Work and School

daiflo · Jul 27, 2015

I think is best if you do no work full-time, I am currently taking chem this summer 2 and its really hard to find time to study. I stay up late and to study and I am tired the next day. if it is possible for you to work part-time do that instead or work weekends.

cracklingkraken, ASN, RN · Jul 27, 2015

It is possible. However, it is not easy. Time management will be essential if you choose to take this position. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Jul 27, 2015

How many days per week will you have to attend lecture and clinicals? I think that is a huge factor.

Also, my school recommends 2 hrs of studying for each hour of class per day. Factor study time in plus time to write care plans/do paperwork/prep and s little extra leeway time for studying more right before exams.

As for me, once I got my study system down, I was able to drastically reduce my study time. However, other students were barely passing class with the minimum required passing percentage, so this varies person to person.

If your time requirements pencil out, perhaps you can manage working while in school.

As for me, personally, I worked during prereqs but not during actual nursing school.

manda1124 · Jul 28, 2015

I have lecture and clinicals 3 days out of the week for the Fall semester. I do have an idea of how I want to map out my time, I just haven't put it on paper yet.

I'm in a situation where I have to work during school. I have a family to support and bills to pay. We have other means of support but I'm not planning on using those unless I absolutely have to.

I think all I can do at this point is take it one day at a time. There are so many unknowns, it's not worth stressing myself out about it right now :)

Thanks for all of your input!

tjmnurse · Jul 28, 2015

I'm quitting my job in the banking industry as of Friday in preparation for my first semester of NS. I wouldn't mind being able to fit in a part-time job somewhere, but I'm in an accelerated program, married with a 2 year old so I've decided to wait and see how it goes.

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Jul 31, 2015

If you have to work then you have to. Another thing that helped (helps) me is to be quite frugal. I have very few financial obligations that are "contracts".

I save money by living without cable, I know how to save $ on groceries and sundries. No cable, just Internet. No car payment. I also don't live in a great area, but it's safe and cheap. This way my expenses are kept low enough that I'm not working just to scrape by.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Jul 31, 2015

I get what you are trying to do, but taking on this job with 12 hour shifts just because you think it's going to get your foot in the door at a hospital, I think is crazy. Especially if it takes a toll on you in your schoolwork. I understand you have to work to help pay the bills. You are not alone in that. There are lots of people that do it. But you are looking at what 36 hours a week in a hospital, then all of your classes and clinical which is medical on top of that. And let me tell you, the first semester, by far the easiest, although you are going to think it's the hardest about 2 weeks in because you are going to be overwhelmed. So expect to get burned out on the medical stuff, then what happens, which medical thing takes a back seat? The job, or the studying? I'm going to say the studying because you are going to want to be on top of it at your job. As much as I find the medical field fascinating, I could not spend 70+ hours a week on it. I like and savor my time away from that stuff. I have not looked at anything remotely medical this summer. Not. A. Thing.

Plus, you have a husband and 2 very young children who will need your attention. Your 2 and 4 year old are not going to understand why mommy can't be there quite as much. My son is nine, now. He was seven when I started my prereqs. He has at least been able to understand what I am doing. He gets I'm in school and have to study. I also have to find time to balance my relationship with my boyfriend. He's super supportive, but if I completely ignore him, our relationship will be down the drain. I'm fortunate that I do not have to work. I understand that you do. I would honestly not take this job. I would look somewhere else, and see what you can do to try and get as close to 30 hours and under as you can.

One of the previous posters mentioned ways to cut back. I have no idea if you are already living pretty close as it is or not. I sat down to look at my budget a couple of weeks ago because I was cutting it too close to comfort for me and I felt somewhere my spending was off. I did see me as spending extravagantly or anything, but I have some huge bills coming up and I had to buy my son his school supplies and clothes and stuff. Just a bunch of extras coming up. When I actually looked at how I was spending, I was shocked at myself, and really started to trim the fat, so to speak. I realized that my grilling out this summer had added up, and my Target shopping, along with some laundry things I was doing extra that I didn't realize were really costing me a lot more than I had thought. Trimming things out of my cell phone bill and cable. Stupid little things I had signed up for but don't even use anymore. So, I cut probably $250 out of my monthly budget. I'm able to put a little back in the rainy day fund again and finish paying off a few medical bills for my son that we had this year. I honestly didn't realize how that added up. I'm about ready to just use my roku stick for my cable completely. I did not realize how much free stuff I could stream. That's going to save me tons a month. I may have to wait until after football season though!!! LOL.