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Job in school???


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I have not seen a post if there is one.

 

Is it possibe to work during year 1? Very part time like 3-5 shifts a month as a nurse? I know when I start clinicals that work is not an option.

 

Still exlporing my options as I am just retaking some classes that are more than 5 years old so i can apply for PA school, so it will be at least one year before i am ready to apply. I am now picking up a shift or 2 a week on top of my FT job and just stacking the extra cash. I know i will have to take loans but i want as little as possible.

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I think every PA school out there discourages employment while enrolled. That said, I've met some students who didn't have any problem working a few shifts here and there. It might be best for you to plan on not being able to work at all. That way, you won't be unprepared financially if you find that you just can't make it work. That's my plan anyway, for what it's worth. 

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During the first semester I was able to get in a weekend day here and there and even more during the summer semester. I definitely would not pick up within a week of block exams though and would almost never did more than one shift per week. Even if you capable of doing more, the guilt and anxiety you have of knowing you should be studying your butt off like everyone else will keep you from it.

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I worked as a flight medic for the first eight months of the didactic year.  It wasn't bad in the sense that if I wasn't flying I was studying.  If we had a busy day, however, I wouldn't get any studying done.  I did one to two shifts a week.  Essentially this worked out to be every weekend.  Eight months into the year I wound up with a wicked head cold that would not quit and didn't go away.  Altitude changes from flying did not help.  It was either quit flying or quit school.  You can imagine which one I chose.

 

Working as a nurse you wouldn't get the luxury of down time at work to spend studying.  Three to five shifts a month will work out to be every weekend.  During school you will treasure your weekends and any down time you may get.

 

Having been there I really can't recommend working during the year.  Yes, it can be done.  I did it for a while.  I know others who've done it.  Programs discourage it and may have words with/for you if you're caught working.  While I understand your desire to be as financially responsible as possible, as you get closer to the choice being a reality please think long and hard before agreeing to do it.

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I'm working as a medic for a company that requires 2 shifts a month, and only planning on working the bare minimum.  So far it seems doable, but I've been wavering back and forth on if I'd rather have a weekend day off to decompress, vs picking up a shift.   The minimal work definitely isn't making a dent in the expenses needed for school

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Had a classmate who was a fire/medic prior to and right up to clinical year of PA school. He traded all his shifts to weekends, which worked out pretty well since he often was posted at some slow stations. He did well and is starting an ER job. Did I mention he also juggled a family? So, it can be done, but with planning and dedication. 

 

If it wasn't something like the above situation, where there would be down time somewhat regularly, I wouldn't recommend it. Studying will consume a lot more time than you think and a few minutes during lunch and every so often aren't going to be much help. 

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For non-nurses - is the small amount of money you make working a few shifts here and there really worth it to you? The way I see it, you are taking on a serious amount of loans regardless and might as well focus on your school work and worry about the money issues later, rather than agonizing over whether or not you should be working.

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For non-nurses - is the small amount of money you make working a few shifts here and there really worth it to you? The way I see it, you are taking on a serious amount of loans regardless and might as well focus on your school work and worry about the money issues later, rather than agonizing over whether or not you should be working.

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My opinion is that if you were working for minimum wage in a non-medical job then your time would be better spent focusing on school.

 

I'm not a nurse, I work in radiology making about 25 dollars an hour and what I make offsets most of my rent and gas costs. I am also learning about diseases/treatments daily so it is definitely worth it to me and it hasn't adversely affected my grades.

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as a full time student you can do occassional shifts if you have a job with the potential for shift work like medic, rn, rt, etc although you need to balance the job against its effect on your studies. the other option is a part time program. there are 5-10 out there. Drexel still has one. I did the part time track there. you split year 1 into 2 years and year 2 becomes a full time year 3. I worked around 30 hrs/week year 1 and 2 as a medic and full time in the summer between year 1 and 2 when the part time students are off. year 3 I did occasional concert standbys, but no street shifts. as mentioned above, if you can study during down time at work that really helps. I studied a lot sitting in a parked ambulance.

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Depends on how your program is set up, Mine we mostly test on Fridays, so it would be totally concievable to work a Saturday shift, and even potentially a Sunday shift too. It wouldn't leave you much time to recooperate mentally, maintain relationships, or study, but if that's where your priorities lie it would be totally doable

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  • 1 month later...

It really just depends on your personality and how well your time management skills are. It seemed like most people in my program had never had to pay their own bills or work while in school. They couldn't fathom the idea of balancing part-time work and studying.

 

I, however, grew up poor and had to work 2-3 jobs at a time while in both high school and undergrad.. so when I got to PA school i couldn't believe the amount of free time I had! I took on a work-study position (~20 hours a week) during didactic year, and I worked weekends at a gym during clinical year. Most of my clinicals were M-F and work never interfered with them. 

 

I will say check with your school first to not get in trouble. Our student handbook discouraged work during didactic and prohibited it during clinicals, but I sat down with my program director and made it clear that if my grades slipped or it interfered with school, I would quit-- so he was fine with me working.

 

It was nice having that extra cash flow - loans only leave you with a set amount of money to last the semester, and unexpected expenses inevitably come up. If I had a rich family to back me up, maybe I wouldn't have worked. But if you're worried about money, or don't want to take out a ton of loans, working is definitely do-able.

 

PS - my work study was in the library, so I got lucky and could study while getting paid! Something people can look into. 

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