Full time NP school and full time work?

allnurses Guide · May 30, 2012

I went to school full time and worked part time. I could only manage to work about 14-16 hours per week, and that was almost entirely on weekends. You need to make sure you have time for clinicals, and since many NP clinicals are out patient, you may need to be there 8-5 or so, which makes it harder to work a 3-11 position. You also do need time to study-I studied for several hours most days. You might be able to handle 2 or 3 12s if you schedule them on weekends, but I think it would be pretty difficult to work weekdays. Most of us who went full time had no social life anyway!

cougdogrn · May 31, 2012

I have one year left of my NP program and have worked full-time throughout. I do not have any kids. The first year I worked 8 hour shifts 80pp. I realized that once I started clinicals this would be impossible. Luckily I was able to move into 12 hour shifts 72pp. If I had not switched to 12 hour shifts I would not be able to go to school and work full-time, plain and simple. Now that I am in the full swing of trying to schedule clinical hours and work it is beginning to be quite difficult. For example, I have ONE day off in June that I am not either at clinical or work. It is beginning to get harder and harder, and so far I have been able to trade days with coworkers. Although, I would cut back to part time work if I could...

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · May 31, 2012

Did it, no kids, still darn near killed me.

kevang22 · Jun 10, 2012

How does everyone feel about going to NP school full time and working full time? I am single with no children and toying with this idea. In nursing school, I knew a few people who went to school full time, worked full time and had children. Sure they did not have much of a social life, but they got through it. I am starting the process of looking at schools and programs but finding it hard to decide between going full time or part time. Any thoughts?

I too am single, with no kids. I work 36 hours a week, day shift plus am a full-time status student in my AGNP program. I've accumulated enough PTO so I can take a vacation day at least once every 3 weeks and am banking all of my holiday PTO so that I can either squeeze an extra day of clinical or just take a break altogether. I think it is do-able; I have to put in about 18 hours of clinicals each week but I have close to no social life either. I think depression may soon follow. I've found that the weeks i only work 2 days a week it makes a big difference as far as stress level. Good luck in whatever you choose!

tokyoROSE, BSN, RN · Jun 11, 2012

Thank you all for the replies. Luckily, I do work 12's and I can self-schedule my shifts to be on weekends. I'm now leaning towards part time from this feedback. It seems as if I would almost kill myself to work and go to school full time when I don't need to. I'm 22, no rush to get married or have a family.. The only reason I toyed with the idea is the thought of going to school for 3 years part time seems more painful than 2 years full time. I figured it would be stressful either way, and I can just knock myself out for 2 years and get it over with, rather than dragging it out for 3 years. Silly, I know :bugeyes:

sailornurse · Jun 21, 2012

I worked in the ER, which is not confined to 12 hour shifts, not that I didn't work plenty of 12's that turn into 14 hour shifts, but I also worked 4 or 6 hours or 8. I was PRN and I covered the holes in the schedule, but I also worked nights/days/evenings, on call etc. My boss was great but I also helped out 2 other nurses that were finishing their BSN's at U. of Phx. One of them became the DON after she completed her MSN/MBA. She returned the favor by facilitating placement of undergrad students when I was faculty, of course it helped that her daughter was one of my students!!! So look for a job-sharing position or an area such as ER/ PACU etc that can flex the hours. However, most of my classmates were working full-time. We helped each other out, made copies of notes for each other, proofread our papers for each other, helped with babysitting/daycare issues, shared meals, anything we could do, share books even.