The Hidden Costs of Nursing School

NurseNotRatched, ADN, BSN, CNA · Nov 5, 2011

hurst review costs (school will pay 1/2 with 100% participation from our class)is that like an nclex review? i've never heard of it.
class dues ($20 per semester...mandatory)what does this money go toward, out of curiosity?

yes, hurst is an nclex review...they have very high success rates and my school wouldn't entertain any other companies. total=$350, we pay half=$175

class dues can go toward anything really... we all have to look the same for the pinning ceremony, so we decided the accumulated money should go toward uniforms for everyone. in the past the money has paid for catering for family after the pinning ceremony, faculty gifts, etc. we can even use it to pay for a fellow classmates hurst review portion if they can't truly afford it.

mpihl · Jan 9, 2012

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 - these were included in our tuition
Name badge
School patch for uniform
Stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, pen light - the school bookstore sold a set for $60 so wasn't that bad
Clinical Uniform - we have 2 different uniforms for different types of clinical's and the 3rd semester in they changed one of ours which was kinda annoying.
Shoes for clinical
Parking money each week for clinical - we get to park for free
Gas for driving to clinical and school sites + car expenses, or bus fare - most of the time our clinicals are in town so not a big deal
Laundry money for washing uniforms
Printing money, or printer paper, ink - we can print at school for free
School supplies
Books
Laptop purchase, internet fees- We can actually borrow a laptop from school for up to 3 days at a time and we have multiple computer labs open 24/7 and always free wifi. I know many people who don't even own their own computer in my program.
Clinical skills bag (IV sets, needles, catheter kit, etc) - yup and really expensive
Our school will soon be requiring purchase of "Ipod touch" (ridiculous)

- thats crazy our school doesn't like us having any technology with us

We also had to pay for our background check, drug test, we have to medical insurance, pay for Liability Insurance to the school, and we had to pay $400 so we can take our test every semester.

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2012

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- part of tuition
Name badge- free from HR until you lose it then its $20
School patch for uniform - we got 2 for free , $2 each thereafter
Stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, pen light- only needed steth & pen light
Clinical Uniform- we could buy from where we wanted as long as its white but still $$
Shoes for clinical- ya. lol
Parking money each week for clinical- park in the deck for free,
Gas for driving to clinical and school sites + car expenses, or bus fare- for one clinical where we drove all over. completely ridiculous.
Laundry money for washing uniforms- wash my clothes at moms haha
Printing money, or printer paper, ink- print at school for "free"
School supplies- constantly buying items
Books- ughhh
Laptop purchase, internet fees- necessary if u want to get stuff done.
Clinical skills bag (IV sets, needles, catheter kit, etc)- didnt need this
Our school will soon be requiring purchase of "Ipod touch" (ridiculous)- ours didnt require & i have an iphone so scratch that lol

when i started i expected that i was gonna be asked to poop out money i dont have for a bit. thats perfectly ok with me lol. almost done!

CrazierThanYou · Jan 9, 2012

I've commented on this thread before but I've got some new costs now that I'm in my last semester. They include 2 HESI exams at around $50 each, $40 or so a week in gas, and now $50 a week for a motel room, not to mention food. Those last three costs are due to our having to travel a total of about 400 miles a week. Good times!

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Jan 10, 2012

400miles a week for school?!?!? why?

ivorylovecali · Jan 10, 2012

ya it is like highway robbery with these fees

CrazierThanYou · Jan 10, 2012

400miles a week for school?!?!? why?

Our school is part of a consortium with 3 other schools. The classes are supposed to rotate among the 3 campuses but they don't. They are only held at the one that happens to be the farthest from our school. It is about 80 miles away (one way) and we go twice a week. Then there are clinicals, which this semester are held at a hospital about 120 miles away (one way) and we also go there twice a week. And I am live in the town closest to the school. Some of my classmates are even farther away.

mitral · Jan 10, 2012

One of our teachers charged us a $200 fee each for new software she bought a week before finals. Then spent an hour of class time having us set it up on the schools laptops for her!

Skips, MSN, RN · Jan 10, 2012

Wow! Some of you have a lot to pay for in gas and driving time. Sheesh.

Main costs for my program: health insurance (my job doesn't provide it), immunizations, TB test, titers, background check & drug screen, books, stethoscope, pen light, bandage scissors, shoes for clinical, uniform, parking permit to park on campus, and that's pretty much it. I'm seriously considering purchasing a laptop, because in at least one of my classes, we take our quizzes and tests on a laptop during class. It'd be nice to have my own. My pharmacology instructor wants us to have one too. Another expense!

I don't have to pay much for gas because I live 10 minutes away from my college. The furthest hospital from where I live in my city is 15 minutes away. Very centrally located, so I'm lucky.

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Jan 10, 2012

Our school is part of a consortium with 3 other schools. The classes are supposed to rotate among the 3 campuses but they don't. They are only held at the one that happens to be the farthest from our school. It is about 80 miles away (one way) and we go twice a week. Then there are clinicals, which this semester are held at a hospital about 120 miles away (one way) and we also go there twice a week. And I am live in the town closest to the school. Some of my classmates are even farther away.

what kinda horse$#!+ hooey is that. im sorry that you have to drive so much, thats so much unnecssary stress that they dont need to add to your life. but you said this is your last semester correct? you'll be all done soon :)

pockunit, ADN, RN · Jan 10, 2012

I haven't yet seen therapy fund

clucito01 · Jan 10, 2012

Hidden costs are outrageous! But I guess with school you have to pay in deep before you can start getting "real grown up" paychecks as I call them! At my school starting from the moment I first applied to the program I had to pay for:

Entrance test (TEAS), application fee, immunizations, background check, physical, personal health insurance, $200 deposit to hold your spot in the program, scrubs with patch and a lab coat with a patch (the patches are only sold by 1 uniform company in the small town where my university is located and the owner will not just sell the patches individually anymore without a uniform purchase, so for 1 set of scrubs a lab coat and 1 patch for each was $98! o_O), white shoes for clinicals, books (least I've paid so far is $515 and that's only for 2 classes), Microsoft Office for my laptop, laptop bag since we have to have our's with us each day during lecture, they provided us with a "starter bag" with all of our supplies for our fundamentals lab and it also came with a pen light and stethoscope (the stethoscope was so cheap that it broke as soon as I pulled it out of the package! So I just sucked it up and bought myself a Littman), they charge us lab fees, clinical fees, Liability Insurance fees, printing fees, syllabus fees (????) and that's all I can remember for now!

It's expensive to be a nursing student! Between driving to lecture (my school is exactly 32.5 miles from my apartment so I drive 65 miles a day round trip), gas, lunch money (usually by the time I'm done with homework or studying or preparing for clinicals the next day - or all 3 :eek: - I am too tired to even think about packing a lunch), coffee/caffeine $$ to get me through the day and everything else I'm beyond broke! But all I have to tell myself is that May 2013 will be here before I realize and I won't have to borrow money from my parents anymore! I will finally get to start paying them back and be fully 100% self sufficient! Wahoo!!