How to get days off to go back to school?

Flare, ASN, BSN · Dec 22, 2020

Have you spoken to your supervisor yet? If you explain that you have a class on certain days, she/he may be able to schedule you around that.

JBMmom, MSN, NP · Dec 22, 2020

It can be a challenge to get a workplace to accommodate specific requests related to school, especially as a newer nurse. As a newer nurse, you haven't really made any positive contribution to their workplace yet, so hiring someone that has specific restrictions, and is also unlikely to help out by picking up any extra time (not that it's a requirement), is not always looked upon favorably. You can always try by asking, and I hope it works out for you, but don't be too surprised if it's not easily embraced by management or coworkers.

Sour Lemon · Dec 22, 2020

32 minutes ago, Jay333 said:

I am a new nurse trying to go back to school. I am trying to get a few classes I need in order to apply to NP schools as I complete my clinical hours. Is there a way to request Tuesday and Thursday off at the start of a contract with a hospital? My mom was a nurse and she had every Thursday off in her contract. I honestly don't even know where to start and any help would be very appreciated

Unless you're in a location that's flooded with unfilled nursing positions and desperate for staff, you're not likely to be accommodated.

You'd be better off working for a while, then asking for your days off after you've made yourself more valuable. Even then, it's not a sure thing.

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 22, 2020

Our new grads have to complete a residency program their first year so it is difficult for them to choose their schedules very much (plus they do rotating days/nights-we all had to do it).

After the 1st year, it's much easier to request a preferred shift related to days/nights and we do try very hard to accommodate those in school.

Can you take online classes that are pre-reqs?

Jedrnurse, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2020

Please consider taking time to learning nursing before going to school to become an advanced practitioner of it. Also, it'll be extra stressful for you to try and become clinically adept while worrying about a lot of course work.

Could you start off slowly, and maybe take one core course at a time? You could find a way to schedule those without having to worry about work accommodations.

HiddencatBSN, BSN · Dec 23, 2020

The hospital I work at doesn't make those accommodations on a contract level but individual managers try to accommodate school requests. When a lot of nurses are in school and when they have seniority to you, it's challenging. 2 specific days off a week is a big ask. Are there other options for those classes? Online, hours outside your work schedule, etc?

PollywogNP, ADN, BSN, MSN, LPN, NP · Dec 24, 2020

For both BSN & NP I worked weekends, allowing me to concentrate on school during the week. I ended up quitting one job while taking prerequisites for BSN due to boss scheduling me on the one day I had class & being told to find someone to switch with me,after boss had promised me that day off for the semester, switched to agency nursing. For NP, I was hired Saturday and Sunday and ended up transferring to ER. That ER did not adhere to standard 12 hour shifts, I worked short shifts, filled in holes in schedule, nights, evenings, days. My boss would ask if I was starting shift or going home. I worked about 24 hours per week except summers, covering vacations. During BSN I took travel assignment in Summer. Don’t expect the hospital to accommodate your schedule.

SilverBells, BSN · Dec 24, 2020

You could try asking for those days off in exchange for working extra hours on other days, working evenings/weekends, etc. Or you could also look at a short term rehab facility for work for a bit. These facilities may be more accommodating since they don’t receive as many applicants and usually take what they can get. I work this type of facility , and when I was promoted to nurse manager, I have been allowed to take off days for school for my masters degree. In exchange, I work up to over 70 hours a week on my normal weeks. I will say, though, it was only after 3 years of experience that I was given this flexibility. Doesn’t hurt to ask though

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Dec 29, 2020

Your odds of an employer scheduling around school commitments greatly increases if you are taking advantage of work sponsored education benefits. Some employers offer tuition assistance and/or scholarships. If you are enrolled in those benefits the odd of them working around a school schedule will be higher, plus of course you have the added advantage of having a portion of your tuition paid by your employer.

These benefits usually come with some agreement on your part to commit to working there for a period of time after school or needing to pay it back so it might not even be something you are interested in unless you plan to commit to this employer for quite awhile. Many of these programs are also not immediately available benefits for a new hire.

You can of course try to negotiate this schedule when you are offered a position. Wait to try that until you have a firm offer though. If you make that move before you have a formal offer you might just not get an offer at all, especially as the potential employer will then be very aware you are pursing a degree that will inevitably cause you to leave.

Maybe when you get that offer your scheduling manager will be willing to accommodate your request, maybe not. At that point it's up to you to either accept the job and hope you can get the days off you need either by scheduling luck or switching shifts with helpful co-workers or decline the job if having those days off is a must.

You also need to take into consideration the days off you need for school are most likely going to change. While this semester you need Tuesday and Thursday off it's not likely that schedule would be the same after your current classes are finished so you'll probably end up needing different days off. This could also work to your advantage negotiating a particular schedule if you make it clear it's not a permanent requirement. Problem then is you'll be in situation of needing to negotiate different scheduling needs every semester.