Is this too much?

Published

Greetings everyone, I'm hoping for some insight if I am spreading myself too thin. I start nursing school in 12 days and I have to work while in school. I already hold a MBA and am an instructor at the college I attend (I teach in the business field).

Here's my schedule for the fall:

Monday - 8:00am to 10:50am Fundamentals of Nursing

12:30pm to 3:20pm Teach a class

Tuesday: nothing until Oct. 5th and then I have clinicals 6:30am - 4:30pm

Wednesday: For the first 5 weeks 1:00pm - 3:30pm Fundamentals of Nursing Lab

For the rest of the semester 1:00pm 3:50pm Med-Surg Lab

Thursday: 8:00am - 10:50am Teach a class

11:00am - 12:30pm Tutor (I also tutor the subject i teach, if I have no students I can study)

For the first 5 weeks 1:00pm - 3:30pm Fundamentals of Nursing Lab

For the rest of the semester 1:00pm 3:50pm Med-Surg Lab

4:00pm - 6:00pm Tutor

6:30pm - 9:20pm Teach a class

Friday: 8:00am - 9:50am Med-Surg I

10: 00am - 2:30pm Tutor

I will also be taking Pharmacology online and teaching an online class (at my school teaching online means I answer questions and grade, so not too much time there).

So am I totally insane?

edited to add: my school has traditional 16 week semesters. So no accelerated program here. Did that with my MBA. Actually all my previous degrees were accelerated. But the MBA, I did in 6 weeks one night a week what a traditional student would have done in 16.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think you can do it, though it will probably be very difficult. I do see that your nursing classes aren't as long, so that is a major plus. My nursing classes at Tuesdays and Wednesdays 9am-5pm and Thursdays and Fridays from 7am-3-4pm. Just keep your eyes on the prize :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I must be insane too!

Here is my schedule:

Monday: Class from 8-12

Tuesday: Clinicals from 6-4 (1hour from my house)

Wednesday: Class from 8-4

Thursday: Clinicals from 6-4 (still 1hr from my house)

Friday: Class 8-12 then work 3p-7a

Saturday: Work 3p-7a

Sunday: Work 3-11

:(

At least I graduate in DECEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I should also include I am married with 3 kids. But my kids are older (15, 13, 12) and my husband is extremely supportive! I think the fact that I have shorter class times will help. I know my Thursday will be insane, but like I said, if I don't have anyone to tutor, I can break out my books and study!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hemodialysis.

Forget that you have an MBA. Really. :)

Nursing school is unlike anything you've ever done. Trust me on this one. I've seen more than one MBA drop out of nursing school. Many more BA's and BS's. Not being mean, or discounting your prior education, please don't take it that way. Hopefully you acquired good study skills while getting your MBA. If you were one that didn't have to study and still got one, learn quickly.

What kind of school are you going to and how long is it? There is a ton of information to be absorbed in nursing school, most of it building onto other information previously acquired in past semesters. The shorter the time frame, of course the more information getting thrown at you at once. Does your school require you take the pre reqs before hand (Anatomy I and II, Microbiology, things of that nature) or do you have to take them during your program?

The kids, eh, they're old enough that they're self propelled to a certain extent and the husband being supportive, YAY! You need that really. That's great.

Your schedule doesn't look that horribly bad to me, allows for lots of time to study. Take into consideration what else you do besides work and go to school though. Are your kids in extracurricular activities you'll be attending regularly? Are you socially active or involved in organizations that require your time?

My nursing program generally recommends that you keep 3 hours a day open for studying, and that's pretty accurate I would say. I personally have studied more than that in some cases, depending on the coursework. (Fluid and Electrolytes prompted one tutor to advise his tutee to just kill herself when she asked him how to best prepare for the test. LOL)

And be prepared for a lot of work to do before your clinical. There are usually concept maps and care plans to prepare and patient research to do, pathophysiology to understand, and drug cards to write and study (hopefully your school lets you use the preprinted ones). For a new nursing student, that takes many hours, so don't plan to do anything the night before your clinical. I say for a new nursing student but I have yet to see nights before clinicals where I get to bed before midnight. They say it gets better, we'll see, LOL

Seriously it's all in what you make of it. If you devote yourself to learning the material and knowing how to apply it then you'll be fine. The study time is the most important of all. Most nursing exams are not based on knowledge but application of what you have learned. And the multiple multiples, geez.

I have 4 children ages 12, 10, 3, and 2, my husband is deployed and I have no support system whatsoever. I actually moved 500 miles from my closest family to go to nursing school (we do have an accelerated program, and that's what I was looking for.) I'm also one of the top in my class. Education has always come easily to me, but nursing school I've had to work at.

It is one of the most difficult things you will ever do. It is also one of the most rewarding things you'll ever do. If it's something you really want to do then just give in and give yourself to it in the beginning, go with the flow, and you'll be fine. Just make sure you make time to study! (I could say that 20 times and it wouldn't be enough, LOL) It's a journey but I don't regret it at all.

Good Luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'll be getting my ASN and it will take 2 years (expected date of completion May 2012).

I only mentioned the MBA because I use it to teach. I know nursing is nothing like Business, but I think the fact I made it through an accelerated Masters program, says I have pretty good study skill, since most of the learning was done on my own.

My kids only play 1 sport a year, so that's not going to take up too much time. And I'm not a social butterfly, I would much rather stay home than go whoop it up. LOL

I've also set aside my Monday night so I would be able to prepare for clinicals. I was supposed to teach that night, but I changed my schedule so I would have it free to do care plans and such (learned that from this website).

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for the advice!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hemodialysis.

Excellent, you'll be fine.

I only make the comments about the education because I myself as a brandy newby nursing student said "heyyy I'm really smart, I've never had to study in my life, I've got a 3.8 overall college GPA, and I've been there twice. How hard can this be?" LOL I didn't listen to my many friends who had been through nursing school already. I had to learn to study. Quickly. You live you learn. And that was when I had a strong support network, LOL

Just give it your all, that's the most important thing. Most of the students who don't do well criticize the teachers and their tests and I hear them say well I only listen to the lectures, or I only look at the powerpoints, I don't have time to read that book. Yeah. Shame on them. Some of them came into this program with the attitude "I'm going to be a CRNA, I'm going to be an NP." Whoa Nelly, get your RN first. Most didn't pass the first semester. You just have to have the right attitude and be willing to give up things for a while, because you will sacrifice some things.

My older kids are in one extracurricular too, it spreads me kind of thin but I can't make them give it all up. Not fair to them. Your husband can help. You'll be fine.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion