Scholarships for work commitment?

schnookimz · Jul 5, 2014

Many hospitals in my area do this. They will pay for school if you work part time or full time while in school and then you are committed to working for the hospital for 2 years after graduation.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 6, 2014

Metropolitan areas, no. Popular cities/suburbs....no. They don't need to, qualified people are already there.

Rural areas, less-popular areas of the country.....yes. As in everything today, there's a supply vs demand situation. MOST areas of the country don't have a need for new grads. A few, mostly the very rural, still do. That's where you can try for what you're looking for....be willing to relocate where necessary.

schnookimz · Jul 6, 2014

Metropolitan areas, no. Popular cities/suburbs....no. They don't need to, qualified people are already there.
Rural areas, less-popular areas of the country.....yes. As in everything today, there's a supply vs demand situation. MOST areas of the country don't have a need for new grads. A few, mostly the very rural, still do. That's where you can try for what you're looking for....be willing to relocate where necessary.

Actually I'm in a huge city with a very large metropolitan area--one of the biggest cities in the country and some of our hospitals are def still doing this.

Balto · Jul 6, 2014

Actually I'm in a huge city with a very large metropolitan area--one of the biggest cities in the country and some of our hospitals are def still doing this.

Agreed. My city is the biggest in my state & they too have many hospitals offering scholarships for 1-2 year work commitments. Not saying every city will have hospitals doing this, but there are some.

3rdGenRN · Jul 6, 2014

Agreed. My city is the biggest in my state & they too have many hospitals offering scholarships for 1-2 year work commitments. Not saying every city will have hospitals doing this, but there are some.

Triple that. Major metro area and hospitals do it here.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 6, 2014

Many hospitals in my area do this. They will pay for school if you work part time or full time while in school and then you are committed to working for the hospital for 2 years after graduation.

But many will also require the person to work for them a set amount of time before they become eligible for this benefit.

3rdGenRN · Jul 6, 2014

But many will also require the person to work for them a set amount of time before they become eligible for this benefit.

Not here. If you're hired, you're immediately eligible for tuition assistance as long as you agree to work for 2 years after grad. They also have student programs where they'll pay for your second year of your ADN and then upon graduation you go work for them for 2 years.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 6, 2014

Interesting, this had been practically non-existent for several years. Wonder if it's trending back for some reason?

Hate to say it, but one reason definitely comes to mind: once someone is "mandated' to work for an employer or be forced to repay the money if they leave, it sure is a lousy bargaining chip to stand on. They can put you on any shift, at any wage, and you'll take it....or owe whatever it is they say you owe at that point (which can be the full amount of the tuition, regardless of time passage). If you don't fulfill the contract by staying.....they own you.

There's always a reason for such a contract offered by an employer in today's market. And it isn't because there's a shortage of nurses looking for jobs.....it might be that they can afford to give you less, pay you less, and be less accommodating when push comes to shove--because you can't shove.

Just worth thinking about, I guess. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

notnursezelda · Jul 6, 2014

thanks for all the input guys, very helpful.

i had already checked with the local hospitals here, and its all limited, certain hospitals have their own RN programs, so its not open to everyone. i know once clinicals start, hospitals do offer scholarships to students after their first semester, but i doubt it will be anything too substantial.

im looking at close to 15k in loans every semester, and its sort of daunting. i would do my associates, but that would require waiting an extra year and would be almost a step backwards, cause most of the classes in their curriculum, i have already taken as pre-reqs (A/P, micro, nutrition, etc) so some semesters it would be like taking maybe 1 or 2 classes only, because i still have to follow the sequence.

so yea, im sort of at a standstill, because with no financial aid, everything will end up being on loans, and i want to avoid that as much as possible

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 6, 2014

im looking at close to 15k in loans every semester, and its sort of daunting.

Please tell me you're joking. No program is worth 30k per year/120,000 per program, and that's a heck of a lot of debt to be paying off on a salary not commensurate with that cost. While it may not be appealing, applying to less expensive schools, even if it means a wait list, can be a much better start for your financial future.

schnookimz · Jul 7, 2014

I think you would find that in many adn programs the majority of the students are only taking 1-2 classes per semester. Most everyone takes anatomy and other classes before starting the program so they have more time to study for nursing classes or hold a job. You wouldn't be the odd one out!