Where does your time go for school?

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Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

I've been accepted into an ADN program for the fall, from what I understand the schedule includes one day of lecture and two days of lab/clinical in a week. I currently work full time and will continue to do so throughout the two-year program. I know that everyone says nursing school is hard and I'll have no time for my family or anything. I'm just wondering where people find their time is spent. Is it studying in more the academic sense for the lecture class? Is it in preparation for labs and clinicals? Is it something else I don't even know about yet? I'm anticipating that it won't be an easy two years by any means, but I know that many people have gotten through their schooling while working. Just looking for some feedback, thanks.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

You will spend a GREAT deal of time studying for lecture and tests.

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Specializes in Pediatric Intensive Care, Long Term care.

Geesh I feel for you because I JUST went through the same thing. My last final was tuesday and all I could do is SLEEP! I too went to school fulltime, worked as a PCA in the PICU fulltime on 3rd shift, and carried out the fulltime mommy/wife role. Its extremely hard and I will say that you MUST take care of yourself. I ran myself ragged and ended up getting very sick this semester. Just make sure you have an OFF day for yourself at least every week or so. You'll thank yourself for it later.

As far as studying a great deal of it is studying for lecture. Im not sure how your program is set up but at my school Fundamentals of Nursing was our hardest class first smester. Medical-Surgical Nursing was EXTREMELY difficult and is taken second semester. There was preclass quizzes, pharm quizzes, exams, and a huge end of semester evidence-based essay. Clinical prep WILL take the entire night before your clinical. You have to look up the disease process(es) of your assigned client. As well as make a care plan, drug sheet, and be ready to present all of this to your instructor and clinical group. In addition to this, our school makes us to prepared clinical assignments to help integrate our learning. Try to study AS SOON as you learn the material. Figure out how YOU learn best. Im a very visual learner so I highlight EVERYTHING important, make my own notes and sometimes note cards. It is also helpful to tape your lectures in case you missed anything or especially if you are an auditory learner.

Hope this helps. Feel free too ask me anything

Congrats on your acceptance and get ready for the wildest ride of your life!!

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I agree with the above post it REALLY helps if you can go over the lecture after it has taken place...at the end of each week I would try to go over each lecture I had the past week. Although this is time consuming I found that it saved me a tonne of time when studying for tests/midterms etc.

Good luck with everything!

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