Balancing full time work and the clinical hours

[soul83]

Hi everyone. I apologise if this topic has been addressed before. I'm new to this site.

I have been studying part time for a few years now in the undergrad program but it has now reached a point where I have only 3 years left to complete it before I reach the maximum 8 year period (including the 12 months of leave that I have taken).

I work in a hospital but it is not in nursing. It is full time with a lot of shift work and night shift. With a 15 month old son to also care for it hasn't been easy.

I want to know how I can balance the limited annual leave accruals against the sheer number of hours of prac placement required to pass the degree.

Next year I will take 10 weeks leave over June/July and November/December. Then one year of theory to accumulate more leave. Finish up with 11 weeks of placement over the similar time period to transition into the graduate year practice.

But I'm worried about running out of leave and not being granted the time off. I'm also afraid to go to the nursing HR and see if they can help me access the pro rata balances to keep me going during the clinicals.

If you worked full time and made it through, how did you manage the sheer number of days each year for the prac placements? Did you break up your clinical placements over multiple years?

I don't think my course can break this up because of follow on subjects.

All help is greatly appreciated!

[Nunya, BSN]

"I'm also afraid to go to the nursing HR and see if they can help me access the pro rata balances to keep me going during the clinicals."

If you don't ask you'll never get. That's been my motto since I joined the Air Force way back in 1984. Most supervisors will do anything they can to help you.