How did you organize your week as a full-time nursing student?

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2009

I let my control issues go and prioritized. You have to decide for yourself what is important.

A dirty house never killed anyone. Spending $1000 to fail a class. That might.

tabacue · Sep 18, 2009

I pray I get into nursing school in January, but in the meantime I am a mom of 3 kids, I work full-time (actually I work two jobs...I'm a realtor and I have a FT-job) and I go to school pt. For me, the house is the least of my worries...I do get down if the house is cluttered, but I do what I can. Here are some things I do:

Laundry - Put a load in the wash in the morning, dryer in the afternoon. I do some at night too, but that is because there are 5 of us. I try to stay on top of the laundry and the dishes (dishwasher). I mop and do more thorough cleaning on the weekend.
Food - Peanut butter and jelly is great...it is quick and nutritions. There are lots of frozen food options that are healthier than fast food. Buy pre-cut fruits and veggies (expensive though) or buy some and take the weekend to chop and put in containers you can take with you. Some people even cook for the week and freeze it (not that dedicated personally).
Try to get everything ready the night before.
I take my books everywhere and read whenever I have time...dr's office, lunch, waiting on my son's bus, etc.

Don't know if that helps any, but definitely don't let housework get ya down - totally the least of your worries.

texkid, RN · Sep 18, 2009

I don't know about other people but I just take it day by day. If the office is a mess, I'll clean AFTER I take my exam or finish my careplan. If the dishes need washing, I just fill the sink with water and soap and get to it right before I need to eat. BUT, all books are closed when it is time to sleep. If its 23:00, I go to bed and get my 8 hours of sleep. I don't care if I still have a chapter to read or if the careplan is unfinished. I tell myself, all that will get done first thing in the morning. Lack of quality sleep will affect your concentration, your stamina, and ultimately your grades. believe me, I don't care if my house is a mess right now because I don't need to impress anyone since I don't have time but to read.

How to organize? Get a Blackberry. Its a good long-term investment. You can get all your calendar into that one phone, you can install nursing software (drug book, merck manual, nursing diagnosis) which is LESS STRESS on your back when going to school or clinicals, and you can stay up to date with your classmates via email or Blackberry Messenger if your classmates have Blackberrys as well. But don't get me wrong, I still have a hard copy of the drug book and any schedule that goes into my Blackberry is also backed-up on my desktop AND handwritten in my planner just in case it is stolen or it catches on fire.

If you don't want a Blackberry, you can get the iPhone, a Palm phone, or a stable Windows Mobile smartphone such as the Motorola Q or HTC.

As far eating. You're going to kill yourself and your wallet. No one ever said you had to turn on the stove. You can get cheap microwave dinners, peanut butter and a loaf of bread goes a long way, peanut butter crackers are a good source of protein, fresh fruits, and good old fashion milk. Any one of those items can easily be stuffed into a lunch box and out the door you go. I actually have lost weight since I stopped eating out and finding ways to make that can of Tuna taste like gourmet cuisine.

Racey328 · Sep 18, 2009

First things first. You can NOT do it all. Trust me, I am in my last semester of nursing school. I thought it was bad in the beginning and now it's even worse. I thank my wonderful husband everyday, but I am just recently married and I did my first 13 months of nursing school as a single mom of 2 boys & I worked. My house was always a mess, get used to that one. Even now with help my kitchen floor has not been mopped in about 4 months (thankfully its dark). Just when you think its too much remember that it is worth it. Coming home after 13 hrs at the hospital on my 11th day of work or clinical in a row I just think about the patients I helped that day.:loveya: You can clean when you are done with school. As for the food choices I say I will worry about it later, but the only thing you can do sometimes is something quick. Get a planner for sure. I carry mine everywhere and it lets me know where and what I need to be doing each day. I would be lost without it. Good luck to you and I hope it all works out.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Sep 18, 2009

fresh food is actually good options because it may require less prep - just buy as needed and not waste stuff. Veggies and fruit both make good snacks

Do not be afraid to ask for help. I assure you, people will be asking you plenty once you graduate.

You did not mention a SO - is the house your total responsibility? Are the kids old enough to help? They will all benefit from your degree, so involve them with the process.

caffeineRx · Sep 18, 2009

Thank You SO much everyone. The blackberry idea is GREAT. I was trying so hard to steer from one because I feel like I am more of a "write it down"/"pencil & paper" kind of girl. Although I am in my early 20s, I have never been a tech person lol. Maybe that will have to change!

Peanut butter and jelly sounds good. It helps a lot to keep reading that I need to accept that I will not be able to do it all and that my house will be a mess. I guess it's not just me then! I just spent all today cleaning it...obsessively...and now..I am too tired to study. I give up--dirty house it is. I need to study. I still have two more days...but I prefer to know my homework/studying is done ahead of time.

It looks like it's time for paper plates, disposable utensils/cups, prepared, frozen, deli, packaged, canned...and just plenty of water and vitamins. The MESS is driving me INSANE. Although people still think my house is clean..it just doesn't feel like I have time to bother with it. Then again--I know this sounds WEIRD, but am I the only person who is MAJORLY disturbed with studying in a messy room/house?

