How common is it for employer to pay for BSN?

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I'm just getting started looking into the nursing field. I currently hold a BA in a non-nursing field. My preference would be to attend an accelerated BA to BSN program, but that will cost about $35,000. An ASN at the local communitity college would be about $7,000. I am 37 and have 2 young children and a mortgage, etc. Money is an issue of course.

I've heard some employers will pay for ongoing schooling to reach your BSN, as long as you work for them for a contracted time. How common is this really?

I'm debating how difficult it will be to get a job with a BSN vs. an ASN as well as how likely it would be to have ongoing education paid by an employer.

Thanks!

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

get a job first then worry about it. In my town (

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Specializes in NICU.

My hospital pays $4000/yr for tuition reimbursement.

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Specializes in LTC, Psych, Hospice.

I'm an LPN in a BSN bridge program. My employer allows me to work pt time w/a flex schedule w/full time bennies. Also a 2K bonus twice a year for school. I don't know how common it is, I've been w/ this company for 4 years as a LPN.

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I would not count on this as a source to pay for school. Any program of this nature was an easy target for elimination as a cost-saving measure in today's poor economic climate, so there are fewer opportunities.

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Specializes in Med./Surg. and paramed. exams.

My hospital is associated with a larger teaching hospital so the BSN is offered for FREE through them and online through them with a 2 year work agreement. Overall, i don't know if the pay is higher, but its a pretty nice to get the education for free.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I'm just getting started looking into the nursing field. I currently hold a BA in a non-nursing field. My preference would be to attend an accelerated BA to BSN program, but that will cost about $35,000. An ASN at the local communitity college would be about $7,000. I am 37 and have 2 young children and a mortgage, etc. Money is an issue of course.

I've heard some employers will pay for ongoing schooling to reach your BSN, as long as you work for them for a contracted time. How common is this really?

I'm debating how difficult it will be to get a job with a BSN vs. an ASN as well as how likely it would be to have ongoing education paid by an employer.

Thanks!

That is not a reality overall these days and in this economy. There are perfectly qualified nurses that cannot find jobs. Hospitals have been slow to hire new grads mostly due to the cost/time of training them and that there are more"seasoned" nurses returning to nursing because of a loss of income in most families. Nurses returning to the field are very desirable because they have had some experience and are easier and less costly to train and main stream quickly back to the bedside.

Tution reimbursment is a portion only paid to employees who are furthering their education ie:ASN to BSN. Most facilities are usually only 10-20% (max) of total costs (variant upon need for facility) with max's of 3-4 thousand dollars per annum. There was about 10 years ago a recruitment tool of tuition forgiveness (in the time of extreme shortage) to sign on for x amount of time with a facility. These documented lean times and aggressive recruitment are always followed by a plethora of nurses in the open market when all the new grads who flocked to nursing as the "steady job" prospect graduate. Eventually the shortage return because those who flocked find out nursing is not what they thought it was and that the pay does not comisserate with the work required in the field.

The good thing about nursing is that it is cyclical and famine will come back again.............

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My company reimburses $2,000 a year after you have worked there a year. There are no contractual obligations with that.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

My hospital has a tuition reimbursement similar to that of robby5313. After you have worked for them for a full year, full time employees are eligible for $2000 per year in tuition reimbursement. Part time employees are eligible for $1000 per year. There are no obligations other than to get a "C" or better in the course that is being reimbursed. (So you have to pay out of pocket at the beginning of the semester ... then get reimbursed when you show that you passed the course.)

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Thanks for the great opinions and information. It is overwhelming starting out in a new field!

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Specializes in School Nurse, Med/Surg, Float.

You are so right, the hospital I where I work has cut tuition reimbursement for a year to help with the budget (in addition to replacing exisiting better paid staff with newer secretaries, CNAs, and RNs that are not paid nearly as much)

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There's a girl from my hometown in my BSN class. She's getting the hospital to pay for her schooling. I forget what the term of indenturement is. I had a buddy growing up who got them to pay for his schooling as well. I was a science major back then. He did nursing.

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