Schedule for schools - incl. summers?

[thenewguy8]

Question:

I'm looking into becoming an NP. I have no prior RN experience, so I'd be doing a direct entry MSN program.

Does anyone know what the general program schedules look like?

I'm looking for a program that, ideally, would begin in September and allow me to have summers available. I'm not sure if this is possible - do you do clinical work in the summers? I ask because I've been running a summer children's theater for the past 2 years. I love the place and would LOVE to keep doing that, since it also provides me year-round income but the off-season work is something I could easily incorporate into a school schedule.

It would be great for me to do schooling during the year and keep this summer position until I graduate and am ready to work full time.

any thoughts?

[carachel2]

Lots of schools will allow you to go part-time but at some point in the program the courses become sequential and only offered in certain semesters. If you choose to sit out a summer course at that point you may be put one or two semesters behind if that makes sense.

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

My DE program required that you go full time the first year, and that meant we started in August and went through the end of June. You could choose to go part time at that point and not start again until Sept. Most programs I looked into required some summer courses and/or clinicals.

[WyndDrivenRain, BSN, RN]

My program runs through the summer. We take advanced Health assessment and skills intensive in the first summer semester. I believe in the summer of the second year we do special populations/synthesis. We go year round for 2.5 years, taking 2-3 classes a term.

Sue, RN