Working full-time as an NA in nursing school

allnurses Guide · Apr 10, 2018

Lots of people work full time through nursing school. Lots of people with small children make it through nursing school. However, not lots of people successfully complete nursing school while working full time 12 hour nights for 3-4 nights every week plus having small children plus going to nursing school full time. Something will have to give. I am not saying it can't be done. I am saying something, somewhere will suffer, potentially all three of those, plus your marriage to boot. You need to ask yourself:

When do you plan to sleep?

When do you plan to study?

Who is going to care for the children when they are ill?

Who is going to care for the children when school isn't in session?

Who is going to care for the children when you are ill?

How will you divide up household duties, such as laundry, cleaning bathrooms, shopping, cooking meals?

Who will respond if the school calls for a kiddo to be picked up?

Such questions are inevitable. The outline for the school itinerary doesn't include many things, including having to go to clinical sites the day before clinicals and turn in a care plan the next day, mandatory volunteerism, group projects, study time and the like. You will need to have plans for full time care of your children, including when they are sick.

This isn't meant to be discouraging as much as to point out that you have to have a very, VERY strong plan to do this while working full time nights and still keeping your family intact and still keeping yourself from struggling in school.

AdobeRN · Apr 10, 2018

I was not able to do it - what previous poster brings up is true, lots of things to consider and think about. I ended up just working 12 hour nights on Friday & Saturday to bring in alittle bit of money then we took out a private loan to make up the difference - we used the loan money to keep the roof over our head and the lights on - It was difficult but we got thru it.

nrsingislife · Apr 10, 2018

Thanks for your feedback. I have thought out many of these things in my mind. Thank goodness I have a good support system but I have also threw the thought out there that I may have to cut my hours back... even go prn, if necessary. I can't foresee every obstacle in my path but I do know this will be one of the hardest journeys I'll ever take. I'm open minded and quite determined that no matter what, I'll make a way. Thanks again for your insight.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Apr 10, 2018

I worked weekend 12-hour nights at the hospital as a CNA when I was going through nursing school and raising my four kids. I had a lot of help from my husband with the chores and the kids, he was going to school too and we had next to no money. There was no way I could have done it if I was working full-time, though. It was hard enough as it was, trying to study and participate in group projects, prepare for clinicals, and attend lectures and skills labs all by themselves; having a family and a job made it even more challenging. But I made it, and I got all A's and B's in my classes. My advice to the OP is to work part-time during school if at all possible...it's just too hard to go to school full-time and work full-time too, to say nothing of raising a family, and SOMETHING'S got to give. Marriages also take a hit, and mine almost didn't survive because we hardly ever saw each other, and when we did, we were both so stressed out that we fought like cats and dogs. If I had it to do all over again I'm not sure I would have worked at all during school. But we were as poor as Job's turkey, so I didn't see any alternative. The OP has my sympathies.

nrsingislife · Apr 10, 2018

I commend you. I definitely understand what you mean. I work beside nurse's who stayed on full time and made it through nursing school but most didn't have children yet. The few who did said there parents practically took over raising their children, while they focused on school. My three children and husband are everything to me. I have explained to them that I have to do this and things will change, drastically. Two of mine have asthma and one has epilepsy (but is off meds and seizure free for 6yrs now) and nursing them back to health all of these years is part of my motivation to become a nurse. I will leave my job all together, if it gets to that point. Whatever it takes, I'm willing to do. I have to make the best of this opportunity. Thanks for your input.