Is working during Nursing School a good idea?

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Hey everyone,

I will be starting the LPN program at Ivy Tech this Fall. I've heard from others that the first semester is a joke. The only time for work is Fri/Sat/Sun... I work at a hospital already as a PCT... my boss offered me a 3-11 shift that would only be 32 hours per pay period... I'm full-time now and need to have insurance. Insurance literally triples when you drop from FT to PT. I really don't know what to do. Is it a good idea to work full time and go to school full time? What are your guys' thoughts?

Any help/advice is GREATLY appreciated!

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I've heard from some that it isnt wise to work but if you have no choice then you have no choice. The school I'm applying to tells us in the paperwork that a full time job is not an option while in the program. But then I've heard other people doing really well while working in the program.

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

I worked all through my first year of school, and plan to work through my final year as well. We can't afford our bills if I don't work also, so there was never an option of not working.

I've been doing 15 hours/week and hoarding my PTO just in case I need some extra time to work on a group project or study for a really nasty exam or something. It's been fine really. It actually helps me to focus when I am doing my homework because I know that I only have a certain amount of time to get everything finished in. But then again, I also work well with limited time and deadlines :)

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As the above posters say, it isn't really a question of whether its a "good idea" or not. Different schools are going to have different schedules. Mine operates on a 4 day a week schedule so that students can have a little time to work if they need to. I know of a local school where you aren't allowed to work if you are in their nursing program.

Some people can work and handle school. Some can't. Some don't have a choice whether or not to work. I don't. I am hoping to save as much as I can so I won't have to work for at least the last semester.

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Well, you definitely need to keep the insurance, though as an alternative you might check to see if your school offers insurance for students at a lower rate. It's usually not comprehensive, but covers some things. With respect to working, the people that worked during nursing school had the best job offers on graduation. Most people I know worked part time. If your school program would allow you to go part-time while working full-time that might be a great option for you. It would maintain your insurance and income and still put you on the path in nursing. I can't imagine working full-time and going to school full-time. I think it would be hard to be successful at either one. Whatever you decide -- good luck!

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Specializes in CTICU/CVICU.

Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I just completed the first year of a 2 year program and I HAD to work. I worked full-time 5/6 days a week and then went to school/clinical 4 nights a week..babysat for 3 families..and still ended up with an above 3.0 average (in a program which failing is anything below an 80, a B STARTS at an 87 and don't think of an A unless you have a 94 and above).

So, while of course the IDEAL is not have to work during nursing school, if need be, it is possible. Don't count on getting much sleep...and you DEFINITELY need time for yourself (my time for myself consisted of sleeping..lol.). But, I did have time for me and my girls and dating...Friday nights, I did NO studying or anything school-related (unless I had an exam on Monday)..it was MY time to de-stress.

Good luck with whatever you do but know if you MUST work, it's possible...you just have to remain FOCUSED!

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Specializes in MPH Student Fall/14, Emergency, Research.

I have been working a steady 24 hour/week job since I started NS in 2008. My job is not one that I can do homework at. It was *tolerable* - I was busy as hell but it was not overly bad - until I started my full time clinical rotation from January to April of this year.

Working during fulltime clinicals was a MISTAKE that I will not repeat again. I will quit my job before I go through that again. While I was able to pay my bills, it burned me out at my paying job (to the point of tears) and my attention at clinicals was not 100%. While I did well in clinical I did not do as well as I wanted to. I had almost no time to research and did a lot of care plans at 3 AM and then showing up for report at 7 AM. A lot of times at clinical I was exhausted and did most of my research on the fly.

That is NO way to learn.

It depends on what your NS schedule looks like, but I don't recommend it.

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I worked full time all the way through school. If you don't have to, I don't recommend it. If the money is essential for survival for you, then do it! You have to make priorities if you do that, like school comes first. You always take off the night before an exam! You cannot go see movies, or anything else that may take time away. If you have kids, do not plan on studying with them around... it simply does not work. If you don't have a place in your home that will offer you the ability to devote all of the attention to studying... Go to the library! I used to carry all school stuff in my car.

If you read on some of my other postings, I also had my books taken apart and would study on the run, because I had no other choice.... Have a doc appt, bring your binder! Sitting in traffic, pull out the binder!

Bottom line.... If you put your mind to it and vow to yourself to follow through with all of your dreams, you will accomplish them!

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Is it a good idea to work full time and go to school full time?

No. In fact it is a horrible idea.

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i know in my class there are literally a handful of people that work. I work on Fri and Sat as a bartender so its not too bad. You just have to be able to time mangae your studies and finances... i can only imagine if you have a family to support. I'm a single guy and it sucks for me LOL

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I have wondered the same thing. I have no choice but to work, because we can't survive on just my husband's pay. I'm going to try it, working my work schedule around my classes/labs/clinical schedule. Thankfully my boss will let me do that and during my down time I can study.

Hopefully I can do both.

I think to be able to work and go to school though you need to have a great support system and make sure you take some time for yourself at least once a week. I didn't do this while I was taking my pre-reqs and about dropped out due to stress!

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No, it is not, but some people have no choice. The people who can actually pull of a job, family, AND nursing school at the same time deserve a lot more respect than they usually get. I go to school with two women and a man in that situation, and I am truly in awe not only of their dedication to nursing, but to their spouses and children.

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