Working during nursing school

CoffeemateCNA · Apr 21, 2010

I think it's a very personalized decision. Not working during school certainly affords you more time to study. However, if there are bills to pay, you may have little choice. Perhaps you could just work a part-time or PRN schedule?

An added benefit of working during school is the experience you will gain. You will not be able to do procedures such as Foleys or IVs, but you will have more on-the-job time than your classmates and will be able to "see" a wider variety of cases.

milobust · Apr 21, 2010

I can tell you that when I worked 30 hours a week in nursing school it seemed like the worst time of my life but I had to do it and made A's. Don't get me wrong though, some days you'll wish you were dead but it can be done.

Intern67 · Apr 21, 2010

4 days a week in school and it's my last semester. i dont know what i should do. What do you guys do?

If you can afford it, I would say don't work. Since you are in your last semester, you probably cannot gain too much applicalble experience in a CNA job.

I will be working 20-30 hours a week during my last two semesters. It means I sacrifice a lot of housekeeping, family, and social life, but the bills keep coming.

midinphx, BSN · Apr 21, 2010

I worked while in school. I worked about 32 hours, took care of my house/husband/child, and went to school fulltime (at least 12+ credits) It was hard, but worth it. You see more, especially since you work in a hospital. And many hospitals give some preference to employees who become RN's. In this job market, any in is good. If you can scale back your hours for a few months, do that.

rnrainy · Apr 21, 2010

I found that the individuals who had a job related to nursing (nurse tech, patient care tech) had an easier transition into the profession and where confident in themselves. I needed the money during school and wished I would have worked! (I was a bartender for my schooling).

kcochrane · Apr 21, 2010

I can tell you that when I worked 30 hours a week in nursing school it seemed like the worst time of my life but I had to do it and made A's. Don't get me wrong though, some days you'll wish you were dead but it can be done.

Exactly. It seemed like all I did was work, go to school, try to find some sleep, try to do my work on time and find time to at least aknowledge that I had a family. But many days I just didn't know why I was killing myself like that. The last semester was the worst. I was just sick and tired of it all. It was worth it and it doesn't last forever.

If you don't have to work full time, don't do it. But like someone else mentioned, if you have bills to pay, there isn't much choice. You have to be really organized and go for the convenience stuff - fast food, paper plates, dirty house, things not done....etc.

AnaCatRN · Apr 21, 2010

I worked while in school. I worked about 32 hours, took care of my house/husband/child, and went to school fulltime (at least 12+ credits) It was hard, but worth it. You see more, especially since you work in a hospital. And many hospitals give some preference to employees who become RN's. In this job market, any in is good. If you can scale back your hours for a few months, do that.

It's true. In this job market, many hospitals will only hire internally. I would like to add this: some hospitals will not hire you back if you quit, even on good terms. I left the hospital I worked at as a CNA during my last semester of nursing school, and a nursing supervisor told me that was the worst decision I ever made. She warned me the HR people never hire people back, and yep - every time I apply for an RN position at that hospital, the HR lady tells me that since I quit, I can't come back. All of my classmates who did the same have had the same experience. I'm evil, but to annoy her, I applied for 26 different positions online there last week. This time she hasn't even called me to yell at me for even applying. Can you tell I'm stressed about not being able to find a job?

Anyway, I worked full-time (one semester I worked two jobs, so full-time-and-a-half) when I was in nursing school. My job had a program for nursing students that allowed us to do slightly more advanced stuff than CNAs who weren't in nursing school. It was hard, but I had no trouble at all getting a good job after graduation (ah, those were the days, when jobs weren't so scarce!). I had plenty of experience, and it showed commitment to patient care. But only you can make that decision. Good luck!

aubreysmommy · Apr 22, 2010

I worked at least 40 hours a week throughout nursing school, had a husband and baby. Its hard but its very doable but it is based on each individual. I am a pretty laid back person and don't get stressed easily, for a high stress person it may not be a great idea! But you gotta do what you gotta do!

nurseshante · Apr 22, 2010

I think working is good for you it allows you to gain extra hands on skills. and many are right in the thread....if you're in stay in! This economy is no joke!

Ceema09 · Apr 22, 2010

Personally, I don't work in the medical field at this time but will be starting nursing school in May. I've been going to school taking no less than 10 credits per semester and working full-time since 2007. Its not an easy task and just like the others mentioned it can be done. I will be doing the same once I start nursing school. I am married with a daughter in private school so you can imagine that working is a must in my household. I too wish that I didn't have to work sometimes but its something that has to be done. If you do decide to work, just keep up with your studies. I study between my breaks at work and when I have a little downtime. Good luck and I wish you the best.