Telling your boss you're going to nursing school....

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I'm currently working in a business setting working from 9 to 5. The program I've gotten accepted to has classes 3 times a week starting at 4. I am scared to ask my boss to change my hours so I can take nursing classes since it would mean I'd be leaving them. Anyone face this dilemma? How did your boss react to you telling them you want tovswitch careers?

So glad I found this thread! I've been stressing out a great bit about taking this form of action as well. There aren't a lot of high-quality business/office jobs in my area, a lot of them I've learned, are family-owned and tight-knitted, so as a 20YO, it's quite difficult to get a job in my city without college education or experience.

OK, I work at Walmart. I HIGHLY doubt they are going to accommodate my needed schedule change. I'm about to be full-time with pre-reqs of Med Term, A&P, and Psych. I'm one of the nursing students who's just going to take the plunge to quit my job and focus full-heartedly on my schooling, for I know they wouldn't work around my schedule as I need them to. I work in an area that is already short of employees, so I can just imagine how they are going to react when I tell them I'm pursuing Nursing and need an extreme hour cut, or am no longer going to be there.

If you still want or have to be employed while going to school, by all means try to make at as easy as you can for yourself. I've heard so many stories of how those that keep employment, especially full-time, while going through Nursing School struggled just to keep their head above water when it came the their grades.

In nursing school, it is so hard for my classmates to work their full-time jobs...they usually work 3 12-hr shifts on the weekends/weeknights. They have to work full-time, because they're the bread-winners. If you can afford to quit and sacrifice your luxuries for a year or two, it'll be worth it.

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I'm in the same boat. I work a full time job that requires me to have an open availability 6 days a week .I can't do that while in school. My boss is very nasty about schedule requests. I may be forced to work part time. My boss hates it when she knows her employees are leaving to do something else. I don't care if they make me work part time I'm going to school. I'll hate making less money but in 2 years I'll be making double what I make now.

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Specializes in CNA/LPN.

[color=#2f4f4f]it seems bosses more often are that way! i wish you the best of luck and hope that she works with you on this. it's such a shame that most of them cannot seem to understand what you want for your future, and to help accommodate it in any way they could, but that's just the way it is! i hope you are able to work part-time. here i am, almost seven months since my last post and i've been jobless for six of those months. my workplace would not take my school hours into account and were very, very rude about the entire process, so here i am living as a poor college student and plan on doing so for the rest of my time, as i am now in the program @ 12 credit hours 8am-3pm 4 days weekly. i'm not complaining. i am happy that i am able to put my focus on my studies pretty much 100% in my current living situation with my parents. i need all the time i can get!

telling your boss is either going to make it easier for you to focus on your schooling, or harder. it depends on the way they take it. mine were very unsupportive and that more than usually always ends in leaving that job for your future. best of luck, i hope it works out for the best! :)

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I just don't get it. If someone that worked for me was going to school I would be happy for them. My boss thinks that if she tells me that I have to go down to part time that I won't go to school and continue to work there full time. She's very wrong if she thinks I would give up school to work for her. I'm excited about nursing because I know that if I was in school to get my B.S.N, M.S.N or doctorate degree my employer would be supportive.

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It definitely depends on the type of job you have and your employer. I'm planning a major career change by going into nursing. I told my manger and he is working with me. I can set my own hours, work at home when I want, etc. He appreciates that I am giving him a heads up that I plan to leave my job. I will work with him to train my replacement though so it is beneficial to both of us to work together.

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When I went back to school 2 years ago, the only chem class I could take was at noon. So I basically prepared myself to resign if my boss didn't agree to me working part time. He already knew I was pretty unhappy with my job so he wasn't surprised by the career shift. Luckily, he let me work part time and I went back to full time after that semester.

Now that nursing school application time has come, I'll have to basically resign. I'll have zero time to commute to the school, the hospital, and then work. So oh well. This is what I've been saving my money for!

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I'm glad I found this post. In my case, I'm still in the very very VERY early stages of potentially switching to a nursing career. Again, I am still looking to see if logistically, switching to a career in nursing is viable considering my circumstances. This past year, I was diagnosed with a major health issue that I did not see coming at all. However, it's because of this health issue that I am now seeking a career in nursing. So in the case that nursing is possible, I would need to do the science pre-requisites first since I obtained my BA way back in 2001 and took my last hard science class in 1998! There are some scenarios I've plotted, one being taking one class per semester, which would have me completing the pre-reqs by the end of 2013 if I start this summer term. My dilemma is whether I should let my company know of my plan, or wait until I've completed my pre-reqs and start applying to nursing programs.

I work for a mid-sized consulting company and have a rather good relationship with my direct supervisors luckily and are on good terms with the directors. My industry had been going through a pretty rough patch of it and just recently things seem to be turning for the better and I do feel lucky that I am still around. My company has been so supportive of me. Because of my illness, I've been out on leave for pretty much half a year now and they've been okay with it even though it's left them short-handed. Again, just not sure I should let them know of my intentions when I start the pre-reqs, or wait until I've completed the pre-reqs and start applying for school. My job is a 9-5 office job, but the industry is such that I need to be available after hours to tend to the needs of our clients. Because of this aspect, there may be some conflict if a client meeting is scheduled during class hours.

If I hadn't had my illness and decided to change careers for some other reason, I would definitely let them know and see if I can work something out. However, because they've been so accommodating, I'm not sure how they would take it if I told them about the pre-reqs. In a way, I feel guilty about potentially leaving my company because they've been so supportive, but at the same time, I know I would also feel guilty not telling them of my intentions as well. At the end of the day though, I will probablt tell my company before I start the pre-reqs. However, first and foremost I have to see if my health issue holds me back! If it does, then this will be moot. Thanks

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