Did you work while in nursing school?

Hi there!

Yes i worked......all the way through. I worked aged care and did weekends and night duties. I used breaks on nights to study. When i look back now i don't know how i did it.......... but if you have no choice...... you just do! And i truly felt that working in that field helped me........ i would see things and relate them to things that i was learning about!!!!!

Yep, had to pay the bills. I worked 2 twelves/week; every Sat/Sun.

I worked 2 part time jobs plus 3 kids. Organization and knowing your own limits and strengths will be the key. I was very lucky to have 2 employers that worked with my nursing schedule, looking back not sure how I managed but didn't really have a choice.

My best friend is in nursing school and holds a full time job as a unit coordinator/PCA in an emergency room (7am-7pm three days a week... every other weekend) and is a single mom of two. If she can do it, anyone can :-D

I'll also be working full-time at a mail-order pharmacy (230-11pm with Tues/Sat off) while attending nursing school. I'm following the full-time curriculum plan but knocked out everything except nursing before I start so I won't be taking more then 2 classes at a time (avg 6 credit hrs/quarter).

Worked full time nights as a LPN and went to school part time for my RN. How did I manage? lol The house went to heck, ate a lot of fast food, relied on my husband to pick up the slack, whined alot. It was hard, but worth it. I took each day as it came. But I had to work and pay the bills.

You just had to be determined, make some sacrifices (i.e. dirty house) and organize well. :)

I worked 2 12's every weekend as an LVN but thankfully was called off due to low census many times :) It worked very well for me and I could relate what I was learning in school to real life.

I had to. No kids back then, but was self-supporting. I worked .6 (24 hours/week) on a med/surg ward as a HUC/NA (combination position) and later in school, as a tele tech. It was great experience and I wouldn't have passed on it.

I had most of my prereq's done and was able to do my ADN about 3/4 time though.

I worked two jobs while I was in school, one as a nanny after school three days a week, and for the last two years, as a PCT on a telemetry floor. I think the experience at the hospital was as valuable as anything I learned in class preparing me for clinicals, and my first nursing job. The other job, while not healthcare related was great for helping me learn time management. \

It's definitely possible, and I would go as far as to say that it gives you an advantage. Good luck!!

I worked two jobs while I was in school, one as a nanny after school three days a week, and for the last two years, as a PCT on a telemetry floor. I think the experience at the hospital was as valuable as anything I learned in class preparing me for clinicals, and my first nursing job. The other job, while not healthcare related was great for helping me learn time management.

Agree completely. I worked as a PCT/MST before starting nursing school to make sure that really was what I wanted to do. I learned SO much and saw SO much that will be so valuable to me in my nursing career. I would highly recommend getting some PCT type experience as soon as possible to anyone pursuing nursing.

Thanks Mamacashew for asking this question because right now I am sitting here wondering the same thing. I was just accepted into nursing school in Birmingham, AL. I have 4 kids(one in college and surviving off school loans/pell grant), 2 in middle school and one in elementary school. I am the only one working (I work @ home for an ins co) but they have refused my requests to allow me to go part-time and/or split my shift. I feel like I have no choice because I am NOT going to give up the opportunity to go to nursing school. SO thank you all for the insight.

This is encouraging. I just got accepted to an ADN program and will be working full time. My employer offers tuition reimbursement for full time employees so this is how I am paying for school. This is my second degree, so I don't have any more financial aid available. Luckily I have a very flexible research job with alot of downtime that allows me to study. I managed As in my pre-reqs including microbiology, so I am hoping to keep them up since a DNP is my eventual goal.

I paid for all of my schooling with a weekend CNA job and I picked up extra evening shifts as my schedule allowed.

We all have different situations, so there is no simple answer to the question of working.