Biology/Public Health/Environmental Health Programs

[cookderosa]

If we're voting , I'd say do whatever it take to make THIS option happen. If this amount of money is the barrier to a major dream, I'd say there has GOT to be a way to solve it. It makes little sense to me to put this much effort into doing something that isn't what you really want.

I'm with Dave, I think pursuing an RN would be the key. If you  had your RN, you could literally have your pick of anything higher.  Are there any accelerated RN options near you?

There's nothing in the Austin area. From what I see, accelerated means compressed, which means taking weeks off from work for clinical rotations.

There's WGU Texas. The closest place for clinicals is about 2 hours away. I don't know why they have clinical sites in small towns, but none near Austin or San Antonio. I looked at WGU's sample clinical schedule. Sometimes students will have to take a week or two off from work. Sometimes, they'll have to take a whole month off from work. I believe most of their clinicals are 12-hour shifts.

The other options are UT Arlington and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. I don't know how they schedule their clinicals.

University of Texas at Austin does have an Alternate-Entry MSN, but you can't work for the first year.

A very close friend of mine is a nurse practitioner in Austin.  If you think it would help, I could connect the two of you.  She earned her RN several years back but attended graduate school for her CNM online at Frontier.  She had multiple job offers before the ink was dry on her diploma.  Let me know, I'm happy to help.

I would love that. Thank you.

I'll send you a pm with my email address and we'll go from there.

[cardiacclep]

I would suggest picking the Masters program you think you would still enjoy or find valuable if it doesn't work out. In terms of cheap options...WGU has a CAHIM HIM program. I would imagine Public Health would be hyper-competitive with name and school connection being crucial but I could be wrong on that. Big question: If you don't get into this program is the Masters degree a moot point or would you pursue other options with the degree?

[sanantone]

I would suggest picking the Masters program you think you would still enjoy or find valuable if it doesn't work out. In terms of cheap options...WGU has a CAHIM HIM program. I would imagine Public Health would be hyper-competitive with name and school connection being crucial but I could be wrong on that. Big question: If you don't get into this program is the Masters degree a moot point or would you pursue other options with the degree?

That's the reason why I listed pros and cons. If I don't get into USPHS, I don't know what I would do with a degree in Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health Management. There are jobs where that degree would be valuable, but they aren't entry-level. I have no work experience in the safety or industrial hygiene field.

I previously applied to WGU's program, and they told me I didn't qualify. I probably qualify now that I have a business degree, but I don't want a third bachelors unless I absolutely need it.

[cardiacclep]

I would suggest picking the Masters program you think you would still enjoy or find valuable if it doesn't work out. In terms of cheap options...WGU has a CAHIM HIM program. I would imagine Public Health would be hyper-competitive with name and school connection being crucial but I could be wrong on that. Big question: If you don't get into this program is the Masters degree a moot point or would you pursue other options with the degree?

That's the reason why I listed pros and cons. If I don't get into USPHS, I don't know what I would do with a degree in Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health Management. There are jobs where that degree would be valuable, but they aren't entry-level. I have no work experience in the safety or industrial hygiene field.

I previously applied to WGU's program, and they told me I didn't qualify. I probably qualify now that I have a business degree, but I don't want a third bachelors unless I absolutely need it.

I would say the MPH or HIM are the most versatile of the degrees IMO. The MPH can be stretched out to fit into healthcare admin, research positions etc. The HIM degree is another degree that can be stretched into some lucrative directions including consulting. You can get some interesting EMR or healthcare related jobs with that and informatics are fairly robust nowadays. The other listed degrees seem more pigeonhole or limited scope. I honestly wish I did the MPH or HIM versus my now almost to be completed MPA degree as I am already in healthcare. The UPHS seems really cool though. I did quick research on it and to your point seems highly selective with RN route probably being best in perhaps. Since you have an interest in healthcare I would say look hard into HIM, bioinformatics, or MPH. You might be happier in those roles compared to RN maybe. After working in healthcare for close to twenty years, I can glad I didn't do nursing for a variety of reasons even though there are some good roles in nursing.

[sanantone]

With an MPH, I know I can do a wide variety of things, such as epidemiology and disease prevention, health education, and environmental health. With HIM, I've gotten the impression that I'll be behind a computer all day working with records. I get bored very easily, so I need something interesting and mentally challenging. That's why I have an interest in with being a mid-level care provider who diagnoses or conducting biological research.

Looking at the amount of training required, it might be easier to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner than a counselor or psychologist. The bonus is that psychiatric nurse practitioners are paid more, so I'll get the student loan repayment from the state up to $60k, and I'll make plenty of money to pay off what's left. The problem is my work schedule. 

I would have to get approval to change my work schedule. I can get up to 8 hours off per week, but I'll owe them that time after I graduate. Now that my employer split from health and human services, there will be no nursing positions for me to move to. In short, I would be stuck in a non-healthcare position years after graduating.

