Do any hospitals offer tuition rembursement?

[IamRRT]

Wondering if this is true? Ive heard the rumor float around but i dont know if it holds any validity.

[cinntsp]

Lots of places offer tuition reimbursement. Are you actually asking about loan repayment?

[greenmood]

unfortunately, i think that PA school and med school are the kinds of commitments that take you away from being able to work, so a lot of places arent interested in picking up the tab because its not really something that falls under the umbrella of developing thier employees.

My hospital paid for all of my pre-reqs while I worked full time. Their policy allowed a certain amount of reimbursement per calendar year, depending on the employee's status (PT or FT). So I agree with the first part of your statement - because PA school does not give students the freedom to put in regular part-time hours at a job, most hospitals will not reimburse. And even if they did... my hospital's full time rate was about 5K, which was enough to cover whatever I wanted to do at community college but is barely a dent in the PA debt.

 

But the second part of your statement, that PA school wouldn't be considered employee development... that's off the mark in my experience. My supervisors and department managers were thrilled to death that I was pursuing PA, even though they knew it would take me out of the department and into an entirely different area of medicine. They looked at the big picture: they won't be getting me back as a PT aide, but the hospital might get me back in the operating room, ER, or at the clinic across the street as a physician assistant. They're developing talent.

[andersenpa]

I got it for my distance masters, but that was a relatively low cost (<4k)

Most hospitals I've been at offer it

Very strong reimbursement for RNs (policy put in place by nurse admins!)

[EMEDPA]

I know 3 pa's who had medschool paid for them by hospitals they worked at in exchange for a promise to come back and work in these (rural) settings after residency graduation for X years.

[mackjacks]

But the second part of your statement, that PA school wouldn't be considered employee development... that's off the mark in my experience. My supervisors and department managers were thrilled to death that I was pursuing PA, even though they knew it would take me out of the department and into an entirely different area of medicine. They looked at the big picture: they won't be getting me back as a PT aide, but the hospital might get me back in the operating room, ER, or at the clinic across the street as a physician assistant. They're developing talent.

 

Mine are too. They said as long as I don't go 6 months without working a shift I can technically stay a hospital employee, then if I want to come back as a PA (anywhere within the University of Michigan Health System) I'll be an internal hire, get to start benefits and everything right away. They will continue to call me to see if I can come in when it's busy or there is a call-off, and I've been instucted to give them notice when I have a break from school and might like a shift. Sounds like a good deal to me! :)