Is it possible to go to nursing school and work full time?

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Hello there,

I am considering a career change and going back to school for nursing. I will have to take all of my pre-reqs like A&P and Stats. I think I can take those in the evening and still work full time. Once I get to nursing school, is it possible to work? Full-time or part-time?

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Specializes in LTC, MDS Cordnator, Mental Health.

I Did, I worked Night shift and did my classes on line and during the day. But my children were Grown up and my husband is a jem. He took care of the home front, and I did school.

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Specializes in ICU.
Hello there,

I am considering a career change and going back to school for nursing. I will have to take all of my pre-reqs like A&P and Stats. I think I can take those in the evening and still work full time. Once I get to nursing school, is it possible to work? Full-time or part-time?

I couldn't manage the demands the course made on me AND work full time. Used to work shifts as an auxilliary nurse on an ad-hoc basis, never more than 1 night a week. I considered the course was my job and made that my sole focus in life. Working extra got in the way of that and I was worried it would bring my grades down.

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Specializes in ICU.

Everything I've heard is that the RN program is your full time job. Some people getaway with 10 maybe even 20 hours a week. Most programs state in the literature that working full time is not possible while going to school.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Infusion, peds, informatics.

i had both a ft job (cna) and a pt job (research asst) while i was in nursing school (ft).

it can be done; but depends on you, the program, and the particulars of the job.

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Specializes in Orthopedics.

I think it depends on your ability to handle stress and your time management skills. I most likely will have to work while in school because I won't be able to get enough in loans to cover everything I need (sad, because I really don't need that much...but my EFC on the FAFSA was really high).

In the past I have been in a situation where I was working full time, in school part time, commuting 4 hours each day, helping my husband with the accounting for his business, and taking care of all of the household duties (husband works about 70 hours a week). If I can do that, then I can work while I'm in nursing school. :bugeyes:

In addition, I'm going back to get my ADN, but I already have a B.S. in a different field. Therefore, I will not need to take all of my GRE's that are required for the program....I've already taken them (that means less credit hours every quarter).

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I wouldn't do it, doesn't mean it is impossible though.

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It is possible, contingent upon a lot of factors. Generally it would be best if you are singl and do NOT have any children. It would also help if you had a flexible job that would let you work less during clinical season and work more during non-clinical season and school breaks. It would help if your job was 'light', like night shift work as an in-home caregiver, that would allow you time to do some, most, or all of your studying.

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

I worked full-time and went to school full-time for about half of nursing school. It worked until I got to critical care, then I needed more time for school. It certainally can be done, I am not the only one in my class that pulled it off

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Specializes in Med/Surg < 1yr.

I am in a full-time diploma program and I started out working full time as a CNA with one 8 hr shift on Friday and double shifts on the weekends. It worked until I my I got to my Med-Surg rotations and then I had to give up my 8 hr shift. When I got to my last of three Med-Surg rotations, I had to drop down to part-time and give up my Sunday evening shift. I am now working a double on Saturday and a single on Sunday dayshift. It's not too bad right now because I'm in Psyche but I just sent the DON my schedule change because I now have to drop down to casual status when my rotation is over next month because Critical Care is next and it is nooo joke! I am going to take out a small loan to get through the rest of the year (I really didn't want to do that....). I know a nurse at my job who worked TWO jobs while going to nursing school. He didn't have kids at the time. I have 3 teens and a 20 year old at home and a husband who at times is my 4th child. If you have the discipline and stamina to get it done, it's definitely doable but it wears you down.

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Specializes in LTC, MDS Cordnator, Mental Health.

While I was going to school for my LPN I worked as a CNA full time. I did my RN in Two years. I got all my PreReq's done and when I was accepted into the program I only had 2 days a week that i was in school. During that time I worked as an LPN

I did LPN and the RN Program in three years while I worked full time... and in that time My Daughter got married, My son Graduated from High school and the local CC the same time as I graduated from the LPN Program. I graduated from the RN the same day as he graduted from college.

My secret wepon was online classes. I did every class that was available online that I could.

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"Is it possible to go to nursing school and work full time?

by nursing_88

Join Date: Apr 2008

Posts: 2

Hello there,

I am considering a career change and going back to school for nursing. I will have to take all of my pre-reqs like A&P and Stats. I think I can take those in the evening and still work full time. Once I get to nursing school, is it possible to work? Full-time or part-time?"

Hello Nursing_88,

I too had a recent career change and am a returning nursing student. I decided to change careers 1 year ago, and at the time I was working full-time and had a very demanding work load. Most schools prefer you already have pre-reqs completed so these courses are pertinent to getting accepted. You will want to do well in all your pre-reqs (especially sciences). I was able to take 1-2 courses per semester. Of course, your course work will definitely depend on your work circumstances and personal situation.

I would not recommend taking more than 2 courses if you are working full-time, especially if you still have to take science pre-reqs. I found that it was difficult for me to take 2 courses if 1 course was a science course, as these courses were more complex and demanding than others.

Depending on which program you're trying to get into and each school's program your research, I would suggest taking core classes that are common for all the schools. Once you decide on which school you want to apply for, then take any other specific courses needed for that school. I would suggest researching your preferred schools before considering taking any pre-reqs just so you have an idea on which courses to take first. This will at least let you know what you will need even if you haven't decided on a nursing school yet. Most schools require Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Nutrition, Psychology, Sociology, and math and college writing courses.

I am recently in my school's RN program and currently working part-time for my current employer. Luckily, this employer is very understanding with my school schedule. The key here is to communicate with your employer.

Some sound advice from students who started last semester in the same program suggested that by the time you are in Nursing Fundamentals, to cut back on work hours or even resign entirely. You want to be at your physical and mental peak in order to get through your nursing program, so why gruel yourself over a job now that you know you will be leaving eventually? Remember, your choice in career change was made for a reason and now you need to take steps to make sure your new career goals are met.

Lastly, manage your time well and be organized! Not everybody can work and go to school. Again, this depends on your particular situation and how well you are able to manage your life and able to put in good study time. If you haven't already got one, use a planner (paper or electronic) to manage your schedules. It will help you so much! Most importantly, you will have created daily, weekly, and monthly routines for yourself and become very well organized.

Good luck with your pre-reqs and getting accepted to nursing school! You will be fine! All you need to do is have a game plan! :)

Sincerely,

Nelly56

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