new to APN program....need some encouragement

allnurses Guide · Aug 8, 2009

Hi,

I just graduated this past May, and went to school full time and worked part time. I can't say that I had a lot of free time, but I also have a husband, kids, pets, etc. that required care and feeding! My classmates who are single and didn't work were quite busy, too, but did seem to have time to go out on the weekends. How many classes are you taking? I took 4 at a time plus did 20 hours of clinical a week, and I did a couple of hours of studying/writing almost every day. We had more group work and more writing than I expected. It was challenging, but it wasn't undoable or impossible. I had my moments of feeling overwhelmed, but got through them. I'd have to say it was more the volume of work rather than the difficulty that I found challenging. I was in a direct entry program, so I can't speak to how it compares with a BSN program. I did find the NP portion a bit less stressful than the RN part of my program, but that might have been due to feeling more confident in my abilities after completing my RN.

I think you'll be fine.....you'll meet some great people in your program and you'll help each other get through it. Best of luck to you.

Christen, ANP · Aug 9, 2009

I've lost my mind and am going to school full time and working full time! Which is doable, but barely. Luckily I have an understanding husband, a neglected dog, and no kids, which makes the situation manageable, but extremely stressful.

With that, I can say that going to work full time and school part time is doable and you'll still have some "play" time left over, depending on how your program is set up and how much study time you need (everyone's different!).

Good luck! :)

carachel2 · Aug 9, 2009

Classmates who had no children seemed to do better with a busier work schedule and a busier school schedule. Be open to the thought that your work schedule may need to change as your classes evolve more towards clinically based classes. What used to be just a "lecture and study" class may change to a lecture, study, write and clinical class.

I have one child and did well working 1-2 shifts per week and taking 2 classes at a time UNTIL my clinical classes started. I just couldn't handle it all and ESPECIALLY couldn't handle spending night after night holed up in my home office. I will always remember the night my daughter asked me "do you think just ONE night this week you could take a break and tuck me in and read to me?" That was enough. I dropped one class, switched up my work schedule and here were are 4 years later. I've had a LIFE and have not felt pulled between work, school and family.

jlnp7 · Aug 25, 2009

BCgradnurse,

I'd love to hear more about your experiences. I am married with two teenagers, living south of Boston. I am planning to begin a direct entry NP program Fall 2010. I was leaning away from BC due to the short time frame and everything else on my plate, but it wounds like you were able to work part-time and complete the program? Can you give me an idea of how flexible your class schedules were? What is the BC week like in terms of hours of classes, etc.? Also, did you work part-time during the first year? In your old field, or in nursing? Any thoughts, advice would be great!

allnurses Guide · Aug 27, 2009

The two year program was very fast paced and intense, but I wanted to be back in the work force as soon as possible. I also chose BC cause there were no hassles with parking, as taking public tranportation didn't work for me. Silly reason, but it made my life a whole lot easier. I had worked in health care as a medical technologist for 20+ years, and I think that made things a little easier for me academically. I knew the lingo, all the lab stuff, and some of the pathophysiology, and that was definitely to my advantage. My part time job was incredibly flexible with my hours, letting me change my work schedule every semester. I worked 20 hours a week (in my old career) the first year, but had to drop a day my second year, as my NP clinicals were a bit of a distance away and were more of a 9-5 schedule. My class schedules were not very flexible, as the program is accelerated and there's really no room for dropping classes or taking a lighter load if you want to finish in 2 years. I had one day a week off first semester and half of the second semester. You usually have classes 2 days a week and clinical 2 days. The second year you have one very long day of classes (9am to 7pm) and one short day (1-4), with the rest of the week for clinicals. You need to do about 20 hours of clinical a week your second year. The first year is very structured-the second year less so. Once you get your NP clinical sites you can work with them to figure out a schedule. Some people did clinical hours on weekends cause that worked best for them and their preceptors. You do have the option of doing your first year full time, and then going part time for the remainder of the program, if that works better for you.

It was sometimes hard with the kids...I missed a lot of games and school events, and I felt guilty about that. But everyone is much happier now that I'm not working evenings and weekends (along with studying). I think the sacrifices were worth it. I have a job I love, I'm home every night and weekend, and things are better financially for us.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions!!