Do you think this schedule/routine will work?

Everline · May 9, 2014

It wouldn't work for me, as I need way more studying time than that to do well. I don't think I could adequately study for tests, do the reading, complete care plans and etc. in the time you have allotted for studying. But everyone is different. I do think it's good that you are scheduling workouts as I have found they are great stress reducers, but are the first thing to go when time gets tight.

schnookimz · May 9, 2014

You're going to bed every night at 830pm? Seems early.

It's a really structured schedule, unfortunately life just doesn't always work out that way, but yea since you only work a couple times a week it looks like you have more than enough free time. But you never scheduled in any fun....

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · May 9, 2014

For the first week, maybe. For the whole semester, not a chance. There is no way that you can only spend 1-2 hrs per day studying/homework/care plans/term papers.

ellaballet · May 9, 2014

All depends on what type of student you are and how you learn! Life is hard to schedule.

The hardest part about that schedule for me would be waking up at 4:30 on the weekends...

loriangel14, RN · May 9, 2014

you don't have any where near enough time for school work scheduled.

MedicalPartisan · May 9, 2014

You're going to bed every night at 830pm? Seems early. *snip*
...you never scheduled in any fun....

I figured that there is no way I can function on my current sleep schedule and be sane. Currently, I just work three 12-hour shifts on the weekends so it's somewhat okay that I only get four hours of sleep a night. But having obligations seven days a week for 18 months is going to be a HUGE change for me. Even during the BAS program I had two days a week to myself. I wanted to try and get eight hours so I can mentally and physically handle it all. Still too much? I want a minimum of 6.5 hours a night from here on out. And also in response, I have 2.5 hours of 'free' time M/T, and I also incorporated an hour nap so my mind stays fresh (something I do not do as of now).

To other posters/readers, what should I alter? With the weekends being consumed with work, and W/Tr being consumed by clinicals, I'm going to find it really hard to devote necessary time. Perhaps some look at the extra four or five hours after work and clinicals each day and would put those to use but I've never been involved with a schedule so stringent before. And working the ED is already stressful enough. Sure, we're all busy and that may seem like justification to be lazy after work but I don't know if I'll be able to handle getting up at 0430, working 12.5, and then coming home to focus on school... Maybe I'm just making excuses but that seems almost impossible for 18 months.

Given my current schedule (below), and using mine as a foundation, can anyone recommend a better schedule? I start Monday and want have a strong routine.

Mon/Tues: Lecture/Sim 0900-1200

Wed/Thur: Clinicals 0645-1730

Fri/Sat/Sun: Work 0600-1830

MountainBikeChick · May 10, 2014

For me, I find it easier to do a lot of stuff on one day, so that I can have at least one partial day or evening to myself. So for example, if I had your schedule, I would do lecture/sim on Monday, then as soon as I got out of class I'd go straight to the library/cafe/bar/whatever to study. I'd study until 3 or 4, get in a quick workout (I do high intesity interval training so including warm-up/cool-down my workouts are an hour tops and my body is admittedly rockin' :) ) then go back to studying/homework/care plans until 8 or 9pm or until I just really can't do it anymore. I'd take mental breaks (10 minutes every hour or so), walk breaks, eating breaks, etc so that my brain doesn't get friend. This would obviously require you to prepare food ahead of time, but it's something I do all the time! You're class is only 3 hours long, do you really need a rest after? If you think you will, by all means take it! Everyone is different. Then Tuesday I would do the exact same thing. It's not like you will be studying the exact same thing the whole time and I find that it's easier for me to just study for longer periods and get a lot of work done because I'm already in the groove.

Wednesday/Thursday I would get home from clinicals at 5:30, work on Care Plans/post clinical stuff for an hour while it's fresh in my mind, then just take the rest of the evenings for myself.

After work on Fri/Sat/Sun I'd choose one evening where I don't do anything, then the other two evenings take a couple hours to read up on stuff that I'll need for Monday so that I'm prepared.

I find that scheduling an hour here and there to study is REALLY hard to stick to, especially if I'm relaxing beforehand. It is really easy to say, "Oh, I'll just skip it for now and catch up later." I feel so much more accomplished after a larger study session and then don't have to be so stressed out for the rest of the week.

Again, everyone is SO different, so what is ideal to me may not be ideal to you! It's nice to have an idea of a routine going into nursing school, but I can guaruntee that you won't stick with it. There will be days where you just have nothing to give and will spend it sitting in front of the TV, and other days that you are productive as hell and get so much done. The good thing is that you really will fall into a groove that works for you. Good luck!

