Hospitals paying for schooling?

memphispanda, RN · Nov 7, 2002

The school I go to is a hospital affiliated diploma program. We can get our loans "forgiven" if we go to work for the affiliated hospital. Only student loans that are taken out while enrolled at the school are eligible. The loans are repaid by the hospital at a rate of $250/month if you are employed full-time and $125/month if you are employed part-time. I also have heard hospitals here advertising on the radio that they will do loan repayment for new grads.

Ortho_RN · Nov 7, 2002

Yes.. Many hospitals will pay for your schooling.. But keep in mind it isn't for free... One of our local hospitals is paying for my nursing school. My contract is for every hundred dollars they spend I owe them one month of work as a RN.. They do not dock your pay, it just wears off as you work.. I think it is worth it.... I mean I plan on working at this hospital anyways, and if they don't offer me a job when I graduate then I don't owe them the money.. So to me it is totally worth it...

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 7, 2002

Yes. Some hospitals do pay for schooling -- but usually only if you are willing to make a committment to work for them after you graduate. You must be careful about what committments you make so that you don't have to spend years working in a job you hate because of a contract you signed before you knew whether or not you really liked nursing (or what type of nursing you like.) In most cases, if you fail to fulfill your end of the contract, you owe them the money back.

You need to be clear about the expectations of the contract you make with the hospital. For example: /what if you drop out or flunk out of school? What if you move away from the area? What if you get pregnant and only want to work part time after graduation? What if the only jobs they have available after you graduate are ones that are unsatisfactory to you? Do you have to work in any specialty they tell you to work? What if you get fired? Do you still have to pay the money back? How long will you have to pay the money back if you do not fulfill the contract? etc.

Other hospitals pay tuition reimbursement for employees. In that case, you might get a job at that hospital as an aid or secretary or something and work your way through school with your employer's help.

The best way to find out about such offers is to call the hospital iteself and ask what programs, if any, they offer. The local schools of nursing may also be able to tell you about hospitals in their area.

llg

emily_mom · Nov 8, 2002

Due to the shortage, a lot of hospitals are offering loan forgiveness or tuition reimbursement programs to attract bodies. I've found that some hospitals will pay 60 % of whatever isn't covered by financial aid (and that includes loans). If you get a lot of f.a. it's not a very good deal. The hospital I work at repays 3500 buckaroos a year, and also will give 4600 towards getting your BSN. They also have a BSN program right at the hospital so it's pretty cool.

Definitely worth looking into!

Kimberly_1999 · Nov 8, 2002

Do I just pick a hospital that I want to work at and go talk to someone about tuition reimbursement programs? Who do I talk to about it?

baseline · Nov 8, 2002

Our hospital offers 100% tuition reimbursement to current employees, am not sure about outside students. I believe there is a short term employment obligation. Pretty good deal and alot of the techs and nurses take advantage!

baseline · Nov 8, 2002

Contact the human resources dept of the hospital you are interested in....or contact the area nursing school. Also check to see if the hospital has a foundation that offers scholarships or if the hospital offers a scholarship. Check to see how much of a commitment is required....

Kimberly_1999 · Nov 8, 2002

I live in Michigan near Detroit, does anybody live in my area that is enrolled in a program like this?

RutgerskidBSN · Nov 9, 2002

For anyone in NJ,

Virtua Health Systems is offering BSN students up to $8,000 dollars for each year of college then put in from Sophmore to Senior year (they dont count freshman year as nursing classes). They will give you the full amount of your tuition and $500 a semester for books up to the $8,000 limit. For each year they pay for, you will have to work for them for a year. They will give you this money regardless if you got financial aid or loans, they just look at how much the University's tuition is. Plus they will give you the money 30 days from when you sign on. So if i signed on now and i am a junior, I can get $21,000, 30 days from now!!!

A bunch of students already did this. So look into your hospitals, there are some great deals. And this hospital system is a great place to work. You cant beat that. Good luck,

Kevin

RutgerskidBSN · Nov 9, 2002

oh, I forgot to mention.

I got a full ride to school for the first three years, so any money after that is pure spending money.lol. (probably a nice car). Scholarships pay in more than one way. Good luck searching...

Vsummer1 · Nov 9, 2002

A local hospital here has an indentured slave plan also. It will pay you $2000 (per semester I think). You must:

1) sign a promissory note

2) have a "B" average (hard to do with these classes, and there are no A's at all in our class of 60...)

3) work for them on their terms for 2 years after graduation. That means when, where and what they say. You are paid the same pay as other grads though.

If you drop out, get a "C" or fail to work for them for the full two years you OWE them the money as a loan.

Not surprisingly, many students are finding themselves owing back this loan they thought was a scholarship.