Working while in nursing school.

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I will be a nursing student this upcoming spring 2014 semester and was wondering is working while in school a good idea. I know some people who have to because of kids and stuff but for those of you who don't how are you surviving?? Are you living off of scholarships and loans? If you do work do you recommend working somewhere that isn't as stressful like a smoothie king or something? I just want to know my options although I don't mind working, I just want to know if its possible to not have to work. I want to be as successful in school as possible but don't want to overwhelm myself as well. All comments and suggestions are appreciated!!!:)

I am aged student with a mortgage and such so have to work but if you don't HAVE to work then I would definately say don't. I don't know if you're still living with your parents so have no bills but find out how much your student loans will be and if you can live with some extra money from those... I wish I could have done that![/quote']

That's a good idea krisiepoo! My school is in downtown houston and my refund from loans would be enough to last me from january until the summer until I can get a summer job! Thank you for that idea! ?

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I had the same issue before starting nursing school in fall of 2012. I got loans and grants but that did not cover all the bills so i had to keep my job. Personally, working while being in school keeps me disciplined. I say this because i use my time wisely since i only have few days to study and i work weekends only. A job in a hospital will help you a whole lot because you see what happens in real life as opposed to the people who only read the books. It also helps after graduation since you can be hired as soon as you are done(depending on the hospital), it also gives you the opportunity to get used to the hospital environment.

I work in the ICU and i almost quit my job when i started nursing school but am glad i did not because i feel like i am learning everyday at work and my awesome coworkers quiz me sometimes or if i have questions about a certain topic, they are willing to help. After all said and done, the decision is up to you. You have to learn to manage your time wisely whether you are working or not, if you do decide to work, try to get a flexible schedule, i had to cut down my hours and i only work 2 days a week which is just enough to live on. One last thing, get a good support system in your life cause some days will feel awesome and other days will leave you wondering why you got into nursing school in the 1st place. You can do it and time flies by so fast, i started in 2012 and can't believe i will be graduating in spring '14. Keep ur head up!

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I had the same issue before starting nursing school in fall of 2012. I got loans and grants but that did not cover all the bills so i had to keep my job. Personally working while being in school keeps me disciplined. I say this because i use my time wisely since i only have few days to study and i work weekends only. A job in a hospital will help you a whole lot because you see what happens in real life as opposed to the people who only read the books. It also helps after graduation since you can be hired as soon as you are done(depending on the hospital), it also gives you the opportunity to get used to the hospital environment. I work in the ICU and i almost quit my job when i started nursing school but am glad i did not because i feel like i am learning everyday at work and my awesome coworkers quiz me sometimes or if i have questions about a certain topic, they are willing to help. After all said and done, the decision is up to you. You have to learn to manage your time wisely whether you are working or not, if you do decide to work, try to get a flexible schedule, i had to cut down my hours and i only work 2 days a week which is just enough to live on. One last thing, get a good support system in your life cause some days will feel awesome and other days will leave you wondering why you got into nursing school in the 1st place. You can do it and time flies by so fast, i started in 2012 and can't believe i will be graduating in spring '14. Keep ur head up![/quote']

icunursewannabe that is so inspiring and gives me hope that I can work without killing over lol how do you get the kind of nursing jobs you are talking about without experience? And congrats!! You are gonna be an awesome nurse! Thank you so much for that advice :)

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.
I had the same issue before starting nursing school in fall of 2012. I got loans and grants but that did not cover all the bills so i had to keep my job. Personally working while being in school keeps me disciplined. I say this because i use my time wisely since i only have few days to study and i work weekends only. A job in a hospital will help you a whole lot because you see what happens in real life as opposed to the people who only read the books. It also helps after graduation since you can be hired as soon as you are done(depending on the hospital), it also gives you the opportunity to get used to the hospital environment. I work in the ICU and i almost quit my job when i started nursing school but am glad i did not because i feel like i am learning everyday at work and my awesome coworkers quiz me sometimes or if i have questions about a certain topic, they are willing to help. After all said and done, the decision is up to you. You have to learn to manage your time wisely whether you are working or not, if you do decide to work, try to get a flexible schedule, i had to cut down my hours and i only work 2 days a week which is just enough to live on. One last thing, get a good support system in your life cause some days will feel awesome and other days will leave you wondering why you got into nursing school in the 1st place. You can do it and time flies by so fast, i started in 2012 and can't believe i will be graduating in spring '14. Keep ur head up![/quote']

I can completely relate to the discipline aspect of being busy. I was a terrible stay at home mom because I had 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to get everything done. Talk about procrastination-ability!

