Hospital Scholarships

[Tony35NYC]

I'd like to hear your experiences (good or bad) if you've received one of these scholarships. I recently interviewed for a few of them, but I'm considering withdrawing my applications for a number of reasons. First of all, the scholarship coordinators from the different hospitals in the area are apparently friends, and I found out during one of the interviews that they all got together to discuss the students who applied. I think that this is very unethical because I was led to believe that the information in my application is confidential and would not be shared with outsiders. If one hospital knows that a student also applied to another, doesn't that kinda hurt the student's chances of being selected by either?

The other thing is that the amount of money they are giving you really isn't that much anyway. I'm thinking that I'd do better to continue to work part-time and just pay my way through school. Then I could apply for a job anywhere I want and I wouldn't have to worry about a 2-year committment to anyone after I finish nursing school.

I've also found out from recent graduates who took these scholarships last year that the hospitals hired them at a lower rate per hour than what they pay to new grads who were not a part of the scholarship program. The hospitals claim that hire rates depends on the prevailing market average at the time of hire. But, the more I look into this the more it looks like just another scam to me. I mean, why would I work for them for 2 or 3 dollars an hour less than what I could be making elsewhere as a new grad?

I also thought that some of the interviewers on the panel were rude. There were a couple of them who asked questions that I thought were way too personal and none of their business but I deflected them very tactfully anyway. For the most part they act like they are doing the applicants a favor when its really the other way around. They make it very clear during the interview that if you accept the scholarship money you will be required to work nights and or weekends only, and all their openings are strictly med-surg so if you wanted to work in any other nursing area you can just forget about that while you're under contract. I'm being very cautious about accepting their money if I am selected because the last thing I want is to be stuck in a miserable employment contract for 2 years.

Please tell me about your experiences. I'd like to hear more before I decide whether to withdraw my apps or not.

Thanks.

[bluesky, BSN, RN]

Well here is my scholarship story. I was very excited when I was selected for a merit based scholarship at a very well reputed magnet hospital that was a little bit of a commute, but completely worth it, or so I thought. I performed my senior practicum in their ER and was reassured by the original recruiter that I could work there after I graduated. Well... to make a long story short, I spent most of the money paying a babysitter to take care of my son when they gave me the schedule from he** (3 12's rotating in addition to my other clinicals and lectures). Well to make a long story short, while I received a strong evaluation, they offered all their fellowships to techs who had been working at the ER and I was told to go to Med/Surg. I felt that I was mislead into beleiving I had a chance for the ER and that they felt they could just place me wherever they wanted. To add insult to injurry, they didn't even let me have access to the medical record of a pt that I had hung K+ on qll night for a case study at school. I was just soooooooo dissapointed. I interviewed at another equally well reputed hospital's ICU and got a job in no time. The only other classmate who signed on with the original hospital opted out as well. We both felt that the first hospital felt that it could jerk us around and put us wherever because we had signed a contract. I am still pretty bitter because I spent so much money just making their lowsy hours but I'm on a payment plan to pay them back.

This is a very long story. I do know people who've accepted scholarships from other hospitals and are getting exactly what they want. It must depend on the particular hospital and the demand for jobs therein. So my general advice is BEWARE!

Sharing information about students is just plain unprofessional, bordering on unethical. I would avoid anyone engaged in such behavior.