Can You Have a Social Life in Nursing School? Here’s How

Going to school and completing classes to have a great career as a nurse is important.

However, it’s also important to maintain your relationships with your friends and family even throughout nursing school.

Here’s what I think about maintaining a social life during nursing school.

With some organizational skills, you can have a thriving social life in nursing school that can boost your confidence, help you maintain friendships, and make it easier to complete classes. It’s possible to maintain a healthy social life in nursing school.

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How Long Does Nursing School Take?

Nursing school takes an average of 2 to 4 years to complete, with 4-years needed to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.

Although you might want to opt for an ADN program (associate degree in nursing) to help you start your career, not all states will allow you to do this.

Some states now require a 4-year degree to work as a nurse, and more states are expected to follow suit in the coming years.

Because of this, you might need to dedicate more years and give up more of your social life to complete a BSN program. However, just because you have to attend a long program doesn’t mean you can’t maintain a social life.

Making Friends in Nursing School

Whether you’re in nursing school through a private institution, community, or 4-year college, it’s still possible to maintain a social life and make friends while in nursing school.

Many schools offer nursing clubs, which can help you socialize and make friends. On top of that, being in a nursing club can also look good on a resume while allowing you to network and learn about other opportunities to help you in your career.

Like other colleges, you can still participate in outside clubs and sports while doing regular nursing coursework.

In addition, you might make friends and grow closer to people during your clinical and during the course of your schooling.

Pro-Tip
One of the ways I connected with other nursing students was by becoming involved with my school’s chapter of the Student Nurses Association (SNA).

If your nursing program has an SNA chapter, you should consider getting involved.

Besides connecting with other students, it was a good way to connect with my nursing school professors in an environment outside of class.

This becomes really important for networking purposes. If you want good recommendations for your first job after nursing school or for graduate school.

Do I Have to Spend Time Studying?

It’s great being able to make friends and socialize in nursing and other academic clubs, but what if you don’t want to study and simply party?

This is never a good idea, even with regular college courses. Nursing is extremely competitive, and courses can be difficult to complete.

Sadly, 20% of all students will end up dropping out of nursing school because of how difficult it is to pass courses and complete clinicals.

If you want to be a successful nurse, it’s important to know how to balance study time with a healthy social life.

Tips to Balance Nursing School and a Social Life

You can achieve a healthy social life-school balance by following some simple tips and staying organized. Below are some things you can use to achieve a good social life in nursing school.

• Make a list of your priorities, and take care of the ones at the top. These can include family, your children, friends, your outside job, and of course nursing classes.
• Hire a tutor if you’re struggling in any of your classes.
• Combine studying with social time by inviting friends for study groups.
• Write a physical schedule to help you stay organized. Hand-writing has been shown to help you retain more information than typing, so use this tip to your advantage when you’re taking notes or making your daily schedule.
• If you do choose to go out, make sure to drink responsibly and schedule blocks of time for you to enjoy a movie or dinner with friends.
• Talk to your firneds and family members so they know that you’re not ignoring them but you’re just very busy with school.
• Make sure you still prioritize yoru health and well-being. Make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep and rest and that you’re making time to excercise and eat healthy.

Making Sacrifices

Nursing school is hard, however, it’s doable and you can even have a social life while in school.

The key is to prioritize so you have enough time for both studying and hanging out with friends or family.

If you do need to sacrifice a bit of social life it will be worth it once you get your LPN or RN licensure.

Have You Read These Yet?

• Is Nursing School Harder Than Other Degrees?
• Is Nursing Right For Me?
• Do You Have to Write Papers in Nursing School?
• Do You Need Calculus For Nursing School?

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