I have no idea what it is..I feel like I cannot concentrate when my home/room are not clean/neat. It is a total distraction that I am trying to work on. I have no idea..just feels like it symbolically clutters my mind. Am I nuts? lol

texkid, RN · Sep 18, 2009

Well if money is not too much of an issue. Hire a clean-up lady. There are people out there that go from house-to-house and clean up the whole house in one day and charge maybe $70-$125 depending on the person. There are some agencies and there are some free-lance people that USED to work for an agency but now need to make some side cash (those charge less for same quality of work). You can hire one through word of mouth and have him/her clean up your house once a month and all you'd have to worry about would be the daily dishes and laundry. If you want to pay LESS, you better know how to speak spanish. (before someone jumps on me and say I am racist, let it be known that I am hispanic and know the ins-and-outs of the cleaning business)

BanoraWhite · Sep 18, 2009

Maybe you could put aside a time each week where you can cook a lot of meals then freeze them so when it comes to lunches or dinners you can just reheat.

You could also spend a little while each morning cutting up carrot sticks, making a fruit salad etc for snacks that day. That way all you need to do is grab it from the fridge and you know its a healthy choice.

I also buy prepackaged snacks at the supermarket such as little packs of nuts, cranberries, raisins and such so if I need to run out of the door I can grab a few packs of those, and a bottle of water...keeps me filled up so I don't stop for take-out !

Not sure if you have kids or a partner but if you do you could make a chores roster so at least some of the pressure is off you.

Hope these help.

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Sep 19, 2009

Thank You SO much everyone. The blackberry idea is GREAT. I was trying so hard to steer from one because I feel like I am more of a "write it down"/"pencil & paper" kind of girl. Although I am in my early 20s, I have never been a tech person lol. Maybe that will have to change!
Peanut butter and jelly sounds good. It helps a lot to keep reading that I need to accept that I will not be able to do it all and that my house will be a mess. I guess it's not just me then! I just spent all today cleaning it...obsessively...and now..I am too tired to study. I give up--dirty house it is. I need to study. I still have two more days...but I prefer to know my homework/studying is done ahead of time.
It looks like it's time for paper plates, disposable utensils/cups, prepared, frozen, deli, packaged, canned...and just plenty of water and vitamins. The MESS is driving me INSANE. Although people still think my house is clean..it just doesn't feel like I have time to bother with it. Then again--I know this sounds WEIRD, but am I the only person who is MAJORLY disturbed with studying in a messy room/house?
I have no idea what it is..I feel like I cannot concentrate when my home/room are not clean/neat. It is a total distraction that I am trying to work on. I have no idea..just feels like it symbolically clutters my mind. Am I nuts? lol

Go see someone about your OCD, and go study at the library if you can't focus.

Jo

SUPER, DUPER OCD about everything RN and who learned that life is too short to be wasting it on perfection............

southernhoneybee · Sep 19, 2009

I write everything down in my agenda, all the exam dates, papers etc so I can look at it in a week to week basis. This personally helps me to focus on what is currently going on, on a daily more manageable basis. Which makes it seem less stressful. I also try to pack lunches, placement gear etc the night before and plan at least one day to myself to see family, friends and unwind a bit if possible. Believe me I know how you feel, at times I feel like there is no way I am going to make it through this program. But hopefully it will all be worth it in the end and against the odds I will become a good nurse

mauxtav8r · Sep 19, 2009

Blackberry is a great idea ... but it can be done with a legal pad ...

I would write my class numbers down the left side of the pad, then just below, days of the week. Like this:

1102

1208

1213

1220

1224

Mon

Tues

etc.

Do this at the end of the previous week to plan the week ahead. Put all assignments due this week in the class number. Check them off as you go. Put on the days of the week anything else in your life. Try to complete the assignments as far ahead as humanly possible to account for bad days that WILL HAPPEN.

Put a monthly calendar on the wall for long range deadlines.

Break up assignments into weekly goals and add them to the weekly plan.

Learn to let go anything and everything that does not matter when trying to reach your goal (graduation without losing your family). So, the house does not matter. Neither does "a day just for myself." In my world, a few minutes alone to refocus and reflect did wonders (maybe in the shower, in the car, in the hall before class). If I'd held my breath until I got a whole day for that, I'd NEVER have graduated.

An old saying goes "the job will expand to fill the time allotted." Examine your calendar. How much time do you spend going to the grocery? Does the extra time really translate to better meals for you? I shopped exactly the same way each week, at a small store (fewer steps for you), using the same list, at one location to buy everything. I could leave home and be back in 45 minutes where the whole ordeal used to take 2 hours or more. Examine your whole week this way and you will find the time. I had to take the kids out of all extracurricular activities during the first semester. Slowly, as I was able to manage it, we added activities back. They coped. It was short-term.

About control, you have voluntarily signed up for a loss of control over your life when you decided to go to nursing school. Sorry to sound so harsh, but it's time for the Serenity Prayer.

Best wishes.