New to the Board and have a question...

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Hi , just found this board and I see that there is a lot of good advice going around. Quick introduction before my question...I am 28, in school for the first time in 10 years and scared to death! Going for an Associate's R.N. degree. I am taking pre-requisites right now (Anatomy/Physiology, English, Psychology, and Algebra) and can apply for the nursing program in January (to start next fall).

I have been looking at some of the financial aid available for nursing and am very interested in the Nursing Scholarship Program run by the US Dept. for Health and Human Services. This is the program where they pay your tuition, books, etc. and provide you with a monthly stipend. In exchange, you agree to work for a minimum of 2 years at a facility that they deem as having a nursing shortage crisis. Before you graduate they send you a list of this facilities so you can go ahead and apply to one.

If anyone here is familiar with this, my question is...Does this list they come up with have facililties in every state, or do they just concentrate on a handful of locations? I live in KY but plan to relocate to Arizona or Nevada after graduation. I wouldn't want to possibly be accepted into this program and find out that they might not have anything listed for either state when I graduate.

I emailed their website with this question but they only responded with the rules/regulations of the program, so it wasn't much help.

Thanks for any info, and sorry this is so long. I have always been the type to say in 20 words what could be said in 10!

Alanna

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Health Care.

I can't answer your question, but i wanted to say "good luck " in your nursing journey! I'd also love to hear more about this finacial program. I'm hoping to apply for the adn program in Jan 2005, does any one know if Iowa is included in the Nursing scholarship?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg.

There is a post somewhere on the board with a link to the site that has information about this program. There is a list for each state, but I couldn't figure out how to decipher the information in the list. Maybe you would do better than I!

I am up to my eyeballs in student loans (although I did get a couple of small scholarships), but when I go to work, they will pay off my loans at a rate of $250/month for each month I am employed full-time. There is no minimum time I have to work for them, and I can go elsewhere whenever I want if they can beat my deal.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I haven't heard of that, but there are hospitals out there that are starting to offer to pay your nursing school tuition. In return, you need to make a two year commitment to them. So there's another option for you!

Good luck...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/scholarship/default.htm

this is gov't run, like the one you are talking about.

Here is one for Vegas, like what Nurse Marji is talking about

http://www.valleyhospital.net/p2252.html

Good luck, and we need nurses in Nevada!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for your help, everyone! There's an 800 # listed on the website so I will try them tomorrow and see if they can give me an answer.

Iliel, I had planned to relocate to Arizona and was very excited about it. However, my daughter is a competitive gymnast- very, very talented. Henderson, NV has an excellent gym and since it's so close to AZ, I have been researching it. The cost of living just seems so high though! I don't know if I could afford to live there on one income. Any thoughts on that?

Alanna

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, psych, corrections.

There is something in Nevada called WICHE. They pay for your tuition, etc. and you work for them in an area they considered to have a "need" for nurses, which is everywhere. It lasts for 2 years and then you can work wherever you like. I believe they have a website you can check out...just do a search for "WICHE".

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Henderson and Vegas are just about the same city. In some areas the cost is higher than others. I came from San Diego so anything is cheaper to me!

It does take a couple some time to drive to Az, not sure on what part you were planning on living. Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City are all nice areas and you can find afordable housing all over here!

If you want to PM me and talk, I'll help as much as I can! Pay is good in Vegas, BTW!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Iliel, I PM'd you!

Alanna

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, psych, corrections.

I was shocked when I moved to Nevada after living in Texas for all my life. The cost of living here is outrageous to me!!! You can't buy a house for under $180,000 and that's for a small, older home in an "okay" neighborhood". The bigger, newer ones will run you around $250,000. For someone who sold a house in Texas for $89,000 (a 3bd, 2ba, 2 car garage, 2100 sq foot home on landscaped yard w/sunroom and hot tub in excellent school district and nice neighborhood) it's extraordinarily high. But for someone like my husband, who was born and raised in San Diego, it's nothing. We have all the Californians moving in because they sell their house in CA for half a million and then buy a huge house here AND have money left over....sigh. We have talking about moving to Vegas, but now that I got accepted to the nursing program here, it will be at least 18 months before we go anywhere. Vegas is much cheaper than here to live and my husband could easily transfer to the prison down there. So we'll hang around renting (paying $900 a month for our apartment) until I'm done with school and then probably head down to Vegas. Or Ely (UGH!!)...again, he could get a transfer easily and I know they are HURTING for nurses there....and actually the prison out there is always looking for correctional nurses and the pay is pretty good.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment