Nursing students charged $1,200 for clinicals

Nursing students learned by e-mail on Monday that they would receive a one-time $400 credit to the bookstore in a further attempt by the Nursing program and Financial Aid to lessen the blow of a $1,200 fee each student will pay for her clinical classes.

The letter from Gerry Koocher, the dean of the School of Health Studies (SHS), and Judy Beal, the associate dean of SHS and the chair of the Nursing program, said that the credit was added because it made more sense "to get $400 directly into the pocket of every student rather than work one at a time.

"Combined with the $135 elimination of the software fee and the grants to students through the modification to their financial aid package, our intention is to buffer the effect of these fees for this academic year."

The decision to charge nursing students the fee was determined by the Board of Trustees in March, but students were not informed of it until they received their bills at the end of July, according to Beal.

"When I saw the increase on my tuition bill I did a double-take. I was shocked and angry," said junior Hannah Desrochers. "Many nursing students are self-sufficient and pay for education while taking classes. I know I don't have an extra $1,200 floating around. $1,200 is rent for two months, food for six months."

Yvonne Chan, a second degree Dix Scholar, also thinks students should have been given more time to plan for the fee.

"I think the Administration should have given students at least six months notice prior to implementing this fee. Many students budget and manage their finances strategically. Giving students earlier notice would help them better prepare for such a financial burden," she said.

Diane Hallisey, director of Student Financial Services, said her department worked to increase aid for the students who would be charged the fee.

"For the undergraduate students who applied for financial aid, the level of aid was reviewed and additional grant funds were awarded to students whose review demonstrated increased need after the clinical fee was added into their financial aid budget," said Hallisey.

Beal said the reason students were not alerted earlier about the fee was because all departments involved assumed someone else would do it.

An e-mail was sent to all nursing students by Beal on July 25 apologizing for the lack of communication about the fee and assuring students that they would receive more information in the coming days.

Chan wasted little time responding and worked to rally a response from her peers. She sent a letter the next day with an electronic petition for all nursing students to sign.

When the petition was sent to the SHS and Nursing department, it had 161 signatures.

The petition said that the students felt the fee was "arbitrary and excessive" compared to other schools, especially since Simmons has not charged a fee before.

"Northeastern University School of Nursing does not charge a clinical fee. Boston College charges $205-$210 per clinical and UMass Boston charges $55.00 per clinical. Based on this research we find the additional $1200.00 clinical fee unjustifiable and extreme," it said.

For next year, in an attempt to get rid of the fee, the nursing program is looking to implement a differential tuition for nursing students, according to Beal. Students will pay a higher tuition their sophomore, junior, and senior years, which allows students to pay the fee spread out over the course of six semesters.

Students met with Beal and Koocher during the summer and beginning of the fall semester, and with President Susan Scrimshaw, per request of the students, on Monday last week.

"The meeting [with Scrimshaw] was similar to the meeting held by Dean Koocher and Dean Beal," Chan said. "The administration apologizes for their lack of communication. They explained that the fee is necessary in order to maintain Simmons Nursing program's reputation and the quality of its education.

"No real solution was given to the students at the meeting. The issue is not resolved," she said.

According to Beal, nursing classes cost about ten times more than a liberal arts course, partly because students are sent in groups of six or fewer to clinical rotations.

In the past, Simmons was able to absorb the extra costs of the program, but now that it is the largest undergraduate program, "the Trustees decided that this was no longer fiscally responsible or feasible for the school to continue to absorb these costs," said Beal.

An average clinical course, for example, Nursing 226, costs about $124,000, or $111,000 more than a comparable liberal arts course, for example, Nutrition 237, according to Koocher.

The extra costs come from the need for additional faculty.

Nursing 226 has two faculty members for classroom work, 11 clinical faculty, each of whom spend one eight-hour shift at the hospital with the students, and two clinical coordinators, who track student placement sites, medical clearance, and criminal records, according to Koocher.

He explained that each clinical coordinator costs the school more than $8,000 each, "so if six students each pay $1,200, we still do not break even on the cost."

Beal said that she thinks students understand the need for the fee, but the lack of communication is the source of tension.

Chan agreed with Beal. "Students understand that the fee is necessary in order to keep access to the best education. The problem here is the way and the timing in which the administration instituted the fee," she said.

Beal said that she will continue to meet with students on a monthly basis "should they choose to continue to discuss this over the next year."

This article was originally published here: http://media.www.thesimmonsvoice.com/media/storage/paper829/news/2007/09/20/News/Nursing.Students.Charged.1200.For.Clinicals-3749601.shtml