If you’re about to start nursing school, I’m sure you’re hearing about how hard nursing school is and about how you won’t have any life.
If you’re currently working, it’s reasonable to start thinking if you should quit your job for nursing school out of fear that it will keep you from succeeding.
Should I Quit My Job For Nursing School?
Yes, you should consider quitting your job before nursing school if you’re in a situation where you’ll have some financial support. On the other hand, quitting may not be an option if you have to work to support yourself or your family.
Below I’m going to list some of the things you should consider when making this decision. Many of these points were things I had to think about myself before nursing school.
Why You Should Consider Quitting Your Job
The statement that nursing school is hard and will consume your life is very true.
Still today, I consider my time in nursing school as some of the worst times of my adult life for a myriad of reasons.
For starters, you’re given a lot of assignments with very little time to do them. This is on top of studying for exams, clinical, and care plans. (If you don’t know what care plans are, don’t worry. You will.)
Lastly and certainly not least is that I had bills that needed to be paid, leading me to this next point.
You May Not Have an Option
I was in a situation where I needed to work. I was a single guy living on my own and had bills to pay.
While I probably could have moved back in with my parents, I didn’t want to go down that route, so I chose the living on my own option. This situation makes it where you might not have that option.
This is especially true if you’re a non-traditional student.
You might have kids, a spouse, an elderly parent, etc., who depend on you for financial support. If you’re in that situation, you can’t just stop working.
With all that said, if that’s you rest assured that it is possible to go to nursing school while working.
I’ve written plenty of articles on this topic. I’ll link them below if you want to check them out.
I’ve also recorded many videos on my YouTube channel about this topic you can also check out. Here’s one of the videos.
The Two Factors You Need to Consider
I worked 40+ hours during nursing school, so I know it can be done. There are two determining factors that will determine if you can.
1. How Much Studying Do You Need
Some students are going to need to study more than others. Some topics are going to be much more challenging for you than others. There’s no shame in that. That’s just the fact of life.
I’ve gone to school with students who just show up to lecture and that was enough for them to ace an exam.
Others they could show up to class each and every day, pay for the best nursing school tutors and still barely scrape by.
Regardless of where you fall, you just need to be honest with yourself and your needs.
2. How Flexible is Your Job
A flexible job is going to be very important in nursing school, and that’s primarily because of nursing school clinical.
Those clinical times can vary significantly from being in the morning to being in the evening. They could be during the weekday or possibly the weekend.
Many nursing programs will try to accommodate students, but that’s not always possible. Many times programs are limited based on the hospital time slots they have available to them.
A flexible job will be key navigating this.
This is why the positions I listed in the article on best jobs for nursing students are primarily hospital related positions. This is because a job that has extended or odd hours is more beneficial for flexing your hours.
If nothing else, maybe see if your job will let you go part-time or look at getting another job.
Check out the NurseMoneyTalk job board if that’s something you’re thinking about.
Key Takeaways
Working is not necessarily ideal, but if you have to work, you have to. It’s possible to make it work in nursing school, but it will require you to be proactive.
Let me know if you have any questions about this in the comment section below.
