NP clinical hours too much to hold a full time 9-5 job!

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  1. Future options

    • 3
      suck it up and work on a floor or go to school full time
    • 2
      apply for RN-MSN
    • 1
      try to get a RN job and skip the masters work

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I'm in a direct entry NP program right now, about to sit for my NCLEX in May. I have a bachelors degrees in business administration. This program will not give me a BSN, but rather a MS once I'm done with the masters courses.

I'm starting to wonder if the NP program is worth it, but without it I won't have a degree in nursing.

The big issue with a NP program is the clinical requirements. I just found out that I will have three semesters of clinical that will each require between 14 and 25 hours per week. I work in clinical research, and I could see myself working long term as a research RN. I love the field and the work. The only issue is that I doubt I will find a research position that will allow me to take 2 or even 3 days off each week. I know that I could potentially make this work with a floor job, but that really isn't the sort of nursing I'm interested in doing.

Anyone have any experience with working in research or another non-floor nursing job while in NP school?

I'm starting to wonder if I should just go apply to an RN-MSN program.

I'd really appreciate any advice or opinions!

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, Emergency, SAFE.

If your long term goal is to work in research why do you feel you need to go for NP now? You could always get a post masters certificate for NP should you decide that is what you want to do.

Good Luck with your decisions.

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Crux-Thanks so much for the comment. One issue I didn't raise is that most of the NP programs in Chicago (where I live) are moving to DNP. This is the last change to do a masters based NP at UIC, Rush has eliminated them, and many of the other programs won't take transfers without BSNs.

If I can really find a research nursing position that I like next year, I think I'll take that as a sign to move to an easier program and just get it all done with.

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