(Excuse all typos, I can't really see what I'm typing on my crappy work computer!)

schnookimz · May 10, 2014

I don't think you should let other people tell you that you don't have enough study time scheduled. No one knows how much time you need except you.

I personally didn't need anywhere near that much time. And you may not either. Especially at the beginning of the program.

mrsboots87 · May 10, 2014

No one knows how much you will need to study but you. And you wont know that until you start and the Mac truck that is nursing school runs you over. I can however say that this little bit of study time seems unlikely to be enough. It will take easily 6-12 hours just for careplan prep and completion. You will have 3-10 chapters of assigned reading each week. You will have papers due. And you will need to study your class lectures and notes throughout the week to keep it in your mind. Honestly, ditch the "rest" time and change it to study. Also shorten your "free time" to no more than an hour. It sounds like you don't want to give up your life, and while some succeed with bare minimum study, its rare. In all likely hood you will fail with this small amount of "study" time. With care plans and study, you should be allotting minimum 20 hours a week to studying/homework, but preferable more along the lines of 25-30 hours a week. As of now you only have about 8ish study hours scheduled, and as idealistic as you want to be I can all but guarantee this schedule will not work. If you can actually make it in an accelerated program on 8 hours then you will be the master and we should all hail you. Very unlikely. Im not trying to be snarky, but its better you get the hard truth now then get behind in your first two weeks when you realize just how much time you will need to dedicate to this program.

For my first semester, my schedule went along the lines of this: I got a B and it was the hardest B I ever earned. Plus it was traditional so the pace was a tad slower than accelerated

Sunday: Family Day for most of the day and study in the evening for 2-3 hours (I have 2 children and do not work)

Monday: Wake about 9am, workout/eat/shower then study until 2. Volunteer at the hospital and get back home at 8:30. Get home and eat, snuggle with the kiddos then bed by 9:30.

Tuesday: Class 8-1230. Then go to clinical site to research patient (we were LTC and required to go a couple days early). THen start careplan. Pick up kids at daycare by 6:30, then dinner/showers/snuggle. Study for about an hour then to bed by 9:30.

Wednesday: Finish careplan prep then start studying for Thursday lecture. Pick up kids by 6:30 and same night routine as above.

Thursday: Class 8-2:45, then study for a few hours then pick up kids and night routine. Bed by 8:30

Friday: Clinical from 6:30-3:30. Finish careplan and pick up kids. Free time with family until about 9:30. Free time to myself until 10:30 then bed.

Saturday. Always various schedules as older kid has sports and I fit study time in for about 4-6 hours total on Saturdays.

I know this is very broad, but in a week I had over 20 hours in time dedicated to study. If I had to work I likely would have been staying up later and delegating night time tasks with the kids to my husband to make more study time. I also fit 3 workouts a week in there but it was just whenever I had an hour to spare.

GL.

RunBabyRN · May 10, 2014

I would call this tentative, and re-evaluate as you need. I found I needed more time than that, in general, but it really varies each semester, and really, every week. Exam weeks will obviously require more studying (let's be honest, we all study more the week before an exam), some weeks, there's more reading than others, some weeks, you have a major paper due, some weeks you're meeting with classmates for groups projects, and on and on. Be flexible (the F word of nursing school), and manage your time well. Sometimes you have to shift things around, and things do fall through the cracks. My final semester finally took out my running (finally back at it as I'm graduating, and it KILLS me how low my endurance is). Free time... Well, I'm a mom and wife. I am up and running from 6AM to 11PM most days (with a little AN time in there :) ).

Use this as a framework, and alter PRN.

Compassion_x · May 10, 2014

Honestly, this won't work. Don't try to plan and map out every detail of every moment of your life. Even in nursing school. It's not necessary. That said, you can plan all you want but will you actually be able to stick to it?

For example, after almost 12 hours of clinical are you going to want to work out for an hour almost right after? I feel tired after clinicals almost every time. If you have a big exam coming up are you going to make yourself go to bed at 830 instead of getting more studying in? In addition to not having enough study time included in here. And after working 12 hours on weekends are you going to want to only spend 45 minutes to yourself? And go to bed at 830 every weekend? You need a life too!! Including friends and going out occasionally, shopping, eating, spending time with family, etc. etc. These things indirectly give you better grades by letting you keep your sanity.