Nursing School Students: Are Tuition Reimbursement Programs the Right Choice for You?

Nursing school students, we know you're looking for ways to pay off those student loans that are a drain on your pocketbook every month. Because nurses are so in demand these days, employers are coming up with numerous incentives to encourage you to work for them - and one of those incentives is an offer to repay some or all of your tuition.

This is a very tempting offer, of course. And it may turn out to be worth your while to accept this offer. However, here are some things that you need to consider before you make your final decision.

There are state-sponsored "loan forgiveness" programs, and there are employer "tuition repayment" programs. They both offer essentially the same thing: they will repay a portion of your student loan every year for a certain number of years, in exchange for a signed agreement to work for them for a certain period of time.

In the case of the "loan forgiveness" programs, the state is seeking to find nurses who will work in underserved areas - prisons, certain hospitals, schools, detention centers. You need to investigate the facility where you are considering working to make sure that it is a place that you want to be for the next couple of years. Is it safe? Are the working conditions good? Is there a high turnover? If so, there's usually a reason. And what about the salary? Does it pay as well as other similar facilities that you are considering?