Hospitals Offering Tuition Reimbursement

[alh1245]

I am in the process of waiting to hear back from nursing schools I have applied to. MidAmerica Nazarene ABSN is my top choice but is going to be close to $40,000 for the entire 12 month program (tuition/books/ supplies etc). My biggest concern is paying for it. Does anyone know of any hospitals around Kansas/Missouri (KCMO) that will cover tuition if I agree to work for them for a certain amount of time after graduation?

One option (if accepted to MNU) is to defer my start of the 12 month program to March 2017 and possibly work at a hospital as a tech until then just to gain experience. Anyone know of hospitals that will send their employees back to school?

Any advice on covering these costs (tuition reimbursement/ scholarships/ etc) would be much appreciated!!

(Side note - I am 27, already have a bachelors and masters degree (non health related), but have no student loans from that). I just hate to pick up 40,000 in student loans right now.