Paying for schooling, which option is better?

[amnija]

With this question, I thought I better ask everyone for their input/advice.

I am aware that some hospitals and employers have tuition reimbursement and other programs that allow their staff to get licensed as an RN. And I am also aware that there are other options like scholarships and also government aid specifically for nurses working in certain areas of the US (ex: loan forgiveness, etc.) What I wanna know is, for those of you who have earned one or maybe even a couple of these aids, what was the process? And most of all, what was the best aid in helping pay for your training and licence? Do you regret accepting whatever aid you received, maybe wished you would have accepted a different aid?

I am sorry if this question has been asked before. Just joined, newly graduated CNA. Considering all options to continue education, just need advice as what resources are available for financial aid and assistance for RN programs. THANKS!

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

I am not a student and haven't been for many years, but what I have gathered from this site is this: Most people have to take out loans to pay tuition, and that means paying the loans back later. Not that many hospitals offer tuition assistance anymore; those that do usually only pay for part of the classes and you have to sign an agreement to work for them for X number of years. ( My hospital will only pay for one or two at a time, and they must be an LPN taking classes for RN. ) You might could find a place to work with "loan forgiveness" but you might not like it; if they were good places to work, there would be no need to draw nurses with the promise of loan forgiveness. Not sure, but I think they are usually places located on the border, or in the Alaskan bush, or in isolated rural areas, and I think most of that aid is for nurse practitioners. The best thing you can do is to contact several different nursing schools and apply for financial aid. Hopefully, some students here can help you out.