paying for edu. in xchange for 2 year commitment

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Sep 2, 2008

Why did you post this in two different threads?

tbrown00 · Sep 2, 2008

I am new and trying to get the hang of this forums thread action. sorry. do you have any info on this topic for me?

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Sep 2, 2008

Ah, then the moderator will merge the threads for you :)

Well, as I said in the OTHER thread, it's not unheard of. Typically, hospitals will offer a tuition reimbursement program, or loan forgiveness program, depending on many variables. Some will offer these options to employees only, not on "speculation". Others WILL offer you, the nursing student, a tuition deal to get through school and have you sign a committment for a specified period of years.

Thing is, if it seems too good to be true....it is. Nothing is free, and if the hospital is offering you that much cash on the speculation that you'll finish school and go there....there's a reason.

lucky1RN · Sep 2, 2008

I know of two hospitals in my area that offer scholarships in return for a work commitment. The scholarship is enough to pay for tuition but that's about it. Both expect a year of work in exchange for a year of scholarship. Both are good hospitals where many students want to work anyway. The only problem I see is that the hospital puts you wherever their need is greatest. So suppose you graduate nursing school with a passion to work in the ED but they need you in Oncology...guess what? You're going to Oncology.

If you want to find a hospital in your area with scholarships, just open the phonebook and start calling the nurse recruiter at the facilities you're interested in. They'll be able to tell you what programs they offer to nursing students.

Good luck!

nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN · Sep 2, 2008

Ours says you commit for a year past the end of the semester/quarter you took the money for.

tbrown00 · Sep 3, 2008

Great Info. Thank all of you very much. I will start calling recruiters tomorrow. By the way, the LPN chronicles are great! nerdtonurse is hilarious.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Sep 3, 2008

I was offered a program like this. I was a Patient Care Associate who was accepted into a program that offered full time release from work with full time pay, benefits and tuition paid. I never showed my face at work until the program was completed. We were supposed to return to work during school breaks such as Christmas, Spring Break or summertime (however the LPN program was over the entire summer with a two week break before Fall Semester). I used to put for time off during those times, either with or without pay or sometimes a combination of both. The times off from school usually fell during times where income tax returns were due, so, I would live off of that, getting paid three times a month (we got paid biweekly) or when we got an additional $500 for uniform allowance.

Of course, it was a wonderful thing in one sense, because the only thing I paid for were additional books to study from (they offered reimbursment for textbooks) and supplies; they even paid for the review course and state boards for us. The bad thing is that we are sort of indentured servants to the hospital for the rest of the contract (mine ends in 2009), and for me, while I enjoy being an LPN, I began to see how the hospital really operates for nursing and I don't care for that aspect. I have no personal problems to date with administrators, charge nurses or such, but I don't like all that I see, either. We were all guarenteed a position when we obtained our licenses, and you get to walk away with the experience-something no one can ever take from you.

In most cases, a person has to be an employee at the hospital for at least a year, have an excellent employee evaluation and a good attendance record. I was employed there for 8 years at that time, was on several committees and was a great candidate for it. Good luck!