Academic Partnerships and Tuition Assistance

By Yolanda Munguia, DNP, RN, RN-BC, academic partnerships program manager, Premier Health

Once you have made the decision to return to school, the next step is choosing one that will help you to achieve your career and personal goals – and there is a huge selection of schools both locally and online for you to choose from. Since returning to school is a huge investment, take your time when researching schools.

Select schools have partnered with Premier Health to provide scholarships, reduced tuition, or tuition remission to our employees. The list of colleges and universities on the Learning Institute Academic Partnerships page on SharePoint can help you narrow your search. This information provides you with a launch pad for your search.

As you investigate the various schools and programs, feel free to contact the program chairs, faculty, and advisors to ask questions. Compare not only the total costs of programs, but look at the courses and graduation requirements. Technical, library, and faculty/advisor support are important as well. You want the school to be responsive to your questions and needs. Also make sure to research faculty members in the program you are interested in – you want to learn from faculty who are experts in their field and have published on a regular basis in professional journals. Lastly, talk to your peers and ask them about their experiences in different programs. Don’t be swayed by “It’s an easy program.” You are investing in yourself, and you want to learn. Even though a program might not be easy, you will learn more if you are challenged.

Use your tuition assistance benefit. It is there to help make returning to school financially easier for you and your family. Premier Health’s Tuition Assistance policy, application, and request forms can be found on SharePoint.

One additional note, especially if you plan to become a nurse practitioner: Choose your program wisely. If you want to work in an acute care setting, apply for an acute care nurse practitioner program, not a primary care program. Also look at the clinical experiences required in the program. And this is true for all programs: make sure the experiences will provide you with the skills and knowledge to help you to be a successful professional.

Back to the August 2019 issue of the Nursing Newsletter