How is it possible working AND going to nursing school?

nrsang97, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

I had no choice. It was either I pay for school or no one else would. I did get some help from my mom and dad, but not a lot. FAFSA, I didn't qualify, why becasue I lived at home and my parents income was counted.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

One of my classmates worked 8 hour night shifts as a CNA in a nursing home, and then attended nursing school during the day. I'll also comment that her grades always remained very high, and that she passed NCLEX well ahead of any other people in the class. She states that she studied during downtime at work, such as when no call lights were going off.

Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN · Jan 12, 2009

Were any of you attendng nursing school 5 days a week?

nrsang97, BSN, RN · Jan 12, 2009

I had 2 days of classes and 2 days of clinical. No classes on Mondays. I worked as a cashier at Kroger through most of school. I worked mostly after class days and weekends.

caliotter3 · Jan 12, 2009

Most of the people in my class worked because we had to. I maintained a full time job on night shift in a nursing home, first as a CNA, then as an LVN. I also worked part time at one or two other jobs when possible. A person has to be healthy, extremely motivated, and very organized and efficient at what they are doing. I had a 1 1/2 hour commute to school that ate up time also. Everything was planned to the minute. One can not afford to have any glitches in their plans, otherwise it can and will fall totally apart. One of the worst things you can do, I found out the hard way, is to let anyone in the nursing program know that you are working. There will be no empathy or understanding there. If you want to do it badly enough and don't encounter any acts of the Almighty, you can do it. People do it every year.

AZ_LPN_8_26_13 · Jan 12, 2009

To those who went to nursing school and worked full time with no help from a spouse..how exactly did you do it? How did you manage? would you advise this to potential nursing students?

Well, I hope it's possible LOL because that's exactly what I'm planning on doing. I really wish that I could just go to school full-time with nothing else to worry about, but for me that's not possible - I don't really have much choice. I'm done with all my prerecs, only a few corecs left, and hopefully I will be in nursing school itself sometime later this year. But all the while I will still be working full time to pay the rent and the bills here. No doubt I'll be an extremely busy person, but then that's the way it's been for the past three semesters now anyway.

What I've learned is that you have to manage your time wisely, and make the most of the time you actually do have to study. I'm in a situation where I just don't have large blocks of quiet undisturbed time to read and study, so I have to do it where I can, when I can. Some days I will actually bring a change of clothes with me in the car to change into my work clothes at work because some days I'd have to actually drive straight from school to work. I might leave the house in the morning to go to class, then after classes leave campus and drive straight to work because I just didn't have time to go home and change etc. I'd finally get home sometime after midnight. Yes, it makes for some long days. But I console myself with the knowledge that this is only temporary, and if I can manage to get through this, I will someday have somewhat more of a "normal" life LOL

I do not have small children at home to look after - thought I'd better add that - that would probably change things somewhat - to be honest I don't know how nursing students with small kids at home would manage. I am married tho, and my wife is very supportive of what I'm doing, and that helps. She works part time at the hospital where I also work and we both know people who work at the hospital and at the school I'm attending now. Money though is very tight for us right now even though we both work. We have cut expenses to the bone, and are always looking for more ways to save money. I've actually been thinking about ditching my vehicle and just buying a bicycle to ride to work and school to save money.

I am not going to advise anyone for or against doing this because it all depends on your own personal life situation and what you want to do. Some of us have no choice but to work and go to school at the same time if we want to become nurses.

Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN · Jan 12, 2009

I had 2 days of classes and 2 days of clinical. No classes on Mondays. I worked as a cashier at Kroger through most of school. I worked mostly after class days and weekends.

Thank you.

I was told that nursing school was 5 days a week. You only went 4? I heard some go less days than that Is this typical?

RNDreamer · Jan 12, 2009

Last semester I had class/clinical/lab 3 days a week, all day. This semester is four days.

Thank you.
I was told that nursing school was 5 days a week. You only went 4? I heard some go less days than that Is this typical?

debgirl71 · Jan 12, 2009

it really depends on the school. ours was 3 days a week, all day monday for didactic, all day tuesday and wednesday for clinicals. then i worked night shift as an aide thursday, friday, and saturday. i cooked for the week for my family on thursday, and did all my homework on sunday. not an ideal situation, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

CNA_Timmy · Jan 12, 2009

I work as an aide 4 shifts a week... usually friday night and sunday morning... as in 16 hours... then saturday night then sunday morning. I do my homework everynight after class except the weekend I do it sunday night, and I always have flashcards in my scrub pockets to study when the call lights are... well you know the Q word we dont like to say. I find studying at work really helpful all the nurses are really interested in my education, so I am always getting their help. When an admit comes in I am always there for the assessment and when there is time the nurses will include me in their care planning and what not. So even though I do it for the rent and food, I also look at it as an excellent resource for my education. Although I will have to say I know others who work similar jobs with people who are not quite as helpful.

jbjints · Jan 12, 2009

I have been going to school at ngihts while working full time since June 2004. Summer semesters are by far the most strenuous. During the summer, classes meet 4 nights a week for three hours and it totally burns me out but I have no choice I want to be a RN. My wife helps the kids with homework, cleaning, cooking, etc. and she totally leaves me alone to study as do my three children. Without my better half I could not have gotten this far. I plan on buying my wife something special with my first RN paycheck to show her my appreciation.

You can do it. Just focus.