$$ Required physical for 1st year nursing students..$$

KAYfutureLPN · Jul 22, 2003

Oh my, I know what you mean! My Hep. B shot is costing me 180 bucks! My other shots I got free at the health clinic in town. I have to go back and get a chicken pox titer though and I'm sure my insurance won't pay for that. I just paid 500 dollars this month and the first day of school I have to pay another 200 for supplies. I can't wait until the break from Aug to October but then of course it's my first tuition payment. This 1 year LPN program is going to cost me at least 12,000! (for school and daycare)

It sure will be worth it though won't it? :)

good luck!

Kay

colleen10 · Jul 22, 2003

To be completely honest with you, most doctors I have encountered don't know that much about individual health insurance plans and unless they are also your HR/benefits person really shouldn't comment on what is or isn't covered.

My physical and all labs and subsequent vaccinations were covered by my insurance company. The only thing I ever had to pay for was my $20.00 co-pay when I went in and actually saw my doctor for my physical.

Maybe your doctor was just trying to warn you to check with your insurance company and understand exactly what is and isn't covered. I know my doctor would not start me on my rounds of Hep. B vaccination until I called my insurance company because she said that if it wasn't covered I would be better off going to the health department to get them where they would be cheaper than in her office.

Also, most doctors around where I live charge less for a "physical" for school, license, sports etc. than if you were to go in with an ailment that needed to be diagnosed and treated.

I know what you mean about expenses piling up. I am ALMOST done with purchasing my first semester books but on top of uniforms, steths, etc. it if becoming a financial nightmare!

ggfifirn05 · Jul 22, 2003

I'm still waiting to find out if I'm "in" for the fall program (I should have my letter this week), so just to be safe, I called and set up an appt. w/ my dr. for August 11th for a physical, which is all my school's literature says we'll need. It says your physical paperwork must be submitted two weeks before classes start (Sept. 2).

I have no idea what my program requires immunization-wise, and I'm concerned for two reasons: 1) I'm 47 years old, so its been a long time since I've had anything except a flu shot this year and a tetorifice shot about 5 or 6 years ago. I do have my childhood shot records (thanks, Mom, for keeping all that stuff in my baby book!) including my smallpox vaccine in 1956, but who knows what, if any, immunity I still have; and 2) because I knew that I'd most likely be leaving my employer this year, I cancelled my health insurance last January thru work and we went back on my husband's military benefits. It is much cheaper than my work's healthcare benefits, but there is alot more "red tape" to deal with. We are already fighting with Tricare because our 18 yr old son was diagnosed with a chondroblastoma in his right knee, and requires quarterly MRIs for followup, which we didn't know at the first of the year that we would need a referral for; we are trying to make that retroactive...my insurance didn't require a referral for that. When I called Tricare to see if they covered immunizations (if I need them) they said only for children under the age of 12! So, I guess I'll just have to wait to see if first, I get my acceptance letter, and second, I need to have shots and/or titers done. I suppose I can always go to the public health clinic if need be. I'm mainly concerned about the time frame, since I only have a matter of weeks to get this accomplished.

Yet more hoops to jump through for nursing school!

renerian, BSN, RN · Jul 22, 2003

None of those things are covered by my insurance as they were over and above a normal wellness checkup.

renerian

twarlik · Jul 22, 2003

I am going through the same thing. I have my physical on August 4th. I don't have insurance, so I just everything I need done is going to cost me a lot. The way I figure it, I need this stuff done so I can start school in the fall. I'm just gonna write a check and worry about it later. Not much I can do about it until my financial aid gets here in September.

JudithL_in_NH · Jul 22, 2003

My insurance (a Blue Cross HMO) covered everything but my $10 co-pay and the MMR I needed. I'm in my late 40's, and back when I was a kid we didn't get the # of shots kids do now, so my immunity had konked out. The insurance wouldn't cover the MMR cuz they said adults had no business getting MMRs; that it was a kid's vaccination. It was $55; I didn't complain too much, as what they did cover was nearly $400 worth of work.

Jen2 · Jul 22, 2003

Insurance companies will usually cover one well visit a year for a checkup. You can schedule your checkup and at that point if you have a nice Dr., PA, or NP., you can ask them to please fill out the forms at that time. I had my annual pap in May with my PCP and didn't get my nursing forms until June, so I just took them in the office and they filled them out for me and called me when they were ready. If you have a Dr. that you see on a regular basis they sould be happy to fill out the form for you.

francine79 · Jul 23, 2003

Adding up isn't the word for it! I don't even know where I have managed to pay for all of this. A CNA class, the uniforms for it, shots, shots ,and more shots! Plus a physical, shoes, watch, stethoscope, and more uniforms for my clinicals. It's amazing how much it costs, and I don't have insurance. It would be really nice if they gave you extra financial aid for this program!

JenRNof2005 · Jul 23, 2003

I guess I was lucky, my insurance paid for the physical and blood work. Now if they would only pay for my uniform, shoes, stethascope...

:roll Yea right

studentdeb · Jul 23, 2003

When I scheduled my physical, I just scheduled it as a regular yearly one, had the doctor fill out my form and paid my $10 co-pay. As for shots, I just went today to the health clinic, the hep shot cost $30 (the next two will also be $30 ea), the MMR was $5.00 as well as the Tetorifice. I was able to bypass the chickenpox one because I have scars from that, so they signed off on it for me. The TB test was free at the health clinic.

Now I will have to still get a uniform and new shoes, plus the multitute of books. This program is very costly, that's for sure.

zacarias, ASN, RN · Jul 23, 2003

Todd,

Please tell me that you will get insurance when school starts. Maybe the school has "reasonable" insurance they can offer you. I'm sure you're very healthy but health insurance is a necessity.