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Hold onto PRN job while in PA school?


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Should I hold onto my PRN job while I go to school, or just quit? I'm only obligated to work 1 shift every 2 weeks or 1 weekend a month I believe. I could use it for extra money or as a supplement to my learning experience in PA school. I'm going to bring it up to my manager and the school, but I just thought I'd ask what the community here thinks about it. I understand that working while in school is looked down upon, but I figured this might be different.

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I work PRN while I'm in school. I just finished my first year and did just fine. My PRN job didn't require a certain number of hours, but I probably worked as much as your job requires. I'd say hold on to the job for now and see how you do the first couple months. If you feel like it's too overwhelming, just drop the job - but I doubt the trial period will do you any major harm.

 

I keep my job for the same reason that you want to. Extra money is nice and it's sort of cool seeing how much more I know when I do go back to work now.

 

I'm by no means an exceptional student, I'd consider myself pretty average. :)

 

EDIT: to add to my post, I'd say it has a lot to do with your program and your personality type. My program is 27 months long and our faculty does an exceptional job at spacing things out so that we don't feel like we're drowning. It is by no means easy, and I have felt overwhelmed A LOT, but they'll give us a whole day off here and there and I liked to work on those days. Also, I'm very type B and I don't HAVE TO have As. I just like to learn the information and pass (I still have a very good GPA). So I don't study constantly. I take days off. I take most Friday nights & Saturdays off. I may be atypical; take it with a grain of salt. Ask the people in your particular program what it's like.

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I held on to two PRN jobs throughout PA school:

 

One, as a volunteer firefighter, helped me keep an unbroken service record, which meant when I went back to my original fire department after school finished I was on track for the next officer spot that came open.

 

The other, as an EMS instructor, helped me keep contacts in my target (read: home) market.  Still workin' that job, even though PA work pays a lot more than that now.

 

I highly recommend not letting patient contact go for didactic year.

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Just starting clinical rotations and I kept my PRN job while I attended school out of state even. It's possible and I found it valuable. But be honest with yourself and your employer and set up realistic expectations early and make sure to maintain an open line of communications with them.

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Wow, I don't see how anyone could possibly work during school. Props to you guys, I can barely make time to see friends haha

Friends?

 

Seriously, your PA program will offer a ton of things to make you a decent new graduate... but they will turn you out cookie cutter unless you take the initiative and go beyond what the program requires.  You want to be THAT kind of candidate that doesn't drone on for a whole page in your CV about your rotations, because you've got REAL CONTENT on that CV that make you employable as a new grad PA.

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Thanks for all the comments, I really appreciate everyone's insight. I think i'll hold onto it, but tell my manager what to expect out of me. Working has a PCNA has benefited my both in the classroom and out of the classroom. Not only has it been a great supplement to my learning, but it is a job that I actually enjoy (for the most part). I sometimes go to work just to relieve all the stress I have from school, which I know sounds crazy. I feel like i'll be able to associate what I learn throughout my didactic year with what I'm doing in the clinical setting as a PCNA. That's definitely been the case for my undergrad, but this will be like undergrad on steroids. However, I would never put work in front of school. School always comes first and I have that luxury to call off whenever I'd like if needed.

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