Nursing schools in Raleigh/Cary/Apex (Durham, Chapel Hill: chapel, credit, student loans)

[pjnugget]

Hi All,

Me and my fiance are looking to relocate after we get married, provided I get the job in Sanford. We would want to leave in the Cary/Apex/Raleigh area.

Fiance wants to go back to school for nursing. She already has a Bachelor in a different discipline. What nursing schools are around that area (say 30 min drive)? Does it make sense for her to go the ABSN route or should she just get an LPN, work and go to school to get her RN. How competitive are the schools/jobs in that area?

Thanks!

[Ananda3]

Wake Tech
Durham Tech
Johnston County Community College ( in Smithfield I think but Raleigh hospital clinicals are possible )
UNC Chapel Hill
Watts School of Nursing

I would skip LPN school, as there aren't many jobs available. She may have already taken some of the prerequisites for nursing school . I hear Wake Tech has a long waiting list, but don't know for sure.

[DanielleNC]

There's also Central Carolina Community College in Sanford.

[WeLuvNC]

If she already has a 4 year degree, then I would consider the ABSN program at Duke or UNC rather than the other options. I would not go the LPN route.

[coco29]

Watts school of Nursing offers a diploma program and not all credits are transferable.
with the credits that she already has I would strongly recommend ABSN
LPN are great as well (Im one) hehe pay sucks in the hospital but long term care and private duty pays well....but this route would not feasible for her
Jobs are great for nursing with many areas to go in

[GarnerMama]

I'm applying for my Wake Tech Nursing clinicals July 1st. It's pretty competitive anywhere you go. There are a lot of applicants and few clinical spots. There are lots of RN jobs in this area. The RN clinical application is based on a point system. Points are given based on your grades in you core classes. Since she has a degree, there may be just a few classes that she needs to take before entering clinicals. Good Luck to her!

[nmrp]

Several of my friends who are nurses in Wake County said that if they had it to do again they would take the community college route and save the tuition money. After getting a job, they would pursue a Master's Degree part-time and let the hospital pay for it. UNC Chapel Hill has a good (and inexpensive) RN-MSN program. Definitely would want to skip the LPN program since most employers want RNs.

Also, I don't know if it matters to you, but ABSN programs are second bachelor's degree programs and thus generally do not qualify for standard federal financial aid. I've been to the Duke ABSN information session and found out that most of the students have to take out loans for nearly $60,000.

The UNC Chapel Hill ABSN program is significantly less expensive (about twice as much as the community college program for those who are in state students) but you have to have all the science prerequisites (and statistics class too) completed with a C or better prior to turning in your application. Also, UNC only accepts ABSN applications once a year in August for a class that starts in the Spring Term (January). Duke accepts ABSN applications for the Fall and Spring.

Wake Tech takes applications for both Fall and Spring, but Durham Tech only for the Fall. It seems that Wake Tech has a lot more requirements to get in than Durham Tech. Even though the programs are pretty much the same curriculum, the Wake Tech program requires about 170+ points (on the low side) to get in. To get these points, you have to take quite a few classes and have good grades. Durham Tech has a different point system which requires fewer classes to be competitive in the application process. Also, you have to take the TEAS test for these community college programs.

Both of these CC programs require you to be on the NC Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants prior to entering their nursing programs, but UNC and Duke do not. For Wake Tech, there are a lot of little hoops to jump through. Sometimes it seems like a bureaucratic nightmare in comparison to the application process for Duke. However, when you take into account the fact that community college tuition is less than $60 per credit hour.....well, it seems to be worth the hassle in order to avoid a huge student loan in an uncertain economy.

Finally, the ABSN programs are wonderful because you end up with a bachelor's degree (and in the case of Duke, some graduate credits as well), but I have been told they are extremely time consuming and stressful. The Duke students told me that only one student out of their class of 70 was able to go to school and work simultaneously. Also, they said that it was terribly difficult for those who had children and other family responsibilities. It doesn't sound like you have children, and you may have plenty of working years left to pay back student loans, so it may be just the program for you.

The allnurses website (allnurses.com) is a great place to search for information about nursing and nursing programs.

Hope this helps you.

[GarnerMama]

The PP offered lots of great info. I just completed my CNA certification for Wake Tech entry. I got lots of great advice and wanted to share. One of my teachers was a NP that went through the ASN to BSN program at Chapel Hill and eventually became a practitioner. She had nothing but good things to say about her experience. I also got advice from the LPNs at out clinical site. All of them said to get your RN over your LPN, no matter the cost or how long it takes.

My advisor told me that the reason Community Colleges require a CNA is because they recently did a change to the curriculum and removed the classes related to what you learn as a CNA. Wake Tech offers CNA relatively cheap under their continuing education department.

I also wanted to add that I just got an email about a tuition increase. It's gone up from $56.50 to $66.50/credit hour. It's still less expensive than a 4 year college, but those $$ add up when you take a full course load.

[Beauty34]

Hi all! Does anybody know Durham tech's competitve points minimum and maximum? I have 33 points (3.0) program gpa. I couldn't get the extra 5 points bc I don't live in Durham or Orange County.