Going to nursing school and working full time at the same time may sound like the perfect recipe for a career disaster but it doesn't have to be. It IS possible to work and study nursing - and do both successfully. If you find this hard to believe, then read on.
For most nursing students,
one of the greatest challenges of going to nursing school is finding a way to survive with no paycheck for several years. It's a little easier for students who have just graduated from high school and still have financial support from their parents, but for older nursing students who may have a family, a mortgage or rent, car payments, and grocery bills...surviving for three or four years without a paycheck is a huge financial burden.
Going to nursing school also translates to intensive memorization and the study of difficult subjects such as science and mathematics. This is certainly no joke and is doubly harder if one has to handle a full time job. Even those who are only working part-time are in danger of flunking out because of the rigorous training they go through in traditional nursing schools.
This is why online nursing schools are a good option to consider. They allow students to progress at their own pace, and students can stretch out the length of the program and simply take less classes each semester, so that they can work part or full-time and still have enough time to take their nursing classes online, study, and take tests.
It must be noted however, that in addition to the course fees, an additional fee is charged for every year that the student stays with the program. It's not very big, and it's a small price to shell out for being able to spend enough time on each course so you can have time to study, and pass the class, rather than rushing through and risking failure.
Also online nursing students can take classes at a time that fits in their schedule; they can generally check in on their classroom modules at whatever time is convenient for them. As long as they complete their coursework and take their tests and quizzes within the time frame required by the instructor, they can do this at whatever time of day or night works for them, including weekends.
And another benefit - if the online nursing school student flunks a class, they can retake it. And, while failing a class is unpleasant and expensive, because the student will have to pay to retake the class, at least they will know where their strengths and weakness are in that class, and they can seek tutoring or help from an online study group. In traditional nursing schools, a student who fails a class could face automatic expulsion from the program !
One important note: you can only get an Associate's Degree in Nursing if you are already a licensed practical nurse or a paramedic. In some states, respiratory therapists are also welcome to participate in online courses. However, a degree in licensed practical nursing, paramedics, and respiratory therapy usually takes only a year of full time schooling. Then you can take an LPN to RN online course, paramedic to RN online course, etc., as long as your state board of nursing permits it.
If the above arguments have not convinced you altogether to take the online route, maybe this one will: many hospitals and health care facilities are willing to pay for the continued education (e.g. earning an RN degree from LPN) of their employees.
