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Good call, Sis
Sanford Health provides help with nursing student's tuition
It didn't take Lindsey Kary long to realize she made the right decision by following her sister's advice. |
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Lindsey Kary knew she wanted to go into
healthcare, but she wasn’t sure exactly what
she wanted to be, until her older sister went to
Sanford College of Nursing and persuaded her
to think about doing the same.
During her first day of orientation at the college, Kary
knew right away she was in the right place.
“I was like, ‘This is what I’m supposed to be doing,’”
the 22-year-old Beach native said.
Her sister also told her about Sanford Health’s tuition
reimbursement program, whereby students can get loans
for more than half their tuition waived if they agree to accept positions at Sanford Health when
they graduate.
It’s kind of a big incentive if you’re looking for a
nursing degree because it gets to be pretty spendy,”
Kary says. “Without that, it would |
have been really difficult because the program is really tough. It’s hard to work while you’re going
to school.”
The Sanford Health Nursing Student Tuition Loan
Program provides students loans of up to $2,750
per semester for full-time students, which can be
canceled if they work within the Sanford Health
system for two years. The program is one of
the many ways Sanford Health gives back to the
community. (See a more detailed list of the health
system’s community involvement at the end of the
story.) Tuition is $5,006 per semester for full-time
students at the accredited, four-year program. The
loan must be repaid if the nurse decides to work
elsewhere. The program helps keep a steady supply
of nurses for Sanford Health despite a nationwide
nursing shortage.
“It provides Sanford Health with a committed work force, which is vital for the health system to continue to provide high-quality care to the region,” said Karen Latham, Sanford College of Nursing provost/dean.
| “The lower tuition provided by the
program allows more students to pursue their dreams
of becoming nurses.”
She said the tuition reimbursement program, along
with Sanford Health’s nurse residency program—an
innovative training program that pairs experienced
nurses with new graduates—help curb turnover
among new nurses.
The tuition reimbursement program was created in 2003 to encourage
graduates to accept jobs at Sanford Health rather than elsewhere. Since its
creation, 342 students have participated in the program, or 86 percent of
the students, according to Janell Thomas, College of Nursing financial
aid director.
Latham said the loan does not guarantee students will get Sanford Health jobs aftergraduation. If they aren’t offered a job, they don’t have to repay the loan. |
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Karen Latham
Provost/dean
Sanford
College of Nursing
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Kary graduated from the college in May 2010 and began working full time
as a nurse in June. She said it was a big transition the first day she stepped
onto the floor as a registered nurse, but she knows her sister was right: She
was meant to be a nurse. Her favorite part of the job: “Getting to spend time
with the patients,” she said.
“That was the reason I wanted to go into nursing in the first place.”
Click here for more information about Sanford College of Nursing.
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