I graduated with my lvn here in CA last July and I recently started my job with CDCR after searching for 6 months and giving everything up I had for this job. Now, after working for 2 months I would like to go back to school to get my RN ether through the LVN to RN ADN program or 30 unit option. I dont find it hard balancing working full-time and getting my perquisites, but how about when I get into the actual program?
Has anyone made it working full-time and going back to school for their RN?
I need to pay rent and all that so I need to keep my job. Please inspire me with your experiences people !!!!
I did it. I did an online program that was designed for second-career/second-degree students. All the theory was online. I still had labs & clinicals, but ours were all Fridays and Saturdays. I worked 3 12-hr days as a tach the entire time. My employer paid for my schooling in exchange for a 2-year work commitment. They were also willing to work my days around my school schedule.
I will say it wasn't a piece of cake. I never got enough sleep, and I was cranky a lot. It is doable, however.
lvn school was the most rigorous schooling i had. i worked full time for a while in it, and finally had to quite. rn school was a whole lot less rigorous. in my opinion, being an lvn already gave me a huge advantage in rn school. it made it a whole lot easier. many times i worked 48 hrs/wk while doing my lvn-rn bridge program. i didn't need to study half as much as i did in lvn school. i think it's possible to work full time, though it may not be for everyone. plus, i did pediatric private duty nursing, which was the best thing i could have done while going through my rn bridge program. this is because most of the kids were on vents, and not running around all over. they were pretty simple to take care of, and therefore not as exhausting for me. i wish you well in your program...i would take the bridge route if possible.
I'll be doing it starting in March. My best friend is a single mom of two with a full-time job and a full-time nursing student (ADN - no prior health care experience or education) and she's doing well. It is definitely doable if you set your mind to it.
no, but when I started I had a newborn, an 18 month old and a 4 year old... That was challenging enough with part time work. It can , can be done... but you WILL give up sleep and a social life.... a precurser to a nursing degree... just practice:D
I was working fulltime when I got my ADN! I am still working fulltime while completing my BSN. I work fulltime as a Paramedic since I can't get a new grad job as an RN.
I worked and studied full time for most of my degree, and it was the hardest thing I have ever done.
I used to live up in hilly, extremely cold country and I would sometimes finish work one day, get home late cos of the traffic, go to bed at 8pm, then have to get up at 4.30 am to go to my clinical the next day. It used to be absolutely freezing & I would have to stand outside with the hose on the car to get the ice off the windscreen to be able to drive (I shudder with cold just thinkng about it). There were no buses at that time (no trains up there either). And if I did get a bus on afternoon shift, it used to take me about 2 hours to get home - not good if you have to study that night or the next day for exams.
I was a bit younger then and it just about killed me. I wouldn't say it was doable or healthy - I only really survived financially in the end cos family helped me. And after I finished I was really sick all the time; my Dr thought I even had pneumonia at one stage, so I got my ABs, drove straight home, crawled into bed and slept for about 16 hours. And I was still ill for about a month after that on different ABs.
Only advice I can give is that I was really strict with my study times; stuck to a roster I made, and went to bed quite early every night to get enough rest. Going out too much just made me too tired to do anything. Make sure you eat well too - no takeaways (or very few) and try to get out in fresh air. I used to be so tired b4 driving home from a shift, that I would stop and get huge takeaway coffees to wake me up to drive - scary stuff (then I'd be peeing all night!!)
This is something I always wondered about too, because several RN's I know had to quit their full time jobs in order to go to school. Some even had to move back home. It's nice to see that if you put your mind to it that it can be done!
I just have two questions though.
The one hospital up here offers an excellent RN program and will pay your tuition in full if you agree to work for them for 2 years afterward. However there are no part time classes and you MUST be available M-F days and nights. They also strongly advise you not work during this program but, the hospital can provide a few hours a week if you wish to do so. The community college pretty much told me the same thing about their program as well because they tie in with the hospital for clinicals. Is this something that schools just tell you to scare you a bit (for whatever reason)? I just never heard of a school demanding you not work.
Also for those with non health care jobs how accommodating were your employers with you going to school? A former co-worker of mine was going for her Physicians Assistant degree and it went OK for awhile until her program got more intense and her job demanded more OT. She was eventually told that her school was interfering with her work and to make a choice between her job and school as they were no longer going to accommodate her (she quit). Did anyone encounter this? I'm just afraid if I can't get into a health care field and have to take a job unrelated to my schooling I'll be in the same boat.
The one hospital up here offers an excellent RN program and will pay your tuition in full if you agree to work for them for 2 years afterward. However there are no part time classes and you MUST be available M-F days and nights. They also strongly advise you not work during this program but, the hospital can provide a few hours a week if you wish to do so. The community college pretty much told me the same thing about their program as well because they tie in with the hospital for clinicals. Is this something that schools just tell you to scare you a bit (for whatever reason)? I just never heard of a school demanding you not work.
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When I started my RN program, they gave us a paper that asked our work schedule, health experience, etc. I put down that I worked full time nights as a LPN. They dean gave it back with a comment that she was concerned about how much I work. I saw that comment for most of us in school that were working. I guess they felt that "in their experience" those that work have less success in school.
So yes, in a way, many schools demand or at least discourage working while going to RN school. I guess that is find with me if they are going to pay my bills.
I'm glad I saw this thread! I am a CNA & I am about to start NS in the fall. I am wondering how many hours I should work..I think as someone else stated, maybe working only on weekends would be the best bet.
catshowlady
393 Posts
I did it. I did an online program that was designed for second-career/second-degree students. All the theory was online. I still had labs & clinicals, but ours were all Fridays and Saturdays. I worked 3 12-hr days as a tach the entire time. My employer paid for my schooling in exchange for a 2-year work commitment. They were also willing to work my days around my school schedule.
I will say it wasn't a piece of cake. I never got enough sleep, and I was cranky a lot. It is doable, however.
:paw: