Is Working While in Nursing School Possible?

Prospective nursing students often wonder, Can you work while in nursing school? How feasible is it? After all, even though you’re completing an intensive curriculum, you still have expenses like rent, food, utilities and perhaps childcare. It’s common for students to consider working while in nursing school to meet their financial obligations.

So, can you work and go to nursing school at the same time? This is a question that should be carefully weighed, given your personal circumstances, and it should be discussed with your admissions advisor. However, there are some general factors you can consider to see whether this option might be viable for you. Let’s explore the question of working during nursing school and see some of the common nursing school jobs that students take on.

Can You Work During Nursing School?

At Concordia University, St. Paul, our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Portland, Oregon, makes it possible to earn a BSN in as few as 16 months. Accomplishing this feat demands a lot of hard work, time and dedication from students.

Indeed, accelerated nursing school takes significant effort, as it fills your days with classes, labs, clinicals and studying. That could mean that juggling a job with your intensive school schedule may get tricky. Working while in nursing school can easily conflict with your coursework and clinical learning, and this may lead to the necessity of pushing back your graduation date. It may also mean graduating without feeling fully confident in your skills as a future nurse. That’s why we recommend that you don’t work or only work a reduced number of hours while earning a nursing degree.

At Concordia St. Paul, we want our students to succeed and achieve their nursing goals, and that takes time. What makes the ABSN program so demanding of your time? There are a number of factors at play, including the many scheduled activities students need to participate in, such as skills labs, exams and clinical learning experiences. These activities are set in your schedule, so working around them can be challenging.

The other major factor is study time, which includes self-directed learning, assignments, discussion posts, papers and studying for exams. The ABSN program compresses the timeline of a traditional nursing curriculum into 16 months, meaning you’ll be asked to get through a lot of material quickly.

Therefore, it’s imperative to give yourself enough time every day to review content, read, make flashcards, complete assignments, write outlines and more. Furthermore, you’ll need to spend plenty of time preparing to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). A passing grade on this exam is required to obtain licensure as a nurse.

The biggest reason we don’t recommend working while in an accelerated nursing program if possible is the time constraint. Students in the ABSN program should expect to spend more than 40 hours each week dedicated to their studies. If they’re also working, the job takes away from precious study time. Students who commit that time to studying instead of working have more success in mastering the course material.

Because the ABSN curriculum is designed to be completed in 16 months, it’s a short but intense challenge. Upon graduation and after attaining licensure, you can jump headfirst into your work as a nurse. Therefore, exhaust your options and talk with our financial aid team about your situation before you commit to adding a job to your schedule.

What if You Have to Try Working While in Nursing School?

Can you work during nursing school if you absolutely must? Some people just can’t get around it. They have to find a way to make working while in nursing school possible. If that’s you, then you’ll need to explore the strategies that can make it possible to work while still having success in an accelerated nursing program.

Before you decide to start working while in school, talk with an admissions advisor about your situation. They will talk with you about what to expect in the ABSN program and what the schedule looks like. Having a clear understanding of the demands of an ABSN program will provide valuable perspective. If you are considering taking on a job during accelerated nursing school, you can also try the following strategies:

1. Choose Part-Time or PRN Scheduling

The first factor to consider before taking a side job during nursing school is scheduling. Nursing school requires a jam-packed schedule already, so you should avoid full-time jobs or even part-time jobs that require too many hours.

It’s best to go with a PRN position or a part-time position where you won’t be pressured into working more hours than you can handle. PRN jobs are ideal because you don’t need to work a set number of hours per week, and you can generally pick up shifts whenever they fit into your schedule. It’s common for healthcare jobs to have PRN scheduling options. (PRN is an acronym for pro re nata — a Latin phrase that, today, is used to indicate a job whose hours are scheduled as the need arises).

2. Find a Job That’s Flexible

Flexibility is critical to balance work with nursing school. Focus on jobs in which your schedule is not set in stone. You may need to work less when you have an exam coming up, or you may need to adjust your schedule for a nursing school activity. Nursing school must come first, and your employer needs to understand and honor that. Finding a job in which you’re not locked into a schedule is important. Your schedule will change every semester so it’s important that your employer understands this. The nursing program works with clinical partners who decide the days and times that clinical education can occur and skills labs schedules are built around that. Flexible, part-time employment is key!

