A Sanders Voter, Weary of Debt at 29: 'I Have Nothing to Lose'

[eilen]

78. I can't speak to the educational opportunities in Iowa

and I think you have much to be proud of in your daughter.

I can only relate my own experience.
And BS or BA vs BSN does make a huge difference in nursing. You can have a BS in Health Sciences and it still is not good enough for the hospitals here--they want BSN.

The larger medical facilities (Westchester Medical Center, Sloan-Kettering, Duke, Boston Children's, Cleveland Clinic)-- to get a nursing job there you have to have BSN+experience. The smaller markets --there are usually more openings, higher needs because they are in places that are more underserved, not as popular as the larger cities. Most nursing homes are woefully understaffed and always looking for smart hardworking folks but I guess it can be function of the local economy as to whether they are at full staff or not.

The new nurses I work with are usually started very soon after graduation, take their boards as quickly as they can and then continue with their BSN classes or are soon applying for NP or Masters in Admin programs after they are done with their orientations and get their first year off the ground. Some go first into ICU training before continuing in another educational program, study for their specialty certifications and take those exams (it actually pays more to have a specialty certification than to earn your BSN where I work).

I don't know a lot about mental health nursing. It's not my cup of tea. However my son is currently in school to be a clinical psychologist--he is looking at graduate programs now. He does not have an interest in medical school although he will be earning a PhD. He currently carries no student debt as yet (I am not sure how many credit hours he has left for grad school in his account). He attends a state university and has GI Bill tuition benefits. We were able to fund community college. We saved money in a 529 for the first year and then about $300 a month and paid the tuition in the remaining semesters. We are helping him in providing room and board while he finishes his BS.

Currently NY has an Excelsior scholarship that students can apply for state college that covers tuition. He did not qualify for that as he already had an Associates degree and was a transfer student with GI benefits. I understand many Southern States participate in a Hope Scholarship which pays for state college tuition if they keep their GPA at a certain level.