Jobs while in school??

Future-nurse · Jan 4, 2008

Take out the student loan! So much easier to concentrate and once you are making 25-30 $ per hour you can pay it back by budgeting and working a little overtime. Go to the thread below called federal aid and I put a link there where I got my student loan from with no hassels and deferred payments.

SLS7533 · Jan 4, 2008

I'm concerned about this as well. I am only in the very beginnings of starting the process towards an accelerated BSN program and this is one of my biggest concerns right now. Can you get enough of an overage in your student loans to cover living expenses? My bills are substantially higher than when I went to college the first time around.

paccookie · Jan 5, 2008

I'm an EMT and I work an average of 50-70 hours a week, every week. Sometimes more. This week I have 84 hours on the schedule, which means that I will end up with around 90 hours when it's all said and done. But school isn't in session this week. My normal work schedule is 24 hours on and 48 hours off and yes, we can sleep at work. I try to study as much as possible at work. Some days are better than others. Sometimes we're busy with calls and other times we're really slow and we sit around all day. You never know how it will be from one moment to the next.

Last year, I worked full time as a ward clerk in the same hospital (about 32-40 hours a week) while taking 12 hours in pre-reqs and 10 hours of EMT school for the entire year. NOT FUN! LOL I guess I'm just used to working too much and having too much to do.

MarathonGirl · Jan 5, 2008

Fortunately we have savings and I will not be working. Though we do have a bunch of kids, so I will be busy!

flightnurse2b, LPN · Jan 5, 2008

i work full time during the day and take classes at night and have saturday clinicals. no its not fun. i stay up sometimes all night studying and then go to work at 7am just to do it all again. my house is a mess. i am exhausted. i just can't afford not to work, and had to take out loans to pay for my schooling. becoming a nurse is something i really, really want. so if i have to work and beat myself up for 2 years, then so be it. don't let working get in your way---you can do it if you really want it! just be willing to make lots of sacrifices.... and when you are up at 3am writing a paper and eating your easy mac for dinner, just think of how much it will pay off in the long run. good luck!! :)

Music in My Heart · Jan 5, 2008

Been living off savings and my wife's PT job since I was laid off; just gotta stretch it out long enough.

My program is very insistent that we not attempt to work; it was a question on our application, required to be addressed in our essay, and the subject of an interview question. It's an accelerated DEMSN program and they've told us to budget at least 70 hours per week to school.

AimeeJo RN · Jan 5, 2008

I had this same dilemma. I had an awesome homecare job where I worked most of my hours at night and was paid while sleeping and squeezing in homework while the person I took care of napped alot. This lasted through LPN school allowing me to work about 38 hours a week and have some time left for the family. That job ended a few months ago and I am headed back to school next week for the lpn to rn bridge program. I was freaking out about trying to work a real job and deal with the family responsibilities, I have a new baby as well. I decided that finishing school had to take priority over working. So I am taking out extra student loans, to get by. The nursing program is going to take alot of time and energy, if you can get by without working full time you are more likely to be successful.

MaineEMT2RN · Jan 5, 2008

I'm an EMT also - right now I do 3 twelve hour shifts per week. When clinicals start in September, I'll just take 2 twelve's, and try to pick up some extra shifts during breaks. We're trying to get through this without any debt, so even though it's hard, it's important to me.

I wouldn't be able to do it if I had to work 5 days/week. The 12 hour shifts gives me lots of time to study on the four days a week that I don't work - also, if it's slow I can study at work. It doesn't happen often, but it's nice when it happens!

femmefatale · Jan 5, 2008

I have been working as HUC/NA for 32 hours a week and taking the classes in an ADN program. I dont have any kids and its doable. It just needs some discipline and focus. I have to work and so having this in mind I make sure that I have specific study times which I try to study; it has served me well so far. I graduate in May 08. Its about time!

moosiesmom · Jan 9, 2008

I work in a hospital in a Microbiology lab. This has helped me get familiar with a load oF lab test. I know that many nurses have a hard time starting out with the lab thing. Especially micro tests, specimen container, sight. I know this will help me down the road. Would love to get another cert. too. I do phlebotomy already, we all have to help CR in the am's. I know the pharm tech thing would be a great help. That sounds like something to look into. I see nurses fumbling with meds all the time upstairs. I swear it is 75% of their job. That and paperwork/documentation. I have a deep respect for all that they have to juggle.

dass4 · Jan 9, 2008

I have been worrying about this exact same thing. I know the loans are an option, but who wants more debt when they get out!! I don't mind some costs, but 30-40 thousand is a lot of money to defer. I have had a couple ideas so far. If you are near a town with some waitress jobs, several people I know have done weekend shifts. Some say they can make 100-300 per weekend / per 8 hr. shift. I also thought about babysitting for 2nd shift parents. You can earn money while being at home studying/sleeping. Just some ideas! Hope it helps.