What is your school schedule?

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Ok, so I know that nursing school is time consuming. I am assuming that much of what is so time consuming is home study. I am wondering what some of your nursing school schedule/home schedules are like. When do you go to school, when do you go to clinicals, when do you study? What year are you in, does it change by semester, is it RN or LVN school?

I have a couple of options for two community colleges to either side of my city. I am thinking of doing the LVN then RN program at the school I am at now for pre-reqs or just going straight RN at a CC I have also done pre-reqs. The LVN, then RN route would be summer through fall, with summer being four days (2clinical/lab and two lecture) and the rest of the year being three days (2 clinical/1 lecture) and a two hour lab day, then RN being three days for spring and fall. The other school would be straight RN, spring and fall semesters only, for four sem. It is three days first year and four days second I believe. I plan to apply to the first and then the second application period would shortly follow. I prefer the first only because I really would like to have the option to take a break if I really need it after the first year of school (I have five kids). I really hope to just go on through though. All my pre-reqs for both programs will be done before I apply to either. 4.0 so far, so I am hoping I won't have a problem getting into the first one.

Anyway, I know this is long but I am wondering with these two options how much time I would be studying in addition to school/clinical. How much time will it really require? I'm willing to do the work, just want to be prepared and have a good idea what I will be in for. What is your schedule like? How much time do study or do home work on top of that? Do you schedule your study time or do you fit it in whenever you can? Thanks for the replies.

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Wow, 5 kids and a 4.0, you rock! Nice work! I am starting an LPN program in about 3 weeks after completing all the pre reqs. I'm thinking about continuing on for RN next year, we will see how this year goes. As far as a schedule, we have classes 3 hours a day MWF and clinicals on T TH. On top of my nursing classes I am taking a psych class and concepts of wellness and physical fitness on MW as well. As far as studying, last year I scheduled a 5 hour break between classes, so I had no choice but to stay at school and study. This year, I will probably be pulling all nighters. :confused: Good luck to you, it will be hard but we can do this!:yeah:

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I'm doing an RN program this fall. I already have my syllabus and have started reading/studying when I can. I mostly only have to take nursing courses except for my sociology and human growth and development which can be done online (thankfully!!). So, my nursing lecture/lab are tuesday and wednesday evenings. Plus we have 2 more hours of lab on our own through simulations that we have to watch before our actual lab. Then I have clinical satudays 730-330. The second year we have an extra day of class so it will be 3 evenings per week and our clinicals go to 12 hours instead. I honestly have no idea about the studying but I plan to do most of mine before the baby wakes up in the am, and during her nap, and whenever she is playing quietly. I really don't plan on studying after she's in bed because my brain is fried by that time, so it'll work better for me to just get up early and get a few hours in since I am a morning person.

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I'm starting my accelerated second degree BSN program in 2 weeks. Since it's accelerated, we don't follow the normal 15 week semesters. We're taking 21 credits the first semester with classes changing after 10 weeks.

My schedule for weeks 1-10: M-lecture 8:30a-4:30p, Tu-Clinical 6:30a-3:30p, Th-lab 9a-4p

Weeks 11-15: W-lecture 8:30a-4:30p, Th & Fri- Clinical 7a-7p

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I'm starting my first semester. From the looks of things we will have lecture on Mondays from 9-3, Lab on Tuesdays from 9-2, Clinicals on Wednesday, and Pharmacology on Thursdays, no hours posted yet.

I'm not totally sure about this because I've been told that lecture is all online so what do we do on Mondays? Pharmacology is a hybrid class, so what do we do on some Thursdays? I guess we'll find out soon!

As far as home study.... I have no idea. In our orientation (if you could call it that) we were told to figure in 8 hours a week. I've never been much of a studier (never studied while working on my BSEd) but that will probably change. Even so, I thought 8 hours seems kind of slim.

We are supposed to make up a schedule of our entire week: classes, studying, work, socializing, church, other activities. I just can't do it. I cannot foresee how my schedule is going to be.

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Specializes in LDRP.

I'm not totally sure about this because I've been told that lecture is all online so what do we do on Mondays? Pharmacology is a hybrid class, so what do we do on some Thursdays? I guess we'll find out soon!

from my experience a hybrid class is getting lectures in class, and taking most of your quizzes/tests online, but it could be different. I've only taken a psych and a stats hybrid class.

As for a schedule, since I start in Jan, they havent given me one yet, but there is a sample schedule on the school's website:

Nursing 1: Basic Concepts of

Nursing Care

M, T & Th 0800-1200

Clinical:

W & F 0630-1500

Pharm 1

Lec: 100 M & TH 1230-1345

im hoping it is similar to this, because that will work with my work schedule (kind of).. if anything goes past 3:00, im screwed. :eek:

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I start classes on the 23rd for a BSN program. My schedule is ok I guess, I would prefer to not have to go in for minimal hours 2 days a week but I can't help that really, so I guess I have to suck it up.

