tuition reimbursement

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ok...here's my story:

I had planned to go to "school A" (I dont want to bash someone elses school, so Ill make it anonymous) for my upper division courses because it was a good school and not outrageously expensive, but I applied to several other schools as back ups just in case since admissions is so competitive.

Last week I got my acceptance letter to Baylor (which, deep down, is my top choice school, but I cant afford the $10,000/semester and I dont qualify for most financial aid)

I wont hear from school A until sometime next month, but things keep happening to make me want to go there less and less (Ive had several issues getting all of my grades over there...I even HAND DELIVERED THEM TWICE and they STILL werent all in the computer. It got to the point where I had to have someone sign something that said that they had received my grades before the deadline so that I would be eligible. on Thursday, I got a letter in the mail that said that I was missing three pre req classes that Ive already completed :angryfire ; also, I received a letter the next day addressed to me, but inside was a letter to another student who had applied and also enclosed were all of her grades and her private info including her social security number! It worries me that if Im receiving HER info...who's getting MINE?!?!)

So...

1. would you feel comfortable going to a school like school A?? I realize its mostly the administrative part that has the problems that Ive seen, but Im still a little uneasy about it...

2. If I do decide to go to Baylor, how much do hospitals typically pay in tuition reimbursement and how long of a contract do you have to sign? I know every hospital will be different, but Im looking for some general info so i can figure out how Ill pay for this. (If it helps, im interested in becoming an NNP, so I'll need two years of experience in a NICU before I can apply to the masters program)

Also, for those of you that work at all during the upper division portion of the BSN program, how many hours are you able to work per week and still keep up with your studying?

Thanks for all your help!

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Specializes in NICU.

Hi Rachel! I looked into the tuition reimbursement program a couple of months ago because I wanted to get some info about it before I graduate. It's a government program, so funds are given out based on a number of things, including how much funding is available.

Make sure that the hospital that you want to work at qualifies for this program. You can't get a sign on bonus AND do the tuition reimbursement program.... it's either one or the other. The minimum is 2 years, and for 2 years they will pay 60% of the loan balance. After that, you may be eligible to work a 3rd year in which they would pay an additional 25% of your qualifying loans.

I'd be interested too in hearing from others that have done this and have actually gotten a good portion of their loans paid off with this program. This information is just stuff that I've read from the government sites. I'd love to hear from others too.

http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/loanrepay.htm

That's the website that has a lot of info regarding the program.

As far as your question about working while in school..... I'm a senior in the BSN program, and I don't work right now. There's just no way I could. I do know a lot of people that are working... but they aren't working many hours at all (less than 10 hours/week). We have a full week of classes/clinicals, and the weekends are spent studying. Doesn't leave much time to work! We're all living off of ramen noodles and coffee lol.

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Specializes in Going to Peds!.

(I think Rachel was referring to a student/hospital contract that many "hard-pressed" hospitals are offering in exchange for a guaranteed RN employee once the student passes boards, Rain.)

Call the Director of Nursing for a couple hospitals that interest you. Be aware that you may be required to work in the area/unit that's most desperate for staffing, NOT where you would like to go if given a choice. Many are 1:1 ratio. 2 years of tuition=2 years contracted employment.

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ummm i think i might go to "school a"

it's in tx right?

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Specializes in NICU.

Ooops, sorry.

I didn't know hospitals did private pay reimbursement. When I talked with the recruiter at the hospital I want to work for after graduation she just told me they qualify for the government tuition reimbursement program (NELRP), so I checked into that. Now I'm all confused ...... some hospitals do this privately, not through the government?! :confused:

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Specializes in Going to Peds!.

Rain, yes. Some hospitals are very short-staffed & they offer a contract with a student. You work PRN or part-time while you are in school (usually). The work is usually similar to unlicensed assistive personnel. (Tech, nurse assistant, etc.) Some places will also allow you to "shadow" a nurse for 1 shift per week, allowing you to get a sort of pre-graduation orientation to the RN position in their facility. They pay your tuition & books and sometimes your NCLEX fees & uniforms, etc. In exchange, you owe them a length of service upon graduation to "pay back" your tuition. Some hospitals pay you a $1 or 2 less than they do other new grads.

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yes, mavnurse...it is in tx.

Im still having issues with them...I cant get ANY advisors to call me back so I called the assistant to the dean and Im still waiting to hear from her...how frustrating!!

Thanks for the info, everyone!

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Specializes in NICU.

That'd be great then if you could find a hospital that pays back your tuition. You could check out the NELRP too, and see which pays more and go from there, sounds like a good program from what my recruiter has said.

That'd be really frustrating having to deal with school A. But if it's a good school and it's less expensive than Baylor, it might be worth it in the long run to wait it out and see if they come through. It's frustrating though I know... it was a headache for me when I had to get all my stuff in to apply. I hope it all works out and you end up going where you want to! :)

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Hi there! I am a new LPN in TN. I worked at a hospital as a nursing assistant PRN while I was in school. I had to sign a two year contract with the facility. The way that mine works is that. Now that I have graduated, I am employed there for two years. Every month that I work ( with no deduction from my paycheck) I "work" off, so much money of my contract. By the end of those two years, suppose my contract is not paid up by how much time you have worked there, they just forget about it, you no longer owe anything. If you should choose to leave that facility to go to another, I have found that MOST hospitals will pay off the contract that you had with the hold one, and basicly just transfer it to their facility for the amount they paid off. This is nice because 1. it gives you a guaranteed job upon graduation, 2. it pays for school, and 3. with nurses in such high demand, you can get just about any facility to pay off that contract if you decide you do not like working there. Oh, my contract covered tuition only, i had to pay for things such as books and clinical clothing and supplies, but in the long run, we all know that anything helps. If there are any hospitals you are interested in working for, go and talk to their Director of Nursing or Human Resources Department. Hope this helps - Best wishes!

Holly

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I think I would deal with the nursing department directly at school A (if that's possible) - see how they handle these issues. Speak to some people currently enrolled in their program if that's possible. I think for me personally, $10K/semester would be entirely too much too borrow just to go to a "brand name" school. I don't really "believe" in debt though, so I just shudder at the thought!

As far as working during BSN programs - I'm a junior/2nd semester, and although I don't work, several of my classmates do. Some of them work 2-12h shifts on weekends, but most just work 1-12h or a couple of 8h shifts either every other weekend, every weekend, or a couple of times a month.

I know that for me personally I could not find time to work, as badly as I need the money. I have two small children, commute 600 miles/week, and we're in class roughly 40h/week.

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ok...here's my story:

also, I received a letter the next day addressed to me, but inside was a letter to another student who had applied and also enclosed were all of her grades and her private info including her social security number! It worries me that if Im receiving HER info...who's getting MINE?!?!)

This wouldn't be a woman's college, would it?

Same thing happened to me! I got someone else's info the other day. They always seem to have problems with their record-keeping/paperwork. And it's impossible to get anyone to call you back

Up Vote Up Vote ×
ok...here's my story:

also, I received a letter the next day addressed to me, but inside was a letter to another student who had applied and also enclosed were all of her grades and her private info including her social security number! It worries me that if Im receiving HER info...who's getting MINE?!?!)

This wouldn't be a woman's college, would it?

Same thing happened to me! I got someone else's info the other day. They always seem to have problems with their record-keeping/paperwork. And it's impossible to get anyone to call you back

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