Working and going to school

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Is anyone working as a CNA or PCT while taking their pre-reqs? Are you part time of full time? Do you plan on continuing with work when you get into any nursing program?

I just moved from out of state and am in the process of acquiring two different (part time) PCT positions. I know I'd be able to handle it now and probably next semester but want to hear others' takes on their plans.

I agree RNinIN, this is a hard choice to make especially if you are a non-Trad like myself. At the end of the day you must be able to pay the rent, etc. I am in the process of finding a facility monitor, aide, ekg tech position and working as a waitress on the side. I need to make money and get patient experience. Good luck!

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Yeah, after a lot of thinking, I have decided to just go for it and apply in April! Studying for the TEAS has begun! And I am already a CNA and Phlebotomist :) I work as a Phleb in a hospital. Very happy to have a foot in the door !

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.
Yeah, after a lot of thinking, I have decided to just go for it and apply in April! Studying for the TEAS has begun! And I am already a CNA and Phlebotomist :) I work as a Phleb in a hospital. Very happy to have a foot in the door !

I'm doing the same :) good luck

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

I worked full time (36 hours) as an ER tech throughout nursing school. We self-scheduled and I was able to mold my work schedule around my school schedule.

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Specializes in Allergy/ENT, Occ Health, LTC/Skilled.

I am in the LPN to RN track but I worked full time with two kids (pregnant with a third for the second year) and attending school part time for two years. I have a 4.0. After the birth of my third child, I cut back to PRN because I am in my last semester of difficult pre-reqs and will be going to my actual clinical portion soon. It's definitely doable to work throughout the whole thing full time if you do not have kids (and for those who do that with kids are freaking amazing).

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Specializes in CNA.

I currently work as a PCT and will just have to wait and see what happens once I get in. I work 3 12s a week and will most likely go to 1-2 a week, hopefully.

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Specializes in ER.

Ok so I'm totally not the I had to juggle a family and household person, but I worked about 24 hours a week all during nursing school. I had to work 8 hour shifts, so it was three times a week, mostly on the weekends when I didn't have weekend clinical. It did make it harder finding time to study and I was in an accelerated program as well. However, I would completely recommend it to any nursing student. You see things that they talk about during lecture and clinical. The nurses you work with (if they are used to nursing students themselves) will help you put things into practice and ask you to help over other techs when they pull drains, start new drips, hang blood, see weird rhythms on the tele monitors, or do cool dressing changes. There are things that you learn from being a tech that you just don't quite get from being a student. Like how to do a bed bath in 10 minutes with a full bed change so you have enough time to look up all your meds before med pass :)

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