How can I juggle work and school?

heathert_kc · Feb 4, 2011

If you think you are up for the distance learning thing trying going through excelior, itself, which is the $500 complied study books in which the college network (and the like) tries to sell you, if you need a study guide you can get the very ones they sell on e-bay for like $20-50 each. Going directly through the school is much cheaper especially if you have all of your general education done. You just pay an enrollment fee and pay for your exams when you are ready to take them, and books, your clinicals are the most expensive part and you don't pay for them until the very end. I think they quoted like $5,000-6,000 (just for the nurse course/exams/books/clinical/graduation) a year or two ago, I don't recall exactly but i remember thinking it was do-able. Check with your state board of nursing because not all states accept their nursing education, some require additional clinicals (like WA), other require a certain number of hours as an RN licensed in another state (like KS), and the state of California does NOT accept it under any conditions at all unless you finished a prior to a certain date before they made that mandate. the unfortunate thing is that most nursing programs aren't that flexible you might check with your employer about any accomdations they could make for you. I found a community college that only requires two days, one lecture and the other 12 hours of clinical (I start next week and fingers crossed I can manage that along with my full time job); so not all lpn-rn programs are 3, 4, or 5 days per week. See what accredited programs there are in your area, some community colleges are starting to offer completely online bridges, with the exception of clinical that are held locally. You could do something like that then safe up your vacation for the weeks you have clinical. You just have to find what will work best for you. With that kind of schedule I am not sure how you could do most traditional programs as they aren't held every other week.

Good luck.

calmynurse · Feb 5, 2011

Hello I think the best thing you can do is focus on school, even if that means prioritizing it to be your only task and quitting your current job. You already have some experience and see your determination to be an rn.

Take the school loans and don't think of it as debt, think of it as an investment, towards something good. You will make the money to pay it off in no time. It's not like other fields where you are left to "potentially find a job to pay back the loans" you know it will be there after.

It will be some stress, so i recommend getting good stress relievers, but the payoff is big, good luck on your journey.

agldragonRN · Feb 6, 2011

i have been an lpn for 4 years now. i work for a mobile apheresis company and travel to treat pts at many different hospitals. we are on call every two weeks, 24 hours a day for a week straight. i am able to pretty much make my own schedule, go in whenever i want, just as long as i make my hours for the day and get my pts done. during our busy season, there are times where i don't get home till after dark, even though i work day shift. how am i supposed to go back to school to get my rn with such a crazy work schedule? i have tried the college network and rue education, but they want too much money down and too much money a month. money is extremely tight right now and the only way i could do it is if i get student loans and have them deferred until i graduate!

i worked full-time during lpn school and i also worked full-time during rn school. i don't have kids though. i went to excelsior college for my rn. it cost me less than 4k i think for the whole program. it is doable. good luck.