In the last couple of days, a local TV news story indicated that our local hospital system (Novant) is offering to pay educational costs for people to become nurses. In response to the severe national nursing shortage, Novant is offering to pay for a nursing education. The Upward Mobility RN scholarship pays for up to two years of tuition and fees for an accredited North Carolina nursing program.

Sure, this is just for North Carolina, but if you are interested in becoming a nurse (a growing occupation), check with your local medical providers. And don’t forget that community colleges can get you a start on your program before you avail yourself of a program like the one Novant offers. In most states, community college is so inexpensive, it can almost be regarded as free.

The one tough part might be affording the books. Average annual book costs for a full-time student runs $800 to $1,200. There are two ways to cover that. First, you don’t have to start full-time. I spent a couple of years as a part-time community college student. Working while going to community college part-time, I covered my books with my salary. And I almost always bought used books to save money.

Second, there are also scholarship programs that are specific to pay for books. Check out CollegeScholarships.org for College Textbook Scholarships.

This is a timely opportunity. If you are interested in going into nursing, now is the time to do the investigation. It’s up to you to take the first step and contact your local health system(s).   Thanks for reading, and please pass this on to others you think might benefit from this information.

Source: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2021/08/27/becoming-a-nurse