Working While Attending RN Program?

[Pilot76]

hello. i'm new here and this is my 1st post. i just discovered this board and all the nursing boards for that matter. i'm 28 yrs old married with a 2 yr old son. i alreasy have a bachelors degree that i graduated with 3 yrs ago. i was employed as a pilot for 2 years after i graduated. after 911 i became out of work. i went back to doing what put me through college and flight school originally and that is selling cars. i have always enjoyed helping people and have always been interested in healthcare. so to make a lon story short i will be going to an rn program somewhere in the metro atlanta area. there are 7 rn programs in the metro area and i will take what ever is the best offer for me. two of the programs are asn and 4 are bsns. if i only get accepted to the asn program i will do that and go for my bsn right after i graduate and get a job. at this moment i will be taking the 7 prereqs i need over thge next 3 semester starting this fall while i continue working full time at my job.

my question is how much will i be able to work when i start one of the rn programs next summer full time. 10 hours? 20 hours? 40 hours? i know i will have to change jobs. i know this will vary from program to program but i'm just trying to get a general idea.

i saw several jobs at local hospitals for nurse externs. how much to they make per hour? thanks for your time.

[Jill1215]

i worked full-time for half of my pre-reqs. it was very intense. halfway through the second semester i quit work and although school was still very intense my grades shot way up. you can definitely work full time and go to school if you have the willpower and motivation, but you may not get the kind of grades you might be getting if you didn't work (or worked less hours). this is the major difference i found. less work = more studying. however, if grades are not that important to you and you can deal with the occasional c you will probably do just fine doing both school and work. if you know a c will wreck havoc on your emotional state i would suggest working the least amount of hours as possible.

[Pilot76]

Thanks for the advice. I'm im metro Atlanta and there are 3 accelerated BSN programs. I hope to get into Georgia State. The next option would be Kennesaw State. I will not apply to Emory's accerated program. It is VERY expensive. I will be working full time through my prereqs. I only have 7 courses and 3 semsters to finish them. THe accelerated programs have gotten very hard to get into. If I don't get into one of the 3 BSN programs I will start looking at the 2 ADN programs. One of the ADN programs has a higher passing rate on the NCLEX that 2 of the BSN programs.

[Maggie in NC]

Thanks for the advice. I'm im metro Atlanta and there are 3 accelerated BSN programs. I hope to get into Georgia State. The next option would be Kennesaw State. I will not apply to Emory's accerated program. It is VERY expensive. I will be working full time through my prereqs. I only have 7 courses and 3 semsters to finish them. THe accelerated programs have gotten very hard to get into. If I don't get into one of the 3 BSN programs I will start looking at the 2 ADN programs. One of the ADN programs has a higher passing rate on the NCLEX that 2 of the BSN programs.

Pilot-Don't discount community colleges around the metro area. There are lots of them and they have good passig scores. It may take longer but, it might be easier to get into.

[Jen2]

I worked full time during my prereqs and my first semester of nursing school. During my second semester I had to drop down to part time because the second semester in my ADN program is notorious for "weeding" out and the schedule was too intense. I had Peds, OB, OR, and community health rotations with tons of careplans, and presentations to do. I had class 4 days a week and I worked 3 days a week. It was so intense, but I was able to take personal time off before a test to study. My tests were on Tuesdays and I'd use my personal time to take the Fri, Sat, Sun, and Mon off before the test. I never called off or took off for any reason other than school, this allowed my personal time to build so I could use it to my advantage.

Nurse externs make anywhere from $10.00 to $12.00/hr and it's great experience. At the end of my externship this summer I had the option to stay on as an extern for my final year of school or take a $5,000 scholarship. I took the scholarship. If you need to work I suggest getting a job in a hospital where you can work 12 hour shifts. I think two twelve hour shifts a week during nursing school is enough to make anyone pull their hair out. Try to get a job in a hospital ASAP so that you can save up your personal time and use it to your advantage. Anything is possible and as long as you set your mind to something it can be accomplished. Good luck.

[Rcron]

There is no way I can work with the RN program that I am in. I don't recommend it. It is so so so hard!

[heavencutstma32]

I am currently in the RN program, first semester (fundamentals of nursing). I have been a nursing assistant 4 years now, so some of this stuff is review for me. I would deff recommend getting cna type experience before starting, it really helps. I currently work 38 hours a week. here is my week:

monday: 10:30a - 12:30p lab

tuesday & wednesday: 9a - 12p lecture

thursday & friday: 6:15a - 12:30p clinical

friday: 5p - 9a work

saturday: 11p - 9a work

sunday: 9p - 9a

It is deff do-able to work full time and go to school, time management is key. i would more look for a job where you can do some studying/homework while at work and they really don't care. My program recommends not working while going to school, I can deff see why - burn out, and exhausted. I gotta do what I gotta do, so I have to work. It is do able, just keep your eye on the prize at the end of the tunnel, passing boards n getting a nursing job. Remember, some single mother's work full time, go to school full time n raise their children.

just a bit of advice, some hospitals prefer BSN's.. but there is not much a difference between ADN n BSN except, BSN can do NICU n More Management type roles VS. ADN.. most places there is not much a pay difference between the two maybe $1 - $1.50 if that. i am just going with my RN for now. you can't do management type roles until you have experience, so i am going for my BSN later, after i get experience.

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

It's doable. I had 92 hours in the last pay period (14 days). Each to their own, I guess.

Edit: I guess I should add it's a BSN program with 15 semester hours laid out for each semester.

[JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN]

2nd year here. I'm watching my working friends really struggle with sleep deprivation and a lousy first test score. Of course some of the non-employed are also struggling but not as bad. If you can find a weekend only job and your family won't miss you, it might be a good gig for school. Just remember, you will be doing a ton of reading, tons of writing, and practicing new skills weekly. Nursing is a very immersive program. It tends to take over your life.

[alby_dangle]

I am done with all my RN prereqs but have not officially started the program yet. I was told I would be starting this winter or spring quarter. I just got a part time night position at a LTC memory unit. Two shifts a week, every other weekend. I also have had a prn job for a year where I am at least required to pick up two shifts a month, if not more. I haven't started my part time job yet, but I am going to see if I can make it work. I HAVE to work while in school. Like a lot of people on here, I dont have a choice. But the only thing I may do is get rid of my prn job if I end up liking the one I just got.

I think it is a good idea to work while in school, just not full time. I understand why some programs tell you you just wont have enough time to study, but completely discouraging working altogether is something I disagree with. When we go to apply for jobs after graduation, they are going to be asking us why we weren't working, like they always do.

My advice would probably be to find a prn job, as that is the easiest to make your own schedule. You can turn down shifts as needed to make it work with school. And I dont think school would disagree with an "as needed" job. It just seems like it would be the best choice during school, as long as you are getting called every once in awhile.

[CAsunny1]

I'm in an accelerated BSN program and my classmates who work full time do as well grade-wise as the students who don't work at all. It's all about time management and being organized.

I work from home and my schedule is very flexible, but I noticed I'm more focused on school the more hours I work.