Tuition reimbursement !?

Nurses General Nursing

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There are so many rumors that go around about pay and benefits... I'm just trying to figure out truth from fiction. I have finally finished my pre-req courses. YAY!!! Now I have to figure out what I can afford and where to apply. I have heard that some jobs will pay off your student loans or reimburse you for what you have spent. Something makes me think there is more to it than that. If it is true that means that I can go to the private college that costs $35,000 a year and the hospital is gonna write me a check for $70,000 to reimburse the last two years??? How can this be fair? If any of you know what the normal caps are for tuition reimbursement.... that would be great, I know every hospital is different I'm just lookin to get a rough estimate.

Specializes in Med Surg/Ortho.
Does anyone know if hospitals offer tuition reimbursement for nursing school for CNA's that they employ?

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I would be interested in hearing about this too. I am looking into CNA classes right now (that is all I can afford), then working for a hospital. Hoping that they will at least help pay for my schooling to become an RN.

There are so many rumors that go around about pay and benefits... I'm just trying to figure out truth from fiction. I have finally finished my pre-req courses. YAY!!! Now I have to figure out what I can afford and where to apply. I have heard that some jobs will pay off your student loans or reimburse you for what you have spent. Something makes me think there is more to it than that. If it is true that means that I can go to the private college that costs $35,000 a year and the hospital is gonna write me a check for $70,000 to reimburse the last two years??? How can this be fair? If any of you know what the normal caps are for tuition reimbursement.... that would be great, I know every hospital is different I'm just lookin to get a rough estimate.

Jogirl: Yes,there are indeed programs that will pay up to 85% of your federal student loans for nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

These require you to spend 2-3 years at a federally designated underserved area: inner city clinic, Native American Reservation, Nursing Home provider. Usually these are inner city areas or isolated areas. The program pays 30% of your loan per year for the first 2 years. If you extend your contract for a third year you may qualify for an additional 25% paid off your loan.

Unfortunately this program is drastically underfunded, a budget of less than 20 million for the whole country. Pitiful. However, if you are willing to go to underserved areas, like Indian Reservations, funds are available from other resources. Then there is always the military.

Yes you can get your loans paid off or almost paid off, but not by working at a local hospital and having any kind of 'normal' life. There is a price to pay whether it is isolation in the bush or serving in the military. Nothing for free. Hope this helps. Tim [email protected]

I tell you what - I'll call a few places that offer tuition reimbursement for their employees and see if that goes for CNAs also, and I'll post whatever I find.

There are so many rumors that go around about pay and benefits... I'm just trying to figure out truth from fiction. I have finally finished my pre-req courses. YAY!!! Now I have to figure out what I can afford and where to apply. I have heard that some jobs will pay off your student loans or reimburse you for what you have spent. Something makes me think there is more to it than that. If it is true that means that I can go to the private college that costs $35,000 a year and the hospital is gonna write me a check for $70,000 to reimburse the last two years??? How can this be fair? If any of you know what the normal caps are for tuition reimbursement.... that would be great, I know every hospital is different I'm just lookin to get a rough estimate.

Tuition Reimbursement amounts to indentured servitude. Allow me to explain my point.

First let me say that you will likely not find a hospital that will pay tuition fees that are beyond what a State University fee is. Unless the only school in your area is a high priced private school. Even then there is generally a limit on how much they will pay.

This is how it generally works. They pay a certain amount per semester or per credit hour. They you are committed to work x number or months or years at that facility.

For student loan forgiveness it is usually a commitment of a certain number of years work for every 100, or 1000 dollars that they pay for you.

I have yet to find the commitment fairly proportional to what they actually give.

For example where I work for every semester they will pay $250 up to 3 semesters a year. For each semester they will pay you are committed to work 1 year more after they pay out.

The cap at this hospital is $1500

So you are stuck in a job you may not want to be stuck in for 3 years for a return of $750. (example)

Um! I can get $750 a lot easier and faster than that.

Even if all I do is budget it out of my regular pay check.

Now if you default and decide to quit. They take back the money and more than one place where I work take it back with interest! They can do this because until you meet your commitment the money is considered a loan. Once you have met your commitment it is considered paid.

If you are set on doing this check with the HR dept of the hospitals where you are considering. It is not considered bad form to inquire about this before you hire on. They expect it. After all this is what they are using to lure you to work there. It is their sales point. Ask they will be happy to explain how it works at that hospital and what your obligation is and the penalties for not staying the full time requirement. Just ask specifically about these. Asks HR directly or the Recruiter. Not the manager who intereviews you.

Personally I hired on at a hospital that did this and did not "take advantage" of this. I did not regret my decision to turn this down.

I know some hospitals also offer sign-on bonuses. It might make more sense to go for that, if it pays more than the tuition reimbursement.

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