Not working during nursing school?

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For those of you that didn't work during nursing school and are single with no one to support you how did you pay for your bills and expenses?

I'm taking the prereqs now and applying and this is my biggest worry as everyone said I will have to significantly cut back.

I think the issue is that people think that they will be making lot of money when they graduate. They are many threads on this site asking why the new grad pay is so low, a good portion of new grad pay starts in the twenties and some even start in the teens. If you have no source of income during nursing school then I advise individuals to work whether it be prn, part time and full time.

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And I wish those who are able to help themselves would do it even if it is uncomfortable and save our precious resources for those who truly need it like your friend who I can guarantee you did not go to jail simply because he couldn't afford his medications. Your point that people can't get medication they desperately need solidifies the argument that those of us who are able should not willingly burden our system. I would also guess food stamps consist of more than a few loaves of bread and jug of milk

Call me whatever names you want. I will not agree that it is not possible to work in some capacity during nursing school. If your children were "starving" I absolutely would feel more charitable although I would still think you should work. Its just my opinion and we can agree to disagree.

I'm tempted to ask you where you work because I want to avoid wherever that is at all costs. I hope to never run across a healthcare worker as presumptuous and judgmental as you. Your unwillingness to listen just so you can judge me... it is toxic.

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Specializes in Oncology/StemCell Transplant; Psychiatry.
JulesA, I think you should reflect on your priorities. People who don't value mental health should not be in the medical field. Period.

Stress affects health in so many ways. I would rather increase your taxes by $0.0001 cents/year and become a great nurse than half-a** the nursing program and kill myself of stress. When I was working and doing nursing school simultaneously, my BP shot up to the 160/100 range from stress. I'm normally in the 90/60 range. If you think about it long-term, that has so many negative health implications that I am saving you tax money. Because when people get diabetes, heart disease, mental/psychiatric disorders, etc... guess who has to pay for it. That's right. Taxpayers.

Let's hope you care about your patients more than you care about your fellow nurses.

Jules is a mental health nurse practitioner. Pretty sure she/he values mental health.

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Jules is a mental health nurse practitioner. Pretty sure she/he values mental health.

I have said it once and I will say it again. Let's hope she cares about her patients more than she cares about her fellow nurses.

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Specializes in Oncology/StemCell Transplant; Psychiatry.
I have said it once and I will say it again. Let's hope she cares about her patients more than she cares about her fellow nurses.

You can't judge the way someone treats their patients based on their views on the use of welfare. Nurses are usually pretty good at putting their views aside when they take care of their patients, at least the successful ones are. And Jules A seems to have a very successful practice.

To the OP, you do what you have to in order to make it. If you have to work, and becoming a nurse is something you want to do, you'll make it work. If you don't have to work and are okay with taking out loans and using welfare, do what you have to do. I didn't want to go into debt, and I didn't want to go on welfare, so I busted my ass working every free minute I had. I was one of the only students in my program who took this route, and it was quite difficult. It's a personal decision that I doubt anyone will judge you for ten years from now. However, it is easy to dig yourself into a hole with student loans and credit cards.

Just my two cents....

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Specializes in hospice.
I have said it once and I will say it again. Let's hope she cares about her patients more than she cares about her fellow nurses.

For someone who decries others for being judgemental, you sure are comfortable with judging other people.

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For someone who decries others for being judgemental, you sure are comfortable with judging other people.

I am not judging. If you READ what I said... "I HOPE..." I don't know how she does her practice. Maybe like the other poster said, maybe she is able to put her views aside and be a great nurse. I never said she doesn't do that. On the contrary, I hope that she can for the sake of those people.

She has assumed things about me that are untrue, such as I do not work.

She has assumed that my friend did not go to jail because he stopped taking his medication. She does not even know what he went to jail for. She doesn't know why he stopped taking his medication.

She has assumed I don't buy milk and bread with my EBT. Of course I do not just buy that, but I as well as most people I know on food assistance, do use it wisely.

She is very presumptuous about my situation. That is just a fact, not a judgment. I hope this does not carry over into her practice, but if it does, then it is harmful to her patients. That is the only point I am trying to make.

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Specializes in hospice.
I am not judging.

Hurts to get smacked with your own club, huh?

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Hurts to get smacked with your own club, huh?

Please enlighten me with your wisdom. What did I say that was judgmental?

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
I would be extremely afraid to have any of you people as my nurses if I were a patient. Judgmental, unmindful, uncaring, and quite frankly inhumane. It is judgmental people like you who cause people to turn away assistance that they desperately need, but are too afraid to ask for out of a fear of being judged. It is a shame. I beg that you do some research and educate yourselves.

I hope to never run across a healthcare worker as presumptuous and judgmental as you. Your unwillingness to listen just so you can judge me... it is toxic.

I have said it once and I will say it again. Let's hope she cares about her patients more than she cares about her fellow nurses.

She is very presumptuous about my situation. That is just a fact, not a judgment. I hope this does not carry over into her practice, but if it does, then it is harmful to her patients. That is the only point I am trying to make.

These posts state that other posters are judgmental, unmindful, inhumane, uneducated, unwilling to listen, toxic, uncaring towards other nurses & have harmful attitudes towards patients.

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These posts state that other posters are judgmental, unmindful, inhumane, uneducated, unwilling to listen, toxic, uncaring towards other nurses & have harmful attitudes towards patients.

Thank you. I appreciate people who choose to have an intellectual conversation over people who just choose to attack without stating facts or knowing information. This is probably the first post that brings up truths instead of assumptions. For that I thank you. Hopefully everyone else in this thread can follow your example.

I do think it is unmindful for someone to assume so many things about people on welfare or other govt. assistance. I do think it is inhumane for a nurse to say I should be deprived of sleep, food, physical health, and mental health to save the average taxpayer 0.00007 cents a year (yes, I did the math). These are judgments I have made and I will admit to that now. I never assumed they were bad nurses however. Just hoping they don't bring these presumptions into their practice is all.

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I didn't work at all. With my family support I was able to do it , but honestly it was all worth it .

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