FNP student nearing clinical tract time, and working fulltime

[sisterwoman]

Hello, all and educators.

When I started my FNP program it was conducted on the week ends, now it is all day Thursday, and Tues. Thurs. during the summer. My dilemna concerns the fact I have only two summer courses to take, then my clinicals start in the fall. I am employed in a full time 9-5 Mon-Thurs. position, I am also an older student (60).

Previously, I thought by the time clinical hrs. rolled around (750 hrs.), I would be able to move to part time. Financially, I cannot do this.

Please advise what can I do with my hours toward the MSN and come out of athis with some kind of graduate degree, and finally reach completition. Retirement is not in my vocabulary.

The clinicals are set up for daytime, weekly hours. I can exhaust all my banked vacation time and it will not suffice completing the clinical requirement for FNP.

sisterwoman

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Some ideas:

1. Can you work 4 10's during the week thus freeing up one day a week for clinicals?

2. Do clinicals on the weekends?

3. Changing jobs isn't fun but could you work 3 12s in a hospital and then you would have 4 days/weeks to do clinicals. Since you will probably be changing jobs when you graduate, maybe changing jobs now makes sense.

4. Use your banked PTO to do as many clinical hours as possible.

I've done two APN programs and have used PTO for both of them. I would use 8 hours of PTO and then do 12-15 hours of clinical for that day in order to maximize my time.

Another option - change programs.

[Dixiecup]

Not to sound negative, but this is going to be very difficult for you. I was in the same situation and the last couple of semesters were a nightmare, trying to work full time and do clinicals.

The last semester you will need to spend no less than three days a week doing clinicals. I was only able to muddle through it because I am in a management position and my hours were very flexible and my employer let me work whenever as long as the work was completed.

I ended up going to work in the eveings and working after a day of clinicals, working every week end and using every bit of vacation, personal days and sick days the last month or I would have never made it, not to mention the fact I was literally exhausted and still having to complete assignments and papers and online mandatory discussion.

I felt like I never had a day off to myself for anything, plus my family deserved a little bit of my time of which they got very little. I was never so ready for it to end!

I don't mean to discourage you, it can be done, just not easy. Trying to get in all the clinical hours was the worst.

But the light is at the end of the tunnel. (I tell myself it's probably just an oncoming train!) . When I finally was scheduled to take the exam (which is a nightmare in itself, jumping through hoops just to schedule the exam).

After all that added stress, I felt like I was well prepared. Took the live Barkley test and they kept stressing they had a 99% passing rate. Spent excessive time, money and travel to take the course. Studied all the information thoroughly and felt confident I would pass, then I failed the test.

It's hard to pick yourself back up and try again, but after a day of mourning, I got it together and planned a different studying plan. I test again in a couple of weeks and I do feel prepared, but I felt prepared the last time!

Plus the fact, the extra $310 every time you re-test. I think it's a moneymaking racket.

I don't want to discourage you. There is a good possibility you will pass on the first try. Many people do. Myself and several other people I spoke with and compared notes, were certain we all took the exact same test and all of us failed that particular test. It was the test from hell, I can't even explain it.

Anyway, I am praying I don't get the same test again, or I am confident I will fail again. I truly believe, there are certain tests, they set you up to fail. After about 50 questions into the test, I knew I had failed. Most of the content was like I was reading Hebrew. I didn't have a clue as to what they were talking about. I pray I will get a different test next time.

Sorry this is so time consuming but it helped me tremendously hearing about other peoples experiences and taking a little infor fromeach comment to help me build some confidence for the re-test.

Any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Dixie

[emtneel]

I worked 32 hours/week FT as Peds RN on the floor. 2x12, 1x8 hrs, I had usually 2 days clinical (these are always weekdays my experience) and did a lot of weekend or night shift work for my job. And Usually 1-2 days lecture/week. I usually had 1 day off every 2 weeks.

I agree you either need to switch jobs where you can work 32-36hrs/week with some weekend work, or it is going to take you a LONG time to finish all your clinicals if you can only do 1 day/week, which also I don't recommend taking 3-4 years to finish or you are going to forget all you learned in lectures.

Usually schools will let you take more time if needed. My school wanted us to take a long time I think because then they got more money by adding more semesters...

I went Full-time 10-14 credits each semester including summers and it took me 2.5 years to complete my program (7 semesters) and worked full time the whole time.

Pretty much everyone in my program worked as well.