Biology/Public Health/Environmental Health Programs

[sanantone]

I vote that you keep looking for something that meets both of your wants: it can get you into the job you want, and it is courses that you are interested in.

I also think that you need to make sure the degree will actually get you somewhere.  That's a lot of time and effort to put into something that may not do anything for you in the future.

If I could, I would become a nurse practitioner, but that's not happening. For years, I've been trying to figure out a way to become an RN. The closest thing I could come up with was doing Percom's online paramedic program, which has clinical rotations in my city, so that I could qualify for Excelsior's program. The problem is that I would have to come up with $7,000 to pay out of pocket and wait for my employer to reimburse $5,000. Excelsior's nursing program also doesn't qualify for financial aid.

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.