A common question people ask the internet, their family, their friends, and others is whether or not it is possible to balance a part-time job while going to nursing school. The simple answer to this question: yes.
With anything in life, sometimes we are required to put in a lot of effort in the beginning in order to reap the benefits later. In simple terms, you have to be determined to get from Point A to Point B. You have to want it – eye on the prize.
For some, it’s not even about part-time – it’s about full-time. We don’t recommend you undertake a full-time job combined with nursing school if you’re looking to do well in nursing school. Part-time is manageable, however.
Nursing school requires you to learn fundamentals that will be inherently be used every day as a nurse. This makes it increasingly important to make sure you learn and understand these fundamentals not only for the future of your nursing career, but also in preparation for the NCLEX-PN, a test all potential nurses must take in order to become licensed to practice.
How To Balance a Part-Time Job and Nursing School
First and foremost you should communicate with your boss the fact that you will be attending nursing school and that you will need hours that do not conflict with schooling. Most bosses should be very accommodating.
Secondly, you are going to have to accept the fact that plans do not always go as planned. This means that you will have to be ready to re-prioritize when the time calls. We advise drumming up a manageable plan in writing that you can fall back on when things get out of hand.
Thirdly, you will be stressed. Nursing school without a job can be stressful for many – adding a job only adds more stress. Find the times of your week that you can devote solely to enjoying yourself. Working hard is a great quality to possess, but sometimes it’s best for our own well being to just let go for a little and actually relax despite how overloaded our schedule may seem.
For more wise words, you can read nursing school advice that has been given by those who have already been there and done that.
