Is anyone else quitting their job one they enter the nursing program?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I am a married mom of 2 and am trying hard to save away money so that I can quit my job this Fall when I enter the program. I am going to try for student loans to help out.

I was wondering what everyone elses plans are.

soushee - did you try to take federal loans? I already have a degree and when I spoke with a counselor at the Dept of Ed she went over what I was eligible for and I am still eligible eventhough I have already have a degree.

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Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

Oh HELL YES!!!! :D

I cannot wait to give my notice to my job! It will mean an end to a nightmarish existence of underpaid and underappreciated work! An acceptance of an offer to attend any of the 4 nursing schools to which I have applied will mean the world to me and a sign that things are going in the direction that I want them to go! Time is just moving way too slowly for this to happen :(

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Specializes in LTC.

I'm currently a LPN. I was a CNA and worked as one when I went through school. I worked full time during my pre-reqs. I also had a 1-2 year old during that time. My significant other can't work (disabled), so I'm the sole breadwinner. When I entered the nursing program I cut back to part time and would work the ocassional Friday, and then every Saturday and Sunday. It was definitely hard and I was stretched super thin. I realized my baby (who's 3 now) is only young once so I bowed out after the LPN year. I do hope to go back and complete my RN year once my daughter is a little bit older.

I wish you all luck in your endeavors! Just know that it's possible to work part time! However it's very difficult so if you can afford it I suggest you quit your job!

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Specializes in LTC, Med-surg.

I am not a single mom but I do plan on not working at all when I start clinicals next year. I have heard from a friend who has a cousin in the nursing program of my university that the nursing instructors tell you to pick from sleep, social life, part-time job, study, pick only 2 out of the 4. The most successful nursing students pick sleep and study.

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soushee - did you try to take federal loans? I already have a degree and when I spoke with a counselor at the Dept of Ed she went over what I was eligible for and I am still eligible eventhough I have already have a degree.

My school wouldn't even discuss anything with me. Luckily I had money saved up to cover tuition for this year. My school's financial aid dept fails at everything, so I'm semi glad I didn't have to deal with them.

I'm actually in a sticky situation, as I'm still legally married to my husband, though we've been separated for over a year now (can't afford a lawyer to get a divorce...). He makes very good money, so that shows when I filed my FAFSA, even though he doesn't give me any of it. I could've applied for a loan from the state of WY, that turns in a scholarship if I work 2 years in WY, but I didn't want to trap myself into staying in WY, plus I heard they denied them to a lot of people based on financial background so I figured they would've denied me anyway, even though I'm separated from my husband.

However, this spring I do plan on refiling for financial aid for the next year, and petitioning them to excuse my first degree, and then petitioning for special circumstances if they come back saying I'm too "rich" for aid.

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If I could quite to go to school full time, I think I could get away without working at all.

I wish there was a bridge LPN to RN part time program in my part of Western PA. Seems like the most comment statement around the programs here is "just rearrange your work hours so that you can go to school full time. it's only for 14 months."

I am form Western PA as well. I am 1/2 north of Pittsburgh. What part are you in? UPMC Shadyside has a part-time e/w program. I start St. Margaret in June.

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Specializes in CNA/LPN.

I've read through these posts and just want to wish everyone the best of luck through their journey. I know it has to be very nerve-racking to quit a job to take a full-plunge into Nursing School.

To start my post off, I'm just going to go ahead and inform you guys, I work at Walmart, of all places. In my small city, it's hard to get any office-type job for the most part, for majority of them are family-owned and/or tight-knitted. I've been working there for exactly one year, and honestly...I hate it. I despise it. I can remember back to that one year ago, when I got hired, I was extremely happy to get a job, especially one that wasn't fast food. Anyone would be, right? Now, I'm not going to ramble on about how horrible Walmart is, I'm just going to give you the just of it all, which is, WALMART IS HORRIBLE.

With all of the above being said, I highly plan on quitting a month after I start my full-time pre-reqs. The only reason I'm giving it that long is because I feel I need the security of a few more paychecks saved, before I call it quits. I do not have a ton of stress stemming from the act of quitting my job, for I do not have to pay rent, or any other bills aside from my care insurance. I suppose my perk is that I still live at home. My mom highly encourages me to stay at home until I'm finished with Nursing School. I'm glad of that. I'm not 100% sure on whether she agrees with me becoming unemployed to pursue nursing school, but she hasn't opposed the idea.

Why would I keep working a dead-end job that I hate, while attending Nursing School, if I direly don't have to? That's what I'm telling myself. I mean, I'm not going to lie, I love getting a paycheck, but I've also never worked while going to school. I'd love to be able to keep making money and saving it all, but I don't feel I'd be able to juggle the two evenly, especially if my job stresses me out as much as it does. I couldn't imagine factoring Nursing School in with Walmart.

With all the GPA requirements we have to keep, the minimum grades we have to balance in certain classes...I couldn't afford to let myself slip, when Nursing is my dream. I don't see too much bad in living like a poor college student of a while. As long as I have enough saved up for various school costs, gas, and insurance, it shouldn't be too bad.

So, alas, my plan is to put in my 2-weeks notice on September 13th, w/ my last work day being September 27th. I'm just going to be saving my heart out from now until then. I'll probably take up volunteering.

As everyone probably feels when quitting their job to go to school, it's not going to be easy, it's going to be far from it, but in the end, I bet nothing could make us wish we would have done anything differently when we look back on it. Every journey poses struggles, but that's what makes the outcome more beautiful and earned.

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I own a gym and tanning salon and I will be selling it as soon as possible. Until that time, my oldest son will run the business for me.

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