Those of you working through your program, how are you doing it?

queenjean · Aug 21, 2007

If your school is good about scheduling clinicals ahead of time, that's awesome. If not; I can understand an employer being wary of employing a nursing school student. When I was in LPN school, my program sometimes didn't know two weeks in advance what day our clinicals were! The LPN to RN program I am attending let us know almost a full 10 weeks in advance what our clinical rotations were, day and time. Very helpful for school.

Is there someone at work who would be willing to trade days with you, to ease any work/school conflicts? That way your director won't have to worry about it.

I work full time nights; only three days a week, but since it is a 12 hour shift, I really can't go to clinicals all day and then work all night. When I was in LPN school, I worked 8 hour shifts (again, full time), so while it was tough, I did work all night from 11-7, drive straight to school for an 8am class, and then get home from school around 4. On days that I had clinicals, which started at 6:30, I either tried to trade with someone so that my night off would be the night before clinicals, or I would ask a day shift person to come in an hour or so early, so I could get to the hospital.

It takes some juggling, but it's doable. I definitely depended heavily on my extremely supportive husband.

Jules A, MSN · Aug 22, 2007

This semester I'm only in class Tues, Wed and Thursday. I'm expecting them to be the most greuling 3 days imaginable but that allows me to work about 30 hours a week. I'll work every Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I've been in school for 3 years now and rarely ever get a full day off so I'm kind of used to it. Only 2 semesters left....

Euskadi1946 · Aug 22, 2007

It's all in good time management skills and a supervisor who is very supportive!! I worked part time as a monitor tech the last year of nursing school and was able to do it thanks to the support of a great clinical manager.

meagansmom · Aug 25, 2007

As a single mom this concerns me as well. I need/have to work fulltime to keep insurance and pay my bills. But I was thinking of maybe taking a student loan and cutting back to PRN and risk no insurance while I am in school fulltime. But that is a risk I don't want to have to take.

I work fulltime home health which is a Mon-Fri job but it is affiliated with a hospital so there maybe a way I can work weekends either in home health or nights at the hospital. I am not sure how to do it. Home health said they would work with me and my schedule and I really won't have to worry with it until the summer next year because I am taking night clasess right now.

My ex husband is sick and going on the liver transplant list....so no financial support is going to be coming from him. So I have to transition and want to just going about it and being able to pay my bills is the hard part.

Shelley

WickedRedRN, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2007

I hear you. Fortunately, hubby carries the insurance, so thats one less worry. But we still have bills to pay so I have to work. I think the thing that bothers me is being asked to leave my position.

I am looking to transfer to a sister facility where they will be more receptive to school, and working the floor there is much more appealing to me.

Jules A, MSN · Aug 25, 2007

As a single mom this concerns me as well. I need/have to work fulltime to keep insurance and pay my bills. But I was thinking of maybe taking a student loan and cutting back to PRN and risk no insurance while I am in school fulltime. But that is a risk I don't want to have to take.

Please do whatever you have to not to forgo health benefits. Good luck, Jules