[davewill]

Could you take a part time private sector job that would keep you in eating and rent money while you do your training?

[dfrecore]

Could you take a part time private sector job that would keep you in eating and rent money while you do your training?

I think most nursing programs don't want you to work during the clinical rotations portion at least, and through the entire program at worst.

Everyone I know who has gone through it didn't work at all.  And several were SAHM's whose husbands worked and their little ones went off to K/1st grade so they had the time and living expenses covered (locally, our nursing programs are incredibly cheap, so that's not the part you need to worry about for money).  The others I've know all went straight out of high school and parents paid.  So again, no need to work.

It sucks that it's so hard to change careers later in life (and by later, I mean after the age of 25!).  I know a lot of people want to get into IT, and can afford the schooling, but can't afford to take the hit to move down drastically in pay to a low-level job, because it will take years before they can make that back up with increased pay later.

[cardiacclep]

Could you take a part time private sector job that would keep you in eating and rent money while you do your training?

I think most nursing programs don't want you to work during the clinical rotations portion at least, and through the entire program at worst.

Everyone I know who has gone through it didn't work at all.  And several were SAHM's whose husbands worked and their little ones went off to K/1st grade so they had the time and living expenses covered (locally, our nursing programs are incredibly cheap, so that's not the part you need to worry about for money).  The others I've know all went straight out of high school and parents paid.  So again, no need to work.

It sucks that it's so hard to change careers later in life (and by later, I mean after the age of 25!).  I know a lot of people want to get into IT, and can afford the schooling, but can't afford to take the hit to move down drastically in pay to a low-level job, because it will take years before they can make that back up with increased pay later.

Very true to switch careers later in life. Not sure about 25 as that sounds so young to me now ha ha. The biggest thing is to take a pay cut for sure with added student debt. I think a lot of people get caught in the grass is greener mentality as well. A lot of things so great until you start doing it. I see it in healthcare sector first hand where good people get legit burned out. A more systemic issue is stagnant wages across many sectors with healthcare I see that first hand and couple that with excessive student debt to get there makes people feel trapped or defeated. This is a problem that has/will define this generation. It's nuts to think if you want to help people such as a PT or Occupational Therapist you have to endure debt around $75,000 or plus at some schools. ThatI's why I love this forum where people help each other find alternatives. I am now at the point where I savor in reading stories of crappy universities going out of business. It's really become a scam and people are wising up. Straighterline, WGU and analogs are showing in great detail how overpriced online education currently is. I laugh when I see technologies fees stack upon per credit hours. I hope this greed edu bubble bursts in my lifetime to see it. State governements will never funding schools like they once did, so now schools need to embrace ways to burden the cost instead of pushing onto students. Maybe not charging thousands of dollars for 101 classes might be a start.

[sanantone]

Austin is a relatively expensive city for Texas. I wouldn't be able to afford my own apartment if I worked part-time. Even if I moved back to San Antonio, which has cheaper rent, it wouldn't work either because the wages are significantly lower there. And, as Dfrecore said, it appears that you have to stop working to complete the clinical rotations. The mental health field is different. While the post-graduation internships are longer (they're usually paid anyway), the practicums that are part of the degree program can usually be completed on a part-time basis. I have a coworker who is in a social work program.

The cost of Yale's distance physician assistant program is astronomical. For the 28-month program, the estimated cost of attendance is $97,300! University of Wisconsin's distance PA program is $157k just for the tuition! If being a physician assistant qualified for student loan repayment, then it would be worth it, but it's not. It makes more sense to go the nurse practitioner route since it's cheaper, and there is a student loan repayment program.

[Life Long Learning]

Austin is a relatively expensive city for Texas. I wouldn't be able to afford my own apartment if I worked part-time. Even if I moved back to San Antonio, which has cheaper rent, it wouldn't work either because the wages are significantly lower there. And, as Dfrecore said, it appears that you have to stop working to complete the clinical rotations. The mental health field is different. While the post-graduation internships are longer (they're usually paid anyway), the practicums that are part of the degree program can usually be completed on a part-time basis. I have a coworker who is in a social work program.

The cost of Yale's distance physician assistant program is astronomical. For the 28-month program, the estimated cost of attendance is $97,300! University of Wisconsin's distance PA program is $157k just for the tuition! If being a physician assistant qualified for student loan repayment, then it would be worth it, but it's not. It makes more sense to go the nurse practitioner route since it's cheaper, and there is a student loan repayment program.

This is one of the best deals in the Army.  Fort Sam Houston, TX...............FREE/they pay you!

To become a physician assistant in the Army, you must:

• Be a US citizen.
  
  
• Be at least 21 years of age and less than 48 years of age 
  

http://www.usarec.army.mil/armypa/army_pa_qualifications.shtml