When I'm busy I have to manage my time more efficiently, and everything runs more smoothly. I'm about to add full-time work to my life, so I'm hoping this keeps holding true!!

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I had the same issue before starting nursing school in fall of 2012. I got loans and grants but that did not cover all the bills so i had to keep my job. Personally, working while being in school keeps me disciplined. I say this because i use my time wisely since i only have few days to study and i work weekends only. A job in a hospital will help you a whole lot because you see what happens in real life as opposed to the people who only read the books. It also helps after graduation since you can be hired as soon as you are done(depending on the hospital), it also gives you the opportunity to get used to the hospital environment.

I work in the ICU and i almost quit my job when i started nursing school but am glad i did not because i feel like i am learning everyday at work and my awesome coworkers quiz me sometimes or if i have questions about a certain topic, they are willing to help. After all said and done, the decision is up to you. You have to learn to manage your time wisely whether you are working or not, if you do decide to work, try to get a flexible schedule, i had to cut down my hours and i only work 2 days a week which is just enough to live on. One last thing, get a good support system in your life cause some days will feel awesome and other days will leave you wondering why you got into nursing school in the 1st place. You can do it and time flies by so fast, i started in 2012 and can't believe i will be graduating in spring '14. Keep ur head up!

+1. I honestly believe if I didn't work I wouldn't do as well in school as I do. If I'm not under pressure I slack off and procrastinate. I work between 24-32 hours a week usually and I think it helps my studying because I know any free time I have I NEED to be studying and don't have time to sit on facebook or watch tv. That's just my personality though, there are others who are very disciplined even if they have all the time in the world, but I'm not one of them lol

I don't have kids, but I live in an apartment with my bf, have rent, bills, etc. I do use some student loan money because other wise I would need to work full time. I usually work 24-32 hours a week. Yeah, it sucks lol. I'm either at school, at work, or studying, but I've done well. You really need to be okay with having no life besides school and work. Granted I know most people who work don't work as much as me. I usually work 12 hour shifts and sometimes 1 8 hour shift, which works out nice with school. I work in the ER and I LOVE it. It's by no means an easy job, but I love it and learn so much and I wouldn't trade it for smoothie king, retail, an office job, etc. Even if I didn't have to work I probably still would, just not as much..but I've worked at least part time since i was 15 so I'm just used to working and going to school. If you do plan on working I would try to find a job in healthcare, as it will help you with school and hopefully give you an advantage in finding a job.

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I'm a third semester ASN student and I work in a great hospital in MI. I love it! Like the others said before me, it keeps me disciplined and on track with studying. I only work part time so I work 2 12 hr shifts a week and I use my loan checks to get caught up on bills or pay rent up for a few months since me and my fiancé are both in school.

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+1. I honestly believe if I didn't work I wouldn't do as well in school as I do. If I'm not under pressure I slack off and procrastinate. I work between 24-32 hours a week usually and I think it helps my studying because I know any free time I have I NEED to be studying and don't have time to sit on facebook or watch tv. That's just my personality though, there are others who are very disciplined even if they have all the time in the world, but I'm not one of them lol

I don't have kids, but I live in an apartment with my bf, have rent, bills, etc. I do use some student loan money because other wise I would need to work full time. I usually work 24-32 hours a week. Yeah, it sucks lol. I'm either at school, at work, or studying, but I've done well. You really need to be okay with having no life besides school and work. Granted I know most people who work don't work as much as me. I usually work 12 hour shifts and sometimes 1 8 hour shift, which works out nice with school. I work in the ER and I LOVE it. It's by no means an easy job, but I love it and learn so much and I wouldn't trade it for smoothie king, retail, an office job, etc. Even if I didn't have to work I probably still would, just not as much..but I've worked at least part time since i was 15 so I'm just used to working and going to school. If you do plan on working I would try to find a job in healthcare, as it will help you with school and hopefully give you an advantage in finding a job.

