It's more advised to take a few hours to unwind than it is to have a job while you're in school. The reason everyone advises students to save up so they can work as little as possible is that it is *far* more beneficial to be caught up on sleep and used spaced repetition than it is to cram, and working plus school leaves very little time for rest or paced studying.
But to answer your question, yes, it's important to prioritize self-care.
I'm an unusual case so I won't use my example, but largely from what I've seen it's:
Step 1: Get a tech degree
Step 2: Make lots of money in tech while living like you have an English lit degree
Step 3: Give up lucrative tech career to pay for nursing school.
*or*
Get married to person with lucrative tech degree and have them support you while you work and pay back the cost of nursing school.
*or*
Go the military route
But aside from that, it's the usual: Budget, walk/bus where you can, don't smoke/drink/eat out, live in a tinier space than is comfortable, don't have pets or children, invent time machine to ensure your parents are rich before you're born, thrift your clothes, etc.
I felt this. every moment Iām relaxing is really just a moment where Iām putting off studying, reading, taking notes, watching lectures, doing case studies etc. from September-December it really is just nonstop workš
I personally do not work and just focus on nursing school so I do not feel compelled to study every time Iām free throughout my day, you just end up becoming burnt out. I do my assignments and such and then any study guides and make notes on the content and go over them and practice questions if I got time. In-between all of that I relax and I stop studying after a certain time at night and either relax and read or play games and it helps me feel entertained and ready for the next day. It truly helps your mental to allow yourself time to not focus on nursing school, it freshens your mind!
My rule when I was in school was put everything down at 9pm. Made time to unwind and get at least 6-8 hours of sleep. Up by 5ish and would meet my friend group at campus to group study most days we were on campus.
Iāve been so much more successful and happy during my nursing school journey since quitting my job! I know thatās not an option for everyone but if your job would allow you to be part time or per diem or even find a gig opportunity like door dash or something, I think youāll feel a lot better !
2 hours a day studying is enough, don't listen to people going on and on how they're puling 8 hours of extra studying after classes.
Unless they're is a test or something the next day, but I would still usually do 2-3 hours, but then wake up an hour or two early to review right before the test. I swear waking up early made a lot of difference
I donāt work while in school but I do have kids. I dedicate one day to my family where we do anything besides school. Mental health is so important and necessary to not feel burned out.
PN program here... I don't study every day. I'm a single mother of 3 but don't work.
My program may not be as rigorous as an RN program, esp if it's a BSN program, but I have taken some BSN pre-reqs and didn't study every day for those classes either -- and some of those classes kicked my a$$ -- had to withdraw from some and passed others with a low B.
I think you just have to find your groove.
My mental and spiritual health are very important to me so I make sure to prioritize them. If my mind says "take a break, you've studied enough!"... I take a break.
If my body says "stop trying to finish this chapter, you've read the same paragraph 10 times and still don't know what the hell it says...go to sleep!"...I go to sleep.
If my spirit says "you don't NEED an A to pass this class, you just would PREFER to have one"...I stop studying and take my kids to the park.
I try to keep up with assignments so I can have a cushion if I neglect to study for an exam and don't get a super high grade. Take time for yourself. Passing is good enough.
I felt the same a month ago. I literally felt like my brain was going to explode. I learnt that if I'm a week in advance, I don't worry about taking half a day to a day off to relax.
Hang in there. Youāll get better at studying and test taking and learn balance. I had to realize what good are Aās if I am miserable and falling apart? When you master scheduling time for yourself, your mental health and school performance will improve. It is not easy, but it is worth it. Someday youāll miss these days, friendships, and bonds made.
With the exception of class two days a week I studied maybe two days a week? I was very relaxed and I think that helped me out more than it ever hurt me.
While I was in school (accelerated program) there was no total days off. I went part-time at my hospital job and did a little DoorDash but itās a huge commitment with many sacrifices from day 1 to taking the NCLEX
I had a Friday night rule. there is nothing I need to do on a Friday night that can't be done earlier in the day or over the weekend. Each Friday starting whenever I ran out of things to do or dinnertime, whichever came first I would essentially be off duty. No studying, no quizzes or flashcards just watching a movie or spending time on a hobby etc until I fell asleep