Hi everyone!
I just wanted to share a few things I really wish I had known right after being accepted, despite the intense research I had done during the application process.
- As I am sure you know, and I did too, you will need a number of immunizations, beyond the standard UG list. Between UG and having done inpatient hours, I just assumed I would have them all. Nope. There were a couple I was missing, and one had expired because it was only good for 10 or so years. We also needed a medical attestation - a form from a med provider (I had an NP at an urgent care clinic do it, so no it doesn't have to be a physician). For most of you, this will just be a slight inconvenience. For myself, I didn't have health insurance so I had to pay out of pocket - all told, around $500-$600. And no, the school would not do them, as their health services were only available for UGs.
- Admittance fee into the program - $500
- Criminal background check - $250
- Required PT kit of tools - $100 (understandable, just noting that it was an unexpected expense)
- Textbooks ---- $500ish. I was not sure if I should rent or buy. I ended up buying because I like to mark books up and I figured I would want to refer back to them come boards time, or in later classes. My entire cohort regrets getting textbooks, because of the 11-12 books required, we only use 1-3 (depending on the person). We've talked about it repeatedly and all agree that we are not getting textbooks again until we determine if we will ACTUALLY use them. Our professors provide us with so much material and resources that we rarely, if ever, reference the books. ***I am only in my first trimester so perhaps in subsequent classes I will find them much more useful, but for my first tri at any rate, I regret buying them.
All told, I spent about $2000 after acceptance. I am an adult without financial support from family and obviously had to give up working to start school, so this was incredibly stressful. Had I known about these expenses prior, I would have at least set some money aside and be mentally prepared for it. I was so focused on getting IN the program, I didn't think of what happens next
Good luck to everyone applying, and I hope this helps people like me!
I just wanted to share a few things I really wish I had known right after being accepted, despite the intense research I had done during the application process.
- As I am sure you know, and I did too, you will need a number of immunizations, beyond the standard UG list. Between UG and having done inpatient hours, I just assumed I would have them all. Nope. There were a couple I was missing, and one had expired because it was only good for 10 or so years. We also needed a medical attestation - a form from a med provider (I had an NP at an urgent care clinic do it, so no it doesn't have to be a physician). For most of you, this will just be a slight inconvenience. For myself, I didn't have health insurance so I had to pay out of pocket - all told, around $500-$600. And no, the school would not do them, as their health services were only available for UGs.
- Admittance fee into the program - $500
- Criminal background check - $250
- Required PT kit of tools - $100 (understandable, just noting that it was an unexpected expense)
- Textbooks ---- $500ish. I was not sure if I should rent or buy. I ended up buying because I like to mark books up and I figured I would want to refer back to them come boards time, or in later classes. My entire cohort regrets getting textbooks, because of the 11-12 books required, we only use 1-3 (depending on the person). We've talked about it repeatedly and all agree that we are not getting textbooks again until we determine if we will ACTUALLY use them. Our professors provide us with so much material and resources that we rarely, if ever, reference the books. ***I am only in my first trimester so perhaps in subsequent classes I will find them much more useful, but for my first tri at any rate, I regret buying them.
All told, I spent about $2000 after acceptance. I am an adult without financial support from family and obviously had to give up working to start school, so this was incredibly stressful. Had I known about these expenses prior, I would have at least set some money aside and be mentally prepared for it. I was so focused on getting IN the program, I didn't think of what happens next
Good luck to everyone applying, and I hope this helps people like me!
