Too soon to start RN-BSN?

[SassyJennRN]

I graduated May2008. Passed NCLEX in July and have been working since passing bords. I am set up to start RN-BSN online through U of P. I work 3 12's a week. Do you think I will be able to handle going to school while still being a new grad. Recently work has been soooooo stressful I and I am affraid that it might be too soon but I don't really know. I worked the whole time through nursing school and did great. Any input whould be apriciated.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I started my RN-BSN with Chamberlain a few months ago, and I passed boards a month after you did. :) Can you start with just one class and see how it goes? I'm just doing one class at a time right now myself, and even with everything else I have going on, it seems do-able. But I looove to be busy!

On your days off, how much free time do you have each day?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

You'll be adding the stress of deadlines, etc. onto your stress and only you can really know if you can handle it. Work is going to stay stressful for a while, so there really is no reason that you shouldn't go ahead and do it. Getting your BSN while working 3 12's isn't that bad.

Good luck!

[llg, PhD, RN]

Only you can know whether or not you can emotionally handle more stress in your life right now. Academically, there is no reason to wait ... but do you really want to make yourself miserable is the question?

Most new grads experience an easing of the stress level sometime between 6 months and a year after they get their first RN job. I would recommend to all new grads that they wait until that point before they add anything big and stressful to their worklife. Why make yourself miserable and risk doing a bad job at both work and school? Why not wait a couple more months and get comfortable in your job? At that time, you will be able to focus more on your schooling and benefit more from it. You will also be a happier person.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

I started my RN-BSN program after I had been out of school for 6 months, and working for 4. Part of the reason I decided to start on my BSN was that I was bored to death on my days off. I couldn't just do nothing for 4 days. By the time classes started, I had passed boards and was off of orientation at work. :)

[Magriff3]

I passed my boards 2 years ago. Working at one job going on the 1.5 years now. I am just going back for BSN online. It depends on how stressful you job is. I literally spent one year still studying, still researching, all the paper work Careplans, quarterlies that they give you no time to do at work. All has been stress and actually had to do alot at home on my own time. Now, that I have been there 1 year, I feel better in terms of what my job requires.

So.............. it depends on how stressful your job is whether or not you can handle more stress in your life.. I will soon find out.