Over the last couple of years I have donated to 2 crowd-funding appeals. Both were folks that I (somewhat) knew and both were for dire, life-altering reasons.
Lately, these types of "give me $$" appeals seem to be multiplying like crazy. Folks are asking for money for any and everything. I saw one on Facebook recently that was asking strangers to pay her entire way through nursing school
I don't know why this bothers me. Maybe it's the unspoken assumption that if I've worked my way into a position in life where I might have a few bucks to spare, I'd be happy to part with that money to help someone else not have to work as hard as I did. Obviously, I don't have to pay any attention to the appeals if I don't want to. It just seems so......nervy, I guess. As in, it takes a lot of.
Sorry! I didn't mean for my post to come off as trying to "romanticize" my mother's and my Aunt's Nursing education.
Their training was brutal.
Their education was not inexpensive.....it was free! The Hospital picked up every cost. And you are absolutely right! Hospital-based Nursing training was extremely restrictive. They lived in dorms, ate in dorm-style cafeterias and needed permission to come and go. But, the program was always full and they recieved better training than most Nursing programs today, IMO.
That style of education is definitely not for everyone. I'm pretty sure most people on this board would hate it. Personally, I would have loved it. I wish that style of training had been an option for me when I was young, single and broke. No student loans, no housing costs, no crazy part-time job hours and hands-on training every day.
I would have loved it.
Oh, did not mean to sound critical at all! I too would have loved to have had that level of intensive training.....had I had my head on straight right out of high school . Unfortunately, I didn't get motivated until I was 35, married & mother of 2. So could not have handled that type of immersion program, even if it had still existed.
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I don't think a lot of posters here have gone through nursing school recently.
I tried to get welfare. I was told as a full-time student I didn't qualify. (I should add I'm in my 30's and independent so it's not like I'm some kid living with my parents) Government loans don't cover the full cost of tuition, books, lab fees, uniforms, etc. Private loans require a co-signer when you're not working full-time, and I don't really have anyone to co-sign. I ended up racking up my credit cards.
Taking a semester off is a huge risk. There's no guarantee they'll take you back.
I don't qualify for any tuition assist from state or federal because I am only taking one class at a time. Since I no longer work (due to health reasons), I don't get assistance from my employer. I will be sitting out this semester because I can't afford tuition. I won't be crowd funding, either.
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
While I understand the desire for inexpensive, good-quality training, be careful not to romanticize it. Those schools allowed students no life to speak of outside of nursing. Therefore it's pretty much a no-go for non-traditional students or for those with families. As I understand it, students worked crazy hours/shifts for no pay, thus the "free" training.
I graduated in '85 from a diploma program, and it was not like that at all. My class was made up primarily of non-traditional students.
HappyParamedicRN, for some reason neither the app nor the mobile website will allow me to quote your post, but I want to respond to your assertion that you won't enable someone to be lazy.
In my case, as I stated, if I put one up, I would be working full time AND going to nursing school, and I have done my part in going through the process of getting what tuition assistance I can through my employer. I would only be asking for assistance with extra childcare expenses that would occur due to my schooling.
So where do you get off calling someone like me lazy because I dare to ask for help? Sure there are scammers, but not everyone is a freeloader. Some people honestly need help and shaming them really does nothing but harm.
...or god forbid applying for all the free money for school that is out there ie. Scholarships! Doubtful that they are, young people want things just handed to them!
HPRN
In my experience, people who talk about "all the free money out there" haven't gone scholarship hunting in a while. Between obscure requirements (far beyond just writing an essay) and scams, scholarships aren't easy to find or get.
roser13, ASN, RN
6,504 Posts
Oh, did not mean to sound critical at all! I too would have loved to have had that level of intensive training.....had I had my head on straight right out of high school
. Unfortunately, I didn't get motivated until I was 35, married & mother of 2. So could not have handled that type of immersion program, even if it had still existed.