I am currently a CNA who has been accepted into LPN school, which starts next month. I am thrilled beyond belief. However, ever since my acceptance, I have been hearing from former students and nursing teachers who tell me that I should not work at all during the program because the program will take up all of my time outside of school. (I guess that nursing students should say "goodbye" to SO's and kids for the year, too.) I also see posts from other nursing students on this site who are told the same thing.
For the record, if I could take nearly a year off from work in order to devote myself fully to the program, I would. However, I am a single parent who doesn't have parents, grandparents, a boyfriend or wealthy friends I could move in with, or borrow living expenses from. My rent, utilities, and food expenses, for instance, still have to be paid during the program (which ends next June), and this is the same for other students in my LPN program. I realize that other students in the past may have had some issues with working while in school, but it doesn't mean that all students will not be able to work while attending nursing school. In fact, I know of a few LPNs who graduated from my program who worked full-time during the program. Of course, I am told that they are the exception. Well, maybe I will be an exception as well.
I know that the warnings about working are based on past students' problems, but when I keep hearing about it, it discouraged me somewhat, like they expected me to fail. However, I have decided to embrace the warning, and prove people wrong when I finally become a nurse next year. It just really irks me when people say no nursing student should ever work during school, that they will drop out, for example, when I read of nurses on this site who have done it.
I am currently in a BSN program and am a senior. If you really think that you can possibly pass your classes and work full time and take care of your kids then I'm sorry to say that you are delusional. In my program I usually get home around 4 and do homework till 10 or 11 at night and have to be at school around 630-800Am the next morning. Working on the weekends is possible yes, but full-time and being successful-unlikely.
Ummmm, i'm not delusional and I have four kids and a job and am also a senior in a BSN program. My kids are healthy and happy, my house is clean, and I still have time for fun. I feel fortunate enough to be in a program that is doable for me. I still have straight A's, I am a member of the student advisory committee and the student nurse organization as well as other extracurriculars and do volunteer work, so I feel it is highly likely to be successful. I think the key is finding a program that fits your needs, good organizational and time management skills, and being willing to give it all you've got.
Oh yeah, and don't listen to nay sayers who tell you it's impossible, or even unlikely, because you'll never know unless you try.
Many of the best students in my graduating class worked full or nearly full time. I find that they often do better. I have seen younger students living at home with no kids or job do very poorly in school (I am not generalizing but have seen a few like this, as well as many who do very well) and even our instructors said that many times the night/weekend students (mainly made up of students that HAVE to work, plus those with kids and other responsibilities during the day) do much better than the day students (who typically do not work or work very part time). Class averages have proven this so I'm not just speaking from what I "think" to be the case. There is no reason for the OP to assume her grades will suffer. I find it unsupportive to say such a thing.
That's because they have better time management skills.
I failed my first year of nursing school by two points. The second week of class my mom had a stroke, i have a eight yr old at home at a daugher in college and work full time. It's been nine months and i am getting ready to try basics again, NS is hard and time consuming, but the reward will be reaped.
I just graduated in June from LPN school. I won't lie....it was a very tough program. Accelerated to be completed in less than a year and we had tons of homework and tests almost daily over multiple chapters. Clinical prep alone took hours upon hours. Honestly, it will depend a great deal on your program and your ability to organize your time and prioritize. I worked part time (only about 4-12 hours each week on average and only because I could study while on the job. Otherwise, I would have had a difficult time doing it) We have four kids, 2 dogs, and a house to maintain. Fortunately, I do have a husband that helps immensely when he is not deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan and when he isn't working 75 hours a week. I was class president, graduated with honors, and was asked to do a speech at graduation. It was an amazing year!!
However, there are people that managed to work 40 hours a week during the program I just graduated from. (More power to them!) I don't recall any of them having children though. They did what they had to do, just as we all do. They might not have graduated with honors but some of them DID graduate. We had a high attrition rate with 17 of the 27 students that began the program graduating. What we did was get private student loans to cover our daycare expenses and my school supplies. We do have a great deal of loans now, but I was able to get enough from my education to pass the NCLEX on the first try with the minimum questions and test high enough in a bridge program that I start RN classes on Monday and graduate with my RN this coming May.
