In this post I interview Emily, who is based in Rhode Island. When Emily was in high school, she was fairly certain that she wanted to be a nurse. But she has some doubts. For this reason, and also to save money, she began her college journey at community college to see if nursing was right for her.
Why don’t you start by telling me which nursing school you graduated from?
I went to the Community College of Rhode Island.
You got your entire nursing degree from there?
Yes, I got my Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN).
What made you decide to go to CCRI?
In the beginning, when I was picking schools, I wasn’t sure of my career path. I was pretty sure I wanted to do nursing but was scared because I wasn’t 100% certain. Going to CCRI allowed me to spend the first 2 semesters getting general education credits and doing as some of the nursing prerequisites.
Also, it let me live at home with only a 5 minute commute to campus. That was financially the best choice for me while seeing if I was committed to this career.
Would you say your choice was 50:50 finances versus uncertainty about the career, or some other ratio?
I would say that it was mostly finances. I didn’t want to make the wrong choice as somebody that was going to be paying for this myself.
You also stayed at home. Was that because of finances?
Yes, that saved me a lot of money.
Did you consider other colleges?
I was pretty set on CCRI until my senior year, when I kept hearing the stereotypes about Community College and the stigma associated with it. I almost switched to going to one of the 4-year in-state colleges. But now that I have graduated, I have never been happier about my final decision.
Did you read the article on the website about community college myths? Did you encounter any of those?
I had people question the quality of students I would meet and I felt some peer pressure to follow the path that everybody else was following. This was especially true when they were all talking about the scholarships (merit awards) they had received. I saw a lot of them getting praised for those awards.
It almost felt like there was nothing for me to be proud of by going to community college. I wondered: “Am I doing the right thing? Don’t I deserve everything that they are getting?” I had to remember that I was making the right financial choice and didn’t need those awards.
I didn’t get to experience the excitement of waiting for acceptance letters. I had already made my choice.
There is another article where I talk about merit awards and how it doesn’t matter if a college gives you $10,000 if the remaining balance is still $20,000 a year.
You are not thinking about that in high school. You are just thinking: “oh wow, they are giving me so much (in merit awards); I have to go there”.
What did your family think of your choice?
They were always very supportive. I think the financial aspects of this were probably a relief. They knew I would not be constantly asking for additional money for things. They would have supported my decision either way.
Regarding finance, you only get 2 years for free at CCRI (to get an associate degree), how long were you there in total and how did you pay for the subsequent years?
I was there for 3 years and throughout that time I worked 4 days per week in addition to going to school. That and living at home allowed me to make enough to cover the year 3 tuition payments and the other incidental costs. Also, the fact that the tuition could be paid in 4 installments allowed me to keep up with my expenses. I saved during years 1 and 2, so I had the money ready for year 3. My family helped with books.
Was the 3rd year more expensive because you were doing nursing?
Not really. There were some additional fees in year 1 for specialized nursing books and in year 3 there were some nursing related lab fees. It was about $3,000 in total for year 3.
Did you get any scholarships?
I got one $500 award. That was all.
How much did you work during those 3 years?
I was working up to 36 hours per week, 4 days per week, for the first 2 years. In the 3rd year, my clinical requirements meant I was probably doing closer to 30 hours per week.
How were you able to work that many hours and also attend college during the week?
I would do 2 classes during the day, leave at 2:15, get to work at 3:30 and then work until around 10.
What was your hourly rate? I ask that so people can compare what you made to what they might be making.
During college, I was making $12 per hour.
Did any of the other students on your course talk about finances and how they were paying for college?
I think most of the younger students had parental help or were part of the Promise Program, which covers tuition for 2 years. There were several older students that were changing careers and were trying to juggle family, work, and school at the same time. I think they had a harder time.
Do you feel you missed out on anything going to CCRI vs. a traditional 4-year college and living at home?
The first month was hard as I was helping my friends move into their dorm rooms at various colleges and seeing them make new friends. But this faded away when I saw how unhappy some of them were once they had been away from home for a while. When COVID hit and they all had to live at home but still pay full tuition, I felt better about my decision.
Any negatives about going to community college?
Mostly the social aspects. Everybody that was going there was getting their work done and then going home. There wasn’t the social bonding that you would get at a 4-year college. But I will say that I made some great friends in the nursing program.
Would you do this again or go a different route?
I would do it again. Any additional nursing qualifications I want to get from this point onwards can be done online. Going to community college has not affected my future career progression.
Also, being able to work after 3 years and making the same salary as those with a 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree reinforces that. I have seen too many people at 4-year colleges start with the wrong major and switch, which means they will be at college even longer (with more expense).
One other thing, doing an associate degree in nursing let me get practical experience with patients faster than I would have on a 4 year program.
You mentioned that your Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is allowing you to make the same amount of money as someone with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Why is that?
Because when you take your registered nursing certification, you need either an ADN or a BSN. Once you pass, your salary is based on being a registered nurse. So we are all registered nurses regardless of where we went to school or how long we went there for. So we all get the same hourly rate.
Will their bachelor’s degree help them in the future? Will your salaries diverge later on?
I think COVID eliminated that. Certain specialties prefer BSN, for example, school nurse, but the shortage of nurses has leveled the field.
If you don’t mind me asking, what is your salary?
I make $33 per hour plus an extra $5 per hour for working nights. I work about 40 – 42 hours per week.
Is that a typical rate?
There is some variation from location to location, but that is pretty typical.
So you are making about $77,000 per year with no student debt. Sounds like a good place to be.
Yes, and there was also a $10,000 incentive payment at the beginning.
What will you make if 2 years from now you became a traveling nurse?
I believe it would be between $70 – $90 per hour.
So you have a lot of room for growth then. It is not a case of you making $77,000 per year and that is as good as it will get for the next 10 years?
Correct.
Conclusion
Many thanks to Emily for agreeing to share her story about how she went from high school to registered nurse without having to go into debt. If nursing is a career that you are interested in, make sure to check and see if your state has a program similar to the Rhode Island Promise Program. Even if you have the funding for a 4-year program elsewhere, it doesn’t hurt to review the community college programs before you make your final choice.
Links mentioned in this post
Rhode Island Promise program (only for high school students in Rhode Island)
Community College of Rhode Island nursing program
Community College of Rhode Island LPN to RN program
University of Rhode Island Nursing program
Your thoughts
Have you entered the medical field via a community college degree? Why did you make that choice and how has it worked out for you? Share your story below so current high school students can benefit from your experience.
