Is it feasible to work during nursing school?

Lovelymo79 · Apr 15, 2009

A lot of people work during nursing school (search the boards and you'll see). I think it's feasible..as long as you're focused and know that nursing school takes priority over work.

I HAVE to work because I live on my own..but luckily, I have no one to support. So, I hope to work during the day as a substitute teacher and attend school at night. I'm also in the process of looking for an evening position at a hospital.

I presently work full-time now at a law firm while I finish up my pre-reqs. But, I'll be leaving here at the end of June to start nursing school.

As long as you're committed..anything is possible. Good luck!

shann106 · Apr 16, 2009

Absolutley. I work full time and am doing well in nursing school. Most of the students in my program are working, but most are not working full time.

I am a single mom, working full time, full time nursing student, running my daughter to girls scouts, dance, drama etc and I am doing well.

No matter what you do you will always feel like there is never enough time to study nursing. Those who do not work complain about the work load as much as those of us that work. For me I am not disciplined enough to make myself study if I had lots of free time, by having such a hectic schedule it forces me to make time to study and know that I have to study then because I will not be able to later. Nursing school is a overwhelming, stressful, life changing event.

Our first day they told us "The years you spend here will be the worst and best of your life. Look around, these are your competiton, more than half of you will not finish this program, 25% will crack under the pressure, 25% of you will fail." It was like something straight out of Greys Anatomy, but it has held true, about half of my original class has either dropped out unable to handle the stress or have failed out. There is nothing any of us can say to you to truly prepare you for what you are in for, but reading this board will give you a little taste.

One thing I do want to mention (it has become my soap box :) is that you need to really check your community colleges record. Many community colleges are losing their accrediation and not letting students know this very important information. What this means is that less than 85% of their students pass the boards, therefore they are disqualified from accrediation by the National Nursing Accrediation Committee. This is a huge deal, for several reasons #1 being Why are there students not passing the boards, are they not being taught what they need to know? and #2 if you get a degree from a school that is not accredted or looses their accrediation and you want to further your degree later (like going from ADN to BSN) you can not. Of course many community colleges have wonderful programs, I just want everyone to check and be sure. I just cannot stand the thought of someone going through the hell of nursing school only to find out that their school hid their non-accredidation from them.

OrthoRN09 · Apr 16, 2009

Yes. I worked full time and went to nursing school full time. I had no choice.

randg111 · Apr 16, 2009

Kudos to you all that can work and be in the nursing program at the same time!

There is no way I would be able to do it. There is no one in my classes that work full time. The most anyone works is one or two days a week, and they complain about that. There are several who thought they would be able to work (myself included), and ended up quitting their jobs a few weeks in to the semester.

All schools are different though. The work load at one school could be worse than at another. Good luck to you. I was so nervous wondering how in the world I would make it without working, but I'm finding ways to make it work. It will be worth it in the end!

jackson145 · Apr 16, 2009

I'm just PRN right now, but the majority of my class works FT.

30 of our 40 are already LPN's & therefore have been working as nurses for years. They weren't going to quit their jobs just for 2 semesters of NS. Several of our 'straight-RN' students are now working as CNA/Techs.

I wish I hadn't geared down to PRN for NS. I've got too much time on my hands, and although it's been nice, I'm actually starting to get a little bored.

quinnie50 · Apr 16, 2009

i also have a bs in business and just finished an accelerated bsn program...i did not work...however, if i did it again i might have tried to get a nursing assistant job because this year without experience jobs for new grads were scarce....i am lucky to have found a job, but i think that because i am old (48 yrs old) and had a lot of life experience it helped me get my position...good luck to you...where there is a will there is a way...nursing is the absolute best decision i have ever made in my life....the satisfaction that i received in one week of clinical cant even compare to 5 years in business

caliotter3 · Apr 16, 2009

I worked full time and had one to two part time jobs while going to school full time. Most of my classmates also worked out of necessity. One can do it if one has to.

sbostonRN · Apr 16, 2009

I don't have a child, so your situation may be different. But I work full time, 40+ hours a week and I'm in an associates program taking 10-11 credits at time. It doesn't leave much free time but I love it. I think I would be doing much worse if I had more free time because I'd be slacking off. I have to be very diligent about studying so I keep my grades up.

mike1973 · Apr 17, 2009

I'm 36 years old work 40 hours in a week in the plastics industry, have a family, President of Student Nurses Association, and will graduate in 20 days. I have maintained a B average in my nursing courses (pre-reqs had 4.0). So yes it is possible but not at all easy. No matter your circumstances nursing school is challenging and demanding.

AmericanRN · Apr 17, 2009

The majority of my class works including myself. The lowest amount of hours is 24 on average most work 30 + and it's a fulltime bachelors course. The school initially told us all to quit our jobs, most did, and now most are back at work. It's harder and harder to get grants or private student loans & the feds have also scaled back on the amount of money people are receiving for federal loans. It's hard but it makes one stay more focused. The non workers don't always put all their extra time into school and waste a substantial amount of time (they admit this openly) Be very careful if you're the type who cannot stay disciplined without juggling a very tight schedule.

FA to CRNA2b · Apr 17, 2009

I worked full time as an international flight attendant, flying out every Friday evening and returning Sunday afternoons. I have three small children as well. I have a lot of support though, with a full-time live-in nanny/housekeeper and lots of family. It was hard though since I barely had any time to study and had to 'get' the material the first time around. No time to review stuff twice. My secret was listening to recorded lectures as often as possible--while getting ready in the bathroom, driving, walking to/from class, basically all the time. Also, I used to connect my computer to the big screen TV so I could lie down flat while looking at power point slides with notes. I'm glad that's over! It can be done but you'll have to stick to a plan and make a few sacrifices.