I will tell you this. ANYTHING is possible if you make it happen. There will be times you have to remind yourself that it is just until June....and the year might seem endless at some points....but you will make it if you set your mind and heart to it!! Good luck and God Bless!!
I believe that no matter if you are working full-time, part-time, or not at all, that if you have the motivation, dedication, and time management skills, that you can do well in nursing school. It's been done by many different types of people from different walks of life. Just my .
I was a sngle arent in nursing school. Did not qualify for any scholarships, grants or loans. I worked 2 jobs thru out school till the final semester. i worked as an HHA. My mom took care of my child 24/7, long as i was in school. YES YOU CAN WORK. i never repeated a class, i was an Honor roll student for 4years. i did not have a life other school and work.
I have 2 kids a 3yr old and a 5 year old. I tried to work during my first year but it was super hard. I would say only work like one eight hour shift per week and thats it. You see the reason why people say you cant work during nursing school is because they give you an elephant size amount of work to fit through a key hole amount of time.
I think it's been well established that every situation is different, and that some people thrive under pressure, and some buckle completely. I know I am the latter. I went through a divorce during my graduate studies, and my daughter was aged 4-7 during that time. Even when my ex was still around, it was extremely difficult for me. He was not at all supportive, and expected me to still be the FT mommy, and work FT hours. I would come home to a messy house, and a child that should have been in bed. If it weren't for the fact that I could take 1 class at a time (although I tried to do 2 each semester), and took an incomplete in one class, I never would have done it. And, I only worked part time, and only had 1 kid. I also had the support of my parents. But emotionally, doing papers and group projects was the last thing I wanted to do.
Had this been undergrad, i would have crumpled. I barely made it through NS at 18-20, living at home, not having to work (I tried working PT, and stopped). Some may say I didn't want it bad enough, I think I was not mature enough at the time. I didn't have the drive that most of you have, doing it after you have kids. I did have the drive for graduate school.
I am sure the OP is not naive enough to believe that just because everyone else here has done it, that she can to. All these stories are anecdotals, and results may vary. Usually on the site, we don't hea the non-success stories first hand. There are many that do not make it. And I am not saying this to discourage anyone here. I think women in general like to rain on each other's parades, and it doesn't get any better once you become a nurse (I love the one's who, in report, start off by telling you about what a horrible night you're going to have:rolleyes:). Do it for yourself, and forget about all the nay-sayers, You are doing this for you and your kids.
As an instructor, my advice to you is to find out the withdrawal policy, in case, God forbid, you find yourself slipping. it sounds like PT is not an option at your school. Just prepare yourself. The last thing you want is to be drownin, and thinkin you can pull yourself up, and fail at the end, with no chance of repeating. I have seen students do this, and could not get back into the program.
YOu must do what you must do. It will be very hard, but it can be done. Don't be upset with yourself or others if your grades are not the top of the class. You have a lot more responsibilities than most of your classmates. Just keep your eye on the prize! I wish you the very best of luck!:)
I am in a fast track nursing program (2 years instead of 4) and people are still working mostly full time. It can be done. There is also the option to take out living expence loans through programs such as nextstudent.com/astrive.com.
There is a stipulation. Laws require that you can only work so many hours in a row. We have to have 8 hours off prior to the start of clinical.
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Jilaweez, BSN, MSN, RN
628 Posts
Ummmm, i'm not delusional and I have four kids and a job and am also a senior in a BSN program. My kids are healthy and happy, my house is clean, and I still have time for fun. I feel fortunate enough to be in a program that is doable for me. I still have straight A's, I am a member of the student advisory committee and the student nurse organization as well as other extracurriculars and do volunteer work, so I feel it is highly likely to be successful. I think the key is finding a program that fits your needs, good organizational and time management skills, and being willing to give it all you've got.
Oh yeah, and don't listen to nay sayers who tell you it's impossible, or even unlikely, because you'll never know unless you try.