Working full-time while going to school

I worked full time for the first year of my ADN program. I had to cut back to about 20-30 hours a week the last year of the program because it got a little more time consuming. It is doable if you are good at managing your time and don't mind not having a lot of downtime. I never had a full day off to myself during the academic year because I was either in class, working, or both. Good luck!

Thanks, I'll be starting pre reqs no later than the spring, and my schedule at work is pretty much set. I hope I'll be able to manage my time wisely but the up side is I'll stay busy

I work full-time (finishing up my prerequisites), but I have had many professors tell the class that working once we get accepted into the program may not be an option. We have been advised to plan ahead and take out loans to cover living expenses and whatnot. It's an investment for the future. No point in being accepted only to fail out for not having enough time to study. Fortunately, I have worked for so many years in a particular field so I have been able to save up money to cover my expenses for the two years I will be in the program.

I realize that taking out loans is not always a viable option and that scholarships are limited. There may be programs where you can work for an underprivileged hospital in exchange for them paying a certain amount of money. Work as much as you can now and figure out ways to cut costs. Working is doable in prerequisites. I think working once you actually start the final two years depends on the person.

Thank you. Currently I have no money saved up because I'm currently working paycheck to paycheck. I'm also purchasing a vehicle so I can get to work and school. I plan to put my household in a weekly budget outside of bills and hopefully will save whatever is left over for the month. I don't need luxuries like going out to eat and things like that.

Also, I would prefer not to take out anymore loans unless I need to. Already have loans to pay back from my first attempt at school

I can definitely understand the desire to not take out loans! I think you can definitely manage your time wisely as long as you plan out each day/week and remind yourself why you want to pursue nursing. One of my friends has to stay busy in order for her not to procrastinate. If you work hard and plan carefully then I am confident that you can get to where you want to go.

Thanks again. I appreciate the advice. Another question I wondered is which route I should take. I haven't started my pre reqs yet, but there's a university here that's geared towards adults 24 and older. The tuition is affordable where I'll take my pre reqs and then have the option to apply to either the accelerated bsn or their traditional rn program. Another option is a local community college where I attended (wasn't an RN major btw) where my tuition will be paid for by grants but the kick is my GPA there is extremely low. Should I stick to my current school and change majors and try to ace the pre reqs or will starting fresh be my best bet?

I would recommend talking to a nursing advisor or the person who evaluates the applications and determines to get in. At your current school, you would have to figure out how the application process works. My school in particular relies heavily on the science GPA and the TEAS score. There are a number of other things that are also taken into consideration such as prior medical experience, already having a four year degree, etc. My school will accept the highest grade submitted, but will only take the first TEAS score. I would determine whether or not this is also something that applies to you at your current school. You may need to retake some courses to boost your GPA. The less money you have to spend the better!

I would also suggest talking to someone at the four year school as well. You should figure out how grades from your other school will factor into you being accepted at the new one. You will be paying for prequisites there (I am assuming) plus your junior and senior years. I am not entirely familiar with the ABSN (accelerated) route, but that does seem like an ideal option. You get a degree in less time and are able to start working.

Either way, I would say going both the ADN route and BSN route take about 3-4 years depending on how fast you can complete the prerequisites. Starting pay should be the same regardless, but I have heard that people in leadership positions tend to be those with BSNs. This is not always the case though! All-in-all, I would say look at your finances and whether or not you plan to pursue higher education after becoming an RN one way or the other. If you do plan on going for your MSN, PhD, etc. then a BSN will save you some time. You would have to do an RN to BSN program if you went the ADN route. I do hear that some employers will actually pay for your schooling.

*If for some reason both the ADN and BSN route are hindered by your GPA at your current school, I would suggest going the LVN or LPN route first. From there you can pursue either a LVN-RN (ADN) or LVN-BSN.

I hope this helps out a bit!

It does help out a lot. I haven't attended the community college for 3 semesters so I would have to reapply again. The thing is my state passed a law where older adults 24 and up (I'm 26) can go to school tuition free at a community college or technical school. So for the four year school yes I would be paying for the pre reqs but it doesn't cost much, but it isn't better than going for free. I wish I had of had my head on straight the first go round at college (flunked out) or I wouldn't be in this mess.

I am glad I could help! You'll just have to weigh your options and see what works best. I wish my state would pass something like that haha! In all honesty, I would not have done well if I had tried to go straight into college from high school. I was a terrible student, had no clue how to manage my time, did not know how to study, and moved out on my own when I was 16. My experiences have made me the person I am today and I am grateful for the bumps in the road. Almost a decade out of high school has served me well. I now value my education and put my all into my courses.

I feel I shouldn't have gone to university straight out of high school because I was imature, unfocused, lazy, and didn't really know what I want. Now that I'm older and have some life experiences as an adult I can confidently say that becoming a nurse is what I want to do. I would go the lpn route since it's free and quicker, but I want to get into Peds and not sure if lpns are hired for that.

I feel I shouldn't have gone to university straight out of high school because I was imature, unfocused, lazy, and didn't really know what I want. Now that I'm older and have some life experiences as an adult I can confidently say that becoming a nurse is what I want to do. I would go the lpn route since it's free and quicker, but I want to get into Peds and not sure if lpns are hired for that.