Working full time & going to nursing school?

ProgressiveThinking, MSN, CRNA · Dec 7, 2011

I'm done with my RN program in a few days, and I've been working full time as a LVN throughout school. I was fortunate enough to have 12 hour shifts. I would work 4 12s one week, and 3 12's the next week, and would work every weekend. A pharm tech I knew worked 5 days a week from 11pm-7am, and he somehow pulled it off. Working in the field will put you head and shoulders above other classmates because you will have a better understanding of what they're talking about in lecture. I think my grades were better because I made it a point to study whenever I had any free time.

Will it be easy? No. Is it doable? Yes. The hardest part has been social isolation, and finding time for myself. Try to find something you enjoy that's peaceful for you. I always felt like I had 748957494 things on my mind, so I would take walks or lift weights while sorting my thoughts. It worked for me. It sounds corny, but you'll know what I mean mid-semester when you're in the thick of it.

campton · Dec 7, 2011

It's a lot of work to do both. Being a nursing student is a full-time job as well. Just keep that in mind!

dfs1961 · Dec 8, 2011

I did a weekend program to get my ASN. I had just delivered my fourth child (she was 6 weeks old at the time when I started NUR101). It had taken me 3 years to get to this point of finishing my pre-reqs. I wasn't working at the time, but I had four children under the age of 5. It was crazy and so hard but totally worth it. I graduated in 2007 and starting working in 2008. I also started my MSN in the fall of 2007 and am graduating with that in May of 2012!!! I swear, this is the last degree I will ever get. I.am.done.

Fast forward, now my children are 11, 9, 8 and 6. In school fulltime. I work 2 12 hour shifts on a busy med/surg/tele floor and on my "days off" I substitute school nurse. I love subbing because I just have to see the student (and do none of the paperwork, records, etc). I work only when they need me (which seems to be at least 1 to 2 times a week), and I make $150 day for subbing and I don't start till my kids leave for school and I am home just as they are getting home. I don't have to pay for a babysitter.

I used to work M-F 9-5 before kids. I have to stay this nursing gig is the BEST thing I ever did for myself. Great job, great benefits, great hours and I enjoy it as well. Don't be swayed by all the negative posts about nursing this and nursing that - it is what you make of it and if you are willing to work hard and do whatever it takes, nursing is your ticket to your dream job.

Best of luck

amberlynn7801 · Feb 26, 2012

hi i am a 24 year old nursing assistant who works full time for a hospital. i am supporting myself while going through school i don't have any family backing me up. i am currently working on pre reqs to get in to the rn program at the community college near where i live. after this semester i have to take microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, anatomy and physiology 1 and anatomy and physiology 2. after that i will still need to apply and get in to the nursing program.

i know that the nursing program is very competitive, there is no longer a waiting list but instead getting in to the program is based on by gpa. i would like to work full time and go to school full time. i have always wanted to try that. i am currently taking 7 credits and working full time and that seems to be going well, but the classes am in now are government and english and i understand that the science classes are far more difficult.

another option i was thinking of is taking the classes i have left two at a time. am interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with working full time while finishing the pre reqs and going through the actual program? i am also interested in hearing peoples suggestions on how i should best combine the classes i have left to take, bearing in mind i need to get a's in all of them except for chemistry which i just have to pass with a c or higher.

i don't have any kids or a boyfriend and i have no friends any more either and i am not close with my family so i have lots of time.

jwright80 · May 11, 2012

Hi Amberlynn. I currently work full-time in HR during the day and will start my pre-reqs at the end of this month. I have it setup to where I am taking one online class and one science course together over both summer sessions and this fall. I got my masters degree while I worked full-time and you can make great progress in school and maintain your working life. You must be dedicated and make time for both worlds. I too have no kids and truly depend on myself for everything and pray for strength. Excuses and procrastination are very tempting distractions that will try to creep into your life while you undertake school, but do your best to ignore such behaviors. I know that nursing is my passion and I see that it is yours as well. I would suggest that you get a monthly calendar to plan out your school schedule and for times to study and stick to it like glue. This will also help budget your money for the many books you will need for anatomy and physiology I&II. Good luck to you!

Jackie

studentnursebilly · Sep 4, 2012

Right now i am going to work full time and doing nursing school. I am a father of 3 (oldest is 6, youngest is 3 months) and married. I am in my second semester of a 2 year Associates RN program and think things are going pretty well for me. I passed the first semester with flying colors. HOWEVER- I don't have as much time for my wife and kids as I would like, don't get to study as much as I would like, can't get any overtime as I would like, but a lot of people tell me that I'm smart (for what that's worth).

Working in a hopsital has helped me tremendously because I already know most of what we cover, it's just learning how they want it presented to them.

It is possible, just difficult. But hopefully it will be worth it.

duckie0716 · Oct 9, 2012

I'll begin the full time workload and nursing school in January. I did it the first time I was in school, but this time it's going to be different. I have a 1.5 year old and a military husband who is away for long periods of time. I'm taking it slow, and have all the regular classes taken minus nursing so each semester it is focused on just those classes, which is going to be a huge plus in my world! I think as long as you know there's an end result it can be done!

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Oct 9, 2012

I am in the 3rd semester of a two-year ADN program, is a full-time program, and I work full-time as well. Given a choice of schedules, I would rather do just school, but that is not doable right now. So I do what I have to do in order to get through school and work and provide for family. It is a very tough road, but it is doable if you have at least some support for work, where they can allow you to take time off that you need or adjust your schedule so that you can attend your classes/clinicals as required by the school. My employer has been very good at giving me the time off that I need in order to attend school. If I were working at any of the previous jobs that I had, I would not be doing as well, because my current job also gives me some time to study while at work, as long as it does not impact my job performance.

Time management is absolutely key to this. You have to be able to make your schedules work, and you may be the one driving that process, rather than your employer or school. This is because the common elements in both is you. I certainly am not content with getting a C grade, but I also understand that I probably will not get an A grade every semester, but I do the best I can given the limitations that I have on my time.

Going to nursing school and working full-time is doable. It can be a royal pain in the backside, but at the end of it all, you will have mastered time management in a way that few of your classmates will.