How many work and go to nursing school?

Nursing Students General Students

Published

:unsure: How many people work and go to nursing school? I have a full time job at the hospital in the ER and I also start nursing school in a few weeks! After attending orientation I was filled with anxiety! Our instructors and the dean urged us to not work at a job if we did not have to. Our minimum amount of work during the week during school would be about 50 hours and if I included mt 40 hour work week I feel it would be difficult to do both. Like other nursing programs, if you fail twice during the program you are done and cannot reapply! I do not want to put myself in a position where I am failing a course because I am working and going to school and then only have one shot left to pass.

I asked to go to POOL at my job where I will only have to pick up a minimum amount of shifts during a period of time so I have more time to study at home and focus on school. However, I do not know if I should just leave my job all together (I am blessed to have a father who will take care of me financially during school so I would not have to work). If nursing school is as time consuming and as difficult as I have heard, should I just quit all together? I am stuck with this split decision because I do not want to close my "door of opportunity" in the hospital. If I do then it will not be as "easy" to get a job as a nurse once I graduate (I'm optimistic lol). What should I do?!

Thanks for any input from all of my current and former nursing students! :)

Specializes in Emergency Room.
I work part time while in my program. Success depends on a lot of different factors. For instance do you have school 5 days a week or only 2-3. I have seen people succeed having school Monday-Thursday and working Fri-Sat-Sun. I have seen people succeed at leaving class and going to work until 11pm. However, I have also seen a lot of people fail trying to do both. Do what you think is best for yourself. I think going PRN is a great idea, if you start feeling overwhelmed then consider quitting your job. Having a position in the hospital is GREAT, but does not mean anything if you cannot get through the program. I am sure the hospital will understand if you must cut hours or quit for school, and you will have references from working there previously.[/quote']

This advice is what I needed! Thank you so much! Everyone works differently when it comes to their job and school. I am not like others who are awesome at juggling all of those and succeeding with top GPAs unfortunately I have to work hard for my good grades lol. Thanks again for your input!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
This advice is what I needed! Thank you so much! Everyone works differently when it comes to their job and school. I am not like others who are awesome at juggling all of those and succeeding with top GPAs unfortunately I have to work hard for my good grades lol. Thanks again for your input!

Im glad i could help! Always remember that everything is individualized. What works for some doesn't work for others. Try different ways of doing things until you find something you can work with. Feel free to PM if you need any organization/study tips. Goodluck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Room.

Im glad i could help! Always remember that everything is individualized. What works for some doesn't work for others. Try different ways of doing things until you find something you can work with. Feel free to PM if you need any organization/study tips. Goodluck!

I definitely will! Thanks again! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I began nursing school in the evening/weekend program that is offered, and worked full time. At my school, if you do the part-time program the full way through, it takes 4 years to get your RN.

After about 2 years in part-time, I made the transition to the full-time program, and had saved up enough money to allow myself to cut back working to 15-20hrs a week. This will allow me to graduate in Spring of 2014, instead of Fall of 2015 if I had stayed part time at school. There were about 6 others in my part-time class that made the jump as well. It'll take us a little longer than the traditional 2yr RN program, but we were allowed to have our budgets/savings take less of a hit.

It's not the path I thought I'd wind up on, but I'm really happy with how its turned out! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I wouldn't recommend you leave your job. Talk to your boss and tell them that you need to take some vacation days at the beginning of your first semester. After the first few weeks as you organize your calendar and review your syllabi you'll know what how much time you have to allocate to all your obligations. If the load seems too big, ask your boss for a leave of absence, some places will give you up to 4 months. I used my vacation during finals so that I wouldn't go insane. I would pick up extra shifts during the breaks. It worked out, but I know I would have done better in school if I had only worked part time, and downsized my social life.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My first semester I didn't work. I am a mother of 2 kids who play sports 3 times a week and my fiance is also in school full time. I couldn't imagine working full time and going to school. I had to study or do projects every night in school. The last semester near the end of it I started working on campus. This year I will be working 3 different jobs, all on campus. At least I am already at school and my work has to do with the college or nursing. I couldn't work a job outside of that though. On campus lets me choose what I want, when and how much I want to work. I know it's doable, but I couldn't

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes, but remember nursing school is NO joke and many students re-mediate or fail out due to their work schedules. Also, remember that the first semester and sometimes second are weed out semesters.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

LPN school I really didn't work

Now traditional RN program I work as an LPN one 16 hours on Sunday and one eight hour shift every other week.

Last semester it was Monday, this semester it will be Saturday.

So 16 one week

24 the other

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm about to start my 3rd semester in nursing school (RN) and I got a per diem CNA job at a hospital over the summer. Though nursing school is hard and the most time consuming thing ever, the benefit of having experience and having a foot in the door was worth the risk to me. Try to take less hours and see how you do the first semester while working. Though the first semester was the worst for me (mostly due to intimidation), I became better at managing my time in second and knew I would be fine adding the extra commitment before third. Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Rehab, IMCU, ED, med-surg.

Just finished my ADN - worked FT nights 12-hour shifts all through school. Not easy, but I survived thanks to supportive family, flexible work schedule, and lots of caffeine. The hardest thing was trying to put in my work schedule 6 weeks in advance based on what I *thought* my school/clinical schedule would be, and then having to scramble to change it. (Surprise, clinicals are on Saturdays this term even though they were in Mondays last term, and tests are on Thursdays instead of Mondays!)

You should try really hard for the pool job w/more flexible scheduling...but keep that link with your employer! It might help you get your first nursing job!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I haven't had a job in 3 years and am attending nursing school next month. I got approved for a student loan but it's not enough for me, I definitely need a part-time job. I will most likely work some position in retail since it's flexible and one of the few jobs I actually qualify for (too bad about the pay though). I think taking on 20+ hours is doable for me but I'm worried that my grades will suffer. I definitely want a hospital job during my second year.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It all depends on you. Personally, if I were in your situation, I would at least cut my hours back. If being a nurse is your ultimate goal and money is not a factor for you, why add the extra strain? For FUN??? That 'pool' thing sounds sweet if you can get it. I'm going to be doing work study for the first semester, which is only 10 hrs per week (living on my reund), but after that i'm going to apply to be a nurse extern. That's a position in the network associated with my school that is an actual job, not finanicial aid related. You should see if your program has something like that because you'd have really good networking opportunity there and they work with you around your fluctuating school schedule. Hope that helps!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment