Career advice for back to NP school

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

Current job pros:

Love the job, my boss, most of my coworkers.

Just got a raise.

Pay almost nothing for good benefits.

Have sufficient autonomy and take breaks when I want.

Laid back.

Current job cons:

50 minute commute.

5 days and 40 hours a week.

Some incompetent leaders and administrators not addressing some important issues.

I would definitely stay if I wasn't going back to school. But I want to get my NP. I am currently on a leave of absence from an ivy league school that I can't afford, and will probably transfer to a more affordable school.

My company is willing to let me move my days to accomodate clinical so long as I stay 5 days. I can't do 4 10s or 3 12s. I can work any 5 days I want to accomodate school. There's no negotiating this point as it has to do with state guidelines for my position.

I did this for a little while at the ivy league school and I was really overwhelmed. I had started looking for a job working weekends only because I felt like it was just too much. But there were other factors affecting that. I was taking 2 classes instead of 1, and I was constantly stressed about money. Commuting to school was a big pain and classes were all in person. I loved the school and would go back in a heartbeat if it wasn't so expensive or I had a decent scholarship.

I already have an offer to work 2 to 3 days a week, inpatient, my specialty with accomodation for school at a local hospital.

Is it worth the risk taking a job that I may or nor may not like in order to work less days for NP school? Or should I stay where I am and give it another go. I absolutely hated my last hospital job due to the backbiting culture, and I just would hate to walk into another situation like that.

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Specializes in Adult Primary Care.

Congratulations on having options! If you really want to be an NP I would take the 2 to 3 day a week job and finish school. Even if the environment isn't great, it will be temporary. Wishing you the best!!!!!

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.
10 hours ago, FolksBtrippin said:

Is it worth the risk taking a job that I may or nor may not like in order to work less days for NP school? 

This job will be a mean to an end. It is not a forever job.

What NP specialty are you going for?

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
4 hours ago, umbdude said:

This job will be a mean to an end. It is not a forever job.

What NP specialty are you going for?

PMHNP. I'm a psych RN.

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Specializes in Adult Primary Care.

I'm not in Psych, but in my area there is a several month wait for Psych consults, you would have no problem finding a job.

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

Take the job that would be less stress while going to NP school. It's going to be very difficult to get clinical hours when you're working 5 days a week. You'll have no time to study. Trust me, you'll need that time.

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Run, do not walk, to the inpatient psych job. You will thank me later.

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Specializes in Adult Primary Care.

You can do this!!!!!!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

There is no point in going to an Ivy League school for nursing! That is a total waste of money. The only point for Ivy Leagues if for business or law degrees and then it is really about the social connections you make to wealthy, politically connected fellow students who then help you find good jobs thru their family network of connections.

If you really want to be an NP choose a non profit college that is affordable. Avoid Ivy leagues or other expensive colleges unless you are getting a full scholarship. Of course, I would avoid for profits, but I imagine you already know that.

You may have to make a decision to quit your job as it doesn't sound amenable to going back to school. Some people take a pool job so they have flexibility, but then you don't usually have insurance.

Most importantly do not go overboard on student loans. I hope you have not put yourself in a deep hole of student loans from going to the Ivy League college.

Really take the time to learn about personal finance and minimize student loans at all costs. Otherwise you'll be in a world of hurt and regret and it may take decades to pay them back!

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Mental Health is definitely an area that is in need of practitioners in most areas and since you are already have experience this will make it easier for you. I worked 3 days a week 36 hours and it was hard but I know 5 days a week would be impossible since I averaged 2 days a week for clinical and this was in an FNP program. Its a hard decision to make especially since after you are done you may feel like you have job opportunities where you work but in order to go back to school, 40 hours is too much. So you have to ask yourself, do I really want to do this? I stayed at a hospital during my schooling that I did not want to be at but the schedule allowed me to finish school and the 2 years went by fast. I would say do what you have to do to get where you want to be in your career. The sooner the better because the field of Nurse Practioners with all the nurses going is getting more and more competitive by the day. I wish you the best.

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