Advice on work

Nursing Students NP Students

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Hey everyone,

I'm currently halfway through my first semester of the FNP program at TAMU (part time track), and so far it's going well. I am working 20 hours a week for a small hospice company and it's been ok as far as schedule flexibility goes, but lately I find myself wishing I was back at the bedside. For one, although I'm working from home mostly, the after hours requirements are irritating. I loathe being on call and getting contacted on my dedicated off days. I never feel like I can ever really leave work at work, so when I'm on call I don't really ever relax enough to sleep well even though my call time only adds up to about a week per month. Also, I find that I can't compartmentalize my emotions as well as I could when I first started doing hospice (this is my second hospice job).

Because of these things I've been looking at returning to bedside care, but I'm having a hard time getting hired PRN, of course, since I've been away too long, so I am considering FT now and going PRN later. Anyone have a similar experience or advice? Part of me wants to leave my current position for more peace of mind, and part of me says suck it up for now. Graduation is 2 years off and I don't want to make the wrong decicion.

Sorry this is so long, I'm just trying to figure things out. Thanks!

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Specializes in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Working 20 hours a week from home while in the NP program sounds like a dream, but since the work relates to hospice and you're having a hard time managing your emotions, maybe you should definitely look into another nursing field. I would do that as you don't want to get burned out from work only to have it burn you out from school as well.

I'm barely finishing my first semester of my online MSN/FNP program and I work FT (36/wk) on tele and for me, it is completely doable. I'm fairly young and the fact that it's online is what makes work and school + social life doable for me. Almost all my classmates are working with about 70% of them working bedside. I think working bedside while in NP school is a good combo and working bedside will give you experience to help you finish NP school, however, if I had to commute to NP school, I definitely would not want to be working FT. Too much time is wasted going back and for to school and prepping for it every morning and night. Then again, it depends on how many days a week you're going to school and how far it is. Just my personal opinion and that I'm so used to doing online schooling. So convenient.

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Hey barcode120x. My program is also online, and I don't have to go to campus until next fall for advanced health assessment. And even then it's for a total of 8 days broken up, so working bedside would not be an issue if the facility self schedules. And I plan on going PRN once practicum starts the following spring anyway. Working from home sounds great, but what they don't tell you about HH/hospice is being on call after hours and documentation requirements, and of course the emotional side of taking care of someone and their family at such a vulnerable point in their lives. Some days I'm too drained from that stuff to even focus on school. I thought it would be doable for me since the schedule is really flexible, but again, the psychosocial toll and taking work home is getting to me at this pont in my career. I'd love to leave work at work, I'm still fairly young and very physically fit, so 3-12s is really appealing again.

Now the challenge is getting hired, as I think any acute care experience beyond 3 years is considered "old" for bedside; I've been away for 5 years. I've got some apps out there for FT and I am considering another facility close to me for FT in addition to my first choice.

Thank you so much for the insight. I thought maybe I was crazy for even considering going back!

19 minutes ago, barcode120x said:

Working 20 hours a week from home while in the NP program sounds like a dream, but since the work relates to hospice and you're having a hard time managing your emotions, maybe you should definitely look into another nursing field. I would do that as you don't want to get burned out from work only to have it burn you out from school as well.

I'm barely finishing my first semester of my online MSN/FNP program and I work FT (36/wk) on tele and for me, it is completely doable. I'm fairly young and the fact that it's online is what makes work and school + social life doable for me. Almost all my classmates are working with about 70% of them working bedside. I think working bedside while in NP school is a good combo and working bedside will give you experience to help you finish NP school, however, if I had to commute to NP school, I definitely would not want to be working FT. Too much time is wasted going back and for to school and prepping for it every morning and night. Then again, it depends on how many days a week you're going to school and how far it is. Just my personal opinion and that I'm so used to doing online schooling. So convenient.

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Specializes in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Online too?! Then I'd def recommend working FT or PT (highly unlikely of course, even for me lol). Definitely doable to manage both. Good luck otherwise!

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1 hour ago, barcode120x said:

Online too?! Then I'd def recommend working FT or PT (highly unlikely of course, even for me lol). Definitely doable to manage both. Good luck otherwise!

? thanks for the well wishes! I am actively applying?

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