I hear you! how were you able to get a job in the ER? what is your position??

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I'm a third semester ASN student and I work in a great hospital in MI. I love it! Like the others said before me, it keeps me disciplined and on track with studying. I only work part time so I work 2 12 hr shifts a week and I use my loan checks to get caught up on bills or pay rent up for a few months since me and my fiancé are both in school.

Thank you so much for your response!! What do you do at the hospital? how does it help you study? if i could get some kind of job in the hospital i would absolutely love that! i just love the atmosphere and it would be great to just be able to witness what its like in the hospital!

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I'm a nursing assistant on an oncology/hospice floor (which I love)... i work very close with the nurse and you get to see how they handle situations and why.... it doesn't help me study but since I work I know I have to study and I can't procrastinate. But working in a hospital helps a lot with clinicals...you feel confident and can focus on RN work because you feel more comfortable in your environment.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I worked full-time in a call center while I was in school. It hurt my grades, but I managed to graduate and pass the NCLEX. I also volunteered in an ER for 2 years, and loved it, but it didn't help me get a job.

If I could do it again, I would've become a CNA first. I actually could've challenged my state's CNA exam after my first semester, but literally no one (including my advisor) would tell me how to get the necessary paperwork. I finally found out 2 weeks before graduation. Nursing homes and home health agencies in my area offer free CNA training, and they're always hiring. It's hard work for lousy pay, but it provides valuable insight into what nurses do. Plus, some nursing programs require students to be CNAs.

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So, I'm going to give my perspective, which differs a little from the others. This is just my opinion. :)

I have no issues with working while in school. For me, it works. HOWEVER, I work as a CNA now, and I hate doing it while in school. A lot of this has to do with the horrible place I work for now (I have a recent thread about it outlining my horrors) and for all this work I do, I get paid poorly. It's not worth it to me. I would rather be a cashier or sales associate somewhere. Being a CNA while in nursing school just leaves me in a constant state of stress. I would much rather be working a "normal" job that is much less stressful while in nursing school. I can be a CNA as just a job (which I did over the summer and it was fine), and I can do nursing school, but doing both is just a huge pain. At the end of the work day, I feel half-dead, and the last thing I want to do after transfers/showers/ADLs/etc is crack open a nursing textbook. This is how it is for me, at least. I have already put in applications for "normal" jobs that are very close to where I live and flexible with my school hours. They pay only slightly less, but it's worth the difference to me. My whole first year of nursing school is paid for by grants, however, so me working is just for living expenses.

I do not necessarily agree that working in a hospital as a CNA or anything else other than an RN (obviously) while in school will always help you, because for some, it doesn't. Networking and experience before graduation are great things to have to beef up your resume or "get your foot in the door," but IMHO your preceptorship and your clinicals are what hospitals will really be paying attention to. You never know who will be watching/listening/talking about you. There are plenty of nursing students who go to school full time without prior experience but land a job right out of nursing school because they seriously "wooed" staff members during their preceptorship and got high recommendations that way.

What do I think? If it's really important to you to have medical related/hospital/CNA experience while in school, go for it. Me personally? Find an easier job. I don't want to make things harder for myself than they already are/will be. And I think of it this way: enjoy a simpler job now while you can, because after your first nursing job, there is no turning back! ;)

And I will agree that working while in school keeps me "in check" so to speak.

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I am also starting nursing school in jan 2014. I'm in the same boat kind of. I currently work full time as a CNA at a hospital Telemetry Unit. I think I am going to try to stay full time because I need the money and because I only work 3 12hr night shifts. But I am going through an accelerated nursing program which makes me nervous. I might start like this and try it if it doesn't work I'll go to part time and only work 2 12hr shifts. I want to keep my job because I get benefits, all of the nurses I work with are so helpfull and willing to help me with school work and I'll get hired here when I graduate. So I think you kind of just have to try it and see what is going to work for you and also depends on if you need the money or not. But I definitely think being a CNA and seeing everything that goes on is really helpful. Good luck!

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