Monday~

8:50am-11:50am ----> Foundations of Nursing I Lecture

2:45pm-3:50pm -----> Pathophysiology

Tuesday~

7:00 am- 1:30pm ----> Clinical

3:30pm- 5:30pm -----> Health Assessment

Wednesday~

2:45pm-3:50pm -----> Pathophysiology

Thursday~

1:00pm 3:00pm ------> Foundations LRC

Friday~

8:50am-9:50am --------> Professional Role Development

1:00pm-3:00pm --------> Health Assessment LRC

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from my experience a hybrid class is getting lectures in class, and taking most of your quizzes/tests online, but it could be different. I've only taken a psych and a stats hybrid class.

As for a schedule, since I start in Jan, they havent given me one yet, but there is a sample schedule on the school's website:

Nursing 1: Basic Concepts of

Nursing Care

M, T & Th 0800-1200

Clinical:

W & F 0630-1500

Pharm 1

Lec: 100 M & TH 1230-1345

im hoping it is similar to this, because that will work with my work schedule (kind of).. if anything goes past 3:00, im screwed. :eek:

At my school, hybrid classes are described as: Courses that are online-based, with limited on-campus class requirements.

I've been told that all lecture is online so.... I don't know. We are all having a heck of a time getting info 'round here!

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Thanks for all the info. This is really interesting to me, all the different ways schools do it.

wifemotherstudent- I see what you mean about those two days. Not sure how far your commute is, if that has a bearing on why the short days are not good for you. One of the programs I am planning to apply to has a short day also but it's only 20 minutes from my house, so not too bad. Still, not sure how paying someone to watch my little ones for three hours is going to really work out. Could you plan study time at the college maybe before your short hours? Maybe it wouldn't seem like such a waste? I think I may try to do that...make a half day out of it and get study time in without distractions.

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Hello,

I'm starting a 2-year ADN program on August 30th at a community college.

My schedule is as follows for the first semester"

Monday

830am-1130am Lecture Nursing 101 Fundamentals

1230-230pm Pre-lab (all students attend both)

Tuesday/Wednesday

7-230pm Clinicals at the VA Hospital (only the first 6 weeks; some students have it the last 6 weeks of the semester, some have it one day a week for the whole semester...it was first come first serve basis for scheduling clinicals/clinical sites differ as well)

Thursday

830am-1130am Lecture Nursing 101 Fundamentals

2-430pm Human Growth & Dev.

Friday

Lab 1-4pm

...seems like I'll be pretty busy. Plus, I'm told I'll have to go to the hospital on my own time to view patient history/chart/info and go home and research and prepare careplans for the next clinical day. Some people say this takes them 4-8 hours. In addition, there's a ton of reading and homework! I decided to at least take off the first 6 weeks from work to focus on clinicals and school. After clinicals are over, I may work part-time.

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Thanks for all the info. This is really interesting to me, all the different ways schools do it.

wifemotherstudent- I see what you mean about those two days. Not sure how far your commute is, if that has a bearing on why the short days are not good for you. One of the programs I am planning to apply to has a short day also but it's only 20 minutes from my house, so not too bad. Still, not sure how paying someone to watch my little ones for three hours is going to really work out. Could you plan study time at the college maybe before your short hours? Maybe it wouldn't seem like such a waste? I think I may try to do that...make a half day out of it and get study time in without distractions.

My commute is around 20min or so, therefore not that bad. However, I hate having my son in daycare for those short of hours. No sooner does he get there and get settled in I am returning to yank him back out. I probably could use the the study time but I hate leaving my kids in daycare if I am doing nothing. Ya know?

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I start my program this fall and I also have kids, ages 4 and 1.

My schedule looks like this:

Monday: 9-10:20

Foundations of Nursing Practice

Tuesday: 7-1:30

Foundations of Nursing Practice Clinical/Lab

Wednesday: -----------------

Thursday: 9-10:20

Foundations of Nursing Practice

12:30-2:20

Clinical Concepts for Nursing Practice

Friday: 10:30-11:20

Health Assessment

My kids both attend the same daycare center and will be there full time. My son is in the pre-school there and my daughter will be in the actual daycare portion of the center. The center opens up every morning at 7:30 so I plan on having them there by at least 8:15 or 8:30 every day, the center is only 1 mile from my school so it works out very well.

I plan on dropping them off, heading to class, and then staying at school until its time to pick them up. I figure if I study while Im at school all day then I wont have to study when I get home and they'll get my undivided attention. So on Mondays I only have class from 9-10:20, so I'll stay at the school until 3 and just study until I head to pick up the kids. On Wednesdays, even though I dont have class I'll still spend all day at school studying since the kids will be in daycare. Thursdays I'll just study for a couple hours between my two classes and on Fridays I'll study before and after my 50 minute assessment class.

Hopefully, that will be enough studying each day and of not I can just wake up early in the AM around 3 and study until its time to get ready to head out (that's when my brain is the clearest for whatever the reason).

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