3. Choose a Relatable Position

Many students who consider working while in an accelerated nursing program prefer taking on a healthcare-related job, such as a nursing assistant, patient representative, phlebotomist or surgery tech. Taking a job in healthcare means you’ll be able to learn some applicable skills and get more comfortable caring for patients. If you’ll be working, you may as well be working in a job that will help you prepare for your career.

4. Look Into Remote or Freelance Roles

Do you have any other skills that would set you up for a remote or freelance position? If you have a biology background, maybe you could work part-time as a remote science tutor. For those with a knack for writing, consider a freelance writing or proofreading job.

Whatever your skills outside of nursing, you’ll likely be able to think of a way you can apply them remotely. By working a remote job, you’ll spend less time commuting and preparing for work. With freelance roles, you’ll get to make your own schedule. Finding jobs with these characteristics can minimize the disturbance to your academics.

5. Try to Find a Job in Which You Can Study During Work

Though these jobs are sometimes hard to find, there are some jobs where you get paid while studying. Examples of this would be an overnight customer service representative, an overnight home health nurse, nanny or security guard. All these jobs tend to come with some free time where you could study while still on the clock.

Can You Work While in Nursing School and Achieve Work/School Balance?

So, can you work and go to nursing school and still maintain balance in life? It will undoubtedly be challenging, but there are some strategies you can employ that will help you have greater success with juggling school and work.

Always remember that nursing school is your top priority. You may need to work on the side right now, but your education is most important, as that’s setting you up to enjoy a rewarding and meaningful career. Think long-term.

Here are some helpful tips you can use to help you optimize your time when you’re working while in nursing school:

• Avoid starting a new job at the beginning of nursing school. Wait until after you settle into the expectations and routines of the ABSN program.
• Make your ABSN study schedule first before deciding when you’re available to work. After you allot enough time for studying and completing other school-related tasks each day, then you can add in work during off-hours or free time.
• Talk with your manager before taking the job to ensure they will accommodate your ABSN schedule which will change every semester.
• Prepare to draw from your free time for working, not your study time. This means you’ll have less time for hobbies, family, dinners with friends and working out. You may miss some birthdays or weddings, but your family will understand you are working hard to reach your dream of becoming a professional nurse.
• Don’t let work infringe on studying for exams, especially in the week before the exam.
• Work as few hours as is feasible.
• Bring your notes or flashcards to work with you. If you happen to have downtime, be productive by studying for your online courses.

Remembering Your Limits and Taking Care of Yourself

Accelerated nursing school at Concordia University, St. Paul, is challenging enough without adding a job into the mix. Before you begin working while earning a nursing degree, take time to adjust to the rhythm of nursing school. Think about your mental health and stress level. If you’re at a peak stress level or you have no free time even without a job, then consider other options for financial aid other than working.

At Concordia University, St. Paul, we’re committed to supporting your success as a nursing student, and our instructors, faculty and success coaches are here to help you along the way. Sit down with an Academic Success Coach before taking on a job. We’ll help you evaluate how feasible it is for you to work, and we can work with financial aid to help you navigate your finances while in the ABSN program.

If you’re planning on tackling a job while also in nursing school, you’ll need to be intentional about taking care of yourself. Ensure your job doesn’t take up all of your free time, as you still need time to eat, sleep, unwind and keep yourself healthy amid the stress of nursing school.

If you feel overwhelmed, consider taking a step back. Working while in an accelerated nursing program isn’t recommended for a good reason. Nursing school is challenging enough.

In the end, all the dedication and hard work you put into the ABSN program will be worth it. That’s because after you graduate, you’ll get to walk proudly, BSN in hand, into a career that’s personally and professionally rewarding. Nursing is a meaningful career, allowing you to take part every day in healing illness and transforming lives.

Ready to Propel Your Future in Nursing?

If the prospect of becoming a nurse fuels your passion, and you have at least 54 prior college credits or a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, you may be the right fit for the ABSN program at Concordia University, St. Paul. Our 16-month ABSN program offers three start dates each year so you can make the most of your time and get into your nursing career sooner.

Our accelerated nursing students can choose between our locations in St. Paul, Minnesota, or Portland, Oregon. The ABSN program uses a hybrid curriculum consisting of comprehensive online courses, interactive labs and clinical learning experiences.

Get started redefining your future today. Reach out to our admissions advisors to find out how Concordia University, St. Paul, can set your nursing career in motion.