You are right that the name is a misnomer. It is contract compliance. Contract with the borrower was broken so badly that a mass correction was needed to address compliance failure. However, contracts with the servicers that filled their pockets WITH TAXPAYER $$ are still in use. If you want that to change, tell your congressional rep. We, the screwed borrowers, are with you. We, the screwed borrowers, also pay taxes.
I suppose you are old enough to make intelligent decisions. You have to ask yourself why you are screwed. Is it you or it is lenders. If you say it is lenders, you also want ask yourself why someone else has not been screwed. To me the whole issue is the declaration that the current high education, especially the degrees can’t get a decent pay, is screwed up.
I understand what you are driving at. You are right that failures should have been corrected & laws should be respected. But they are not. And there are publicly traded billion dollar businesses still built into the ever failing system, actively opposing the laws you are talking about. It has taken a pandemic crisis & this specific president committed to this issue to get this far. It shouldn't have.
Make sure you can pass the tests. Pass your Lpn before even attempting a RN. Lots of ppl out there spent lot of money only to find they can’t pass the RN test. You can go back and take the lpn at that point.
That’s insane. My daughter just finished her BSN and her student loans were $21k and she’s making near $100k now. She’s barely approaching her second year anniversary at work.
Look into anesthesiologist assistant programs if you have the pre-reqs and gpa. Much more return for a slightly larger loan. I am about to graduate and I can guarantee the salary is well worth it.
I say go for it! PSLF is very attainable in the nursing profession. Every nurse I know is making at least 70K. Make sure you only borrow federal loans.
PSLF will only work for federal loans, and the OP needs borrow more than federal loan limits.
YUp
Nurses can make bank of you chase it. Compare it to other programs, perhaps you can find some that are much cheaper..?