The Hidden Costs of Nursing School

tokyoROSE, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2011

I've been able to save a lot with hidden costs. I buy everything I NEED, not everything I want.

Needs:

Tuition (covered w/ scholarship)

Books (covered w/ scholarship)

Health insurance (covered w/ scholarship)

One set of scrubs & school patch

Stethoscope

Gas

Laptop- this was a splurge, not a need. I have a desktop but it is 5+ years old and running very slow. For my sanity, I scored a great price on a refurb laptop on eBay and couldn't be happier. Costs a little more than an iPhone. Seriously.

I've never needed a BP cuff or a penlight. Hospitals provide that. Shoes- I just wear my white pair of sneakers I've had for years. It doesn't get much use, I don't wear flat shoes often. Parking- I use street parking, yes I walk farther but I refuse to pay money to park. Printing- I print all my stuff at work or at school, school provides quite a bit of free printing. I do have a printer hooked up at home just in case of emergencies, got ink refills on eBay for a mere $10. (I can't believe I ever payed retail prices for ink. Sigh.) School supplies- I haven't had to buy any for a couple of years now. There are lots of coupons you can score free supplies with, plus Walmart has them for dirt cheap in August.

As you can tell, I am a very frugal person, I don't like to pay retail. I'm a couponer and it has saved me hundreds. It also gives me the mindset that there are OPTIONS. I mention eBay a lot, because there are good deals if you are willing to look for it. Plus they've got great buyer protection if a purchase goes awry. Oh, you don't need a Littmann stethoscope. There is no way I am spending $100 for a stethoscope that can easily be misplaced/stolen. Instead, I looked up some reviews and found a fantastic stethoscope for $20. I do get help for all household bills, car expenses & insurance, internet, and phone fees from generous parents.

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Nov 1, 2011

I know that nursing school is an expensive adventure for many people, myself included. However I just wanted to compile a list for all to see about the "hidden" costs that we incur ---
Clinical fees
Name badge
School patch for uniform
Stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, pen light Why are you buying your own sphygmomanometer? I got my own penlights- they're cheap
Clinical Uniform Geez-- ours were butt ugly Light brown pinstripe pantsuits or dress- blechhh.
Shoes for clinical White sneakers are fine. I tried the expensive ones- ended up with a $15 pair from Walmart :)
Parking money each week for clinical Would you need that for any job?
Gas for driving to clinical and school sites + car expenses, or bus fare Ditto
Laundry money for washing uniforms Do you wash your other clothes?
Printing money, or printer paper, ink
School supplies
Books
Laptop purchase, internet fees
Clinical skills bag (IV sets, needles, catheter kit, etc) Your nursing school lab doesn't have these?
Our school will soon be requiring purchase of "Ipod touch" (ridiculous)

You can decide ways to reduce costs. Yeah- it is expensive (especially the first semester when you don't have anything to start with :) But most of the stuff lasts the whole program (or should).

I'm not sure I'd call these hidden costs- a lot of them would apply with any college classes/program. :up:

Good to get a handle on them, though- and pass along the info for others :yeah:

Mike R, ADN, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2011

For us, there was also:

Kaplan Fees

Nurse Squared Fees

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Nov 1, 2011

Ours also had:

Hotel fees for when we did clinicals out of town

I went to school in a smaller town and would drive and stay the weekend in bigger cities.

And of course: Bar fees. A few drinks after a ridiculous test eases the class very well.

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 1, 2011

I got my PhD a long time ago, after having spent 7 years as a full time graduate student (2 years for MSN, 5 years for PhD -- and graduate tuition is more expensive than undergrad).

Well ... 6 months later, I realized I had never received my actual diploma. As it turned out, I needed to $5.00 more to cover the cost of the mailing.

Such is life.

spore2008 · Nov 1, 2011

I needed to pay to prove I am not a criminal in three different ways: State; Federal; Child Protection (State), approximately $60.

I also needed to pay for my physical and analysis of my blood titers and a tetorifice shot, approximately $90 with insurance.

Unfortunately, I do not qualify for a scholarship. I am female, married to someone who makes too much money, am an overrepresented category in nursing based on race and I already have earned a BA (free parents) and a PhD (free government).

Unfortunately, the tuition for nursing school falls on my shoulders. Bummer.

TokyoRose, you have a tremendous amount of pragmatic advice. I should follow through on what you have to say!

mangopeach · Nov 1, 2011

We don't pay for parking at clinical sites. I think it sucks that students would not be allowed to park free. We are usually allowed to park wherever employees park. We get a parking pass for each location.

We also got a nurse pak- a bag with all the supplies we needed for skills checkoffs so didn't have to buy anything for that.

My steth was a gift. That's the good thing about getting your acceptance letter before the holidays. If you have friends and family members that usually buy you gifts, ask for nursing stuff!!!

If you have to buy a BP cuff, we did for practice before vital signs checkoff. Buy the cheapest one you can find since you won't be needing it after your skill checkoff. Of course you can always use it at home. Visitors are always asking me to check their BP.

Don't forget thrift stores. I have a classmate that I'm totally amazed with that is able to find supplies for cheap at thrift stores.

For Immunizations and Titers - Go to your local health department. You may have to wait a bit longer there than going to a private doc, but it will save you a whole lot of cash.

I also carpool with another student for clinicals to save on gas

Twinmom06, ASN, APN · Nov 1, 2011

the surprise of our nursing class was the $250 in ATI fees that we are required to pay for some ridiculous online practice testing - which is not included in our grade!!!

Anniehow · Nov 1, 2011

Back ground check fee to enter nursing school

*4!#6 · Nov 1, 2011

Thank you for the tips but I am also a frugal person, however I have very little and my school required all of the above to be purchased, including the skills bag =/ I didn't go to Gucchi or w/e and buy a pair of white shoes. For some of us, $15 is a significant amount of money even for shoes, and all of my life, I have only usually had one pair -- brown. So I had to go out and buy white ones because that's what my school requires, which is a major annoyance to me.

I forgot to add the costs for all the immunizations/testing...

Also for laundry ... since I only bought 1 uniform, and it was white pants and a colored top, I had to wash them multiple times for multiple uses each week ... so I tried to cram all of my other stuff in there, but with white pants it makes it diffucult. Four loads at least a week =/

Also ... no mommy/daddy here ... paying my own way, living on my own with my boyfriend.

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Nov 1, 2011

Gotcha :)

Thrift stores can have some amazing finds re: white shoes. When I was in even worse financial situation than being on disability- LOL- I would stock up at the thrift stores when I saw slippers and shoes for a buck a pair.

Is there any way to get white pants at a thrift store also? You'd be amazed at what shows up with the tags still on. :) Also, does your school have any assistance for the so-called extras? It's worth asking about - not loans, but outright help w/required items.....