Another way to pay for school?

[ImKosher]

I am reading a lot of threads about scholarships, financial aid, and HRSA. Few students are able to say they received some money, while others are frustrated with no reward. I would just like to share my experience and plan that I used to pay for school.

3 years ago I received a job in a hospital in my area. I started as transportation, moving patients to and from wherever need be. I then moved into a full-time position in the ER 6 months later as a registrar.

With full-time positions, there are many benefits. Tuition reimbursement, allied health scholarship, nursing school stipend, and many other aids. I went to my HR dept to inquire my benefits and researched all my options and how to go about paying for school.

Tuition reimbursement: depending of facility, you pay up front, after the semester they will review your grades, then reimburse you the tuition approved in their policies.

Allied Scholarship: a scholarship given by the facility, my facility is giving me a certain amount every semester; every year of aid, contracts a year to the facility.

Nursing Stipend: my facility will sponsor me to go to school by making me work half-time, but pay me full-time with benefits for 12 months on my last year of Nursing School.

With a combination of these and going to my FINANCIAL AID OFFICE!!! I am able to pay for my school and take care of my family. HRSA is not the only way to get through school. Try to get a job in a hospital, it doesn't matter what you do, just get the job and find out your benefits. Research, research, research. If you do nothing, you cannot expect people to hand you money. You need to look for it!

Good Luck and don't give up!

[Wrench Party]

My mind is often boggled by how many students don't know about their employers' further education policies,

and how many don't know the financial aid office exists. I remember having a discussion with a fellow

student in my pre-reqs who was struggling to pay for our community college credits

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Another trick I learned was to go in person to the scholarships office and speak to a counselor.

I was able to pick up a decent merit-based scholarship because no one had applied directly for it. A good

counselor will also look into your background (single vs. married, minority, work, personal interests) and match you accordingly.

There are not many large scholarships out there (>$5000), so you will often find small specific ones that can be cobbled

together into a package (one directed towards single,lower-income parents working toward health careers, for example).

Often times the only work you need to do for the scholarship will write the donor a letter about

yourself and maybe show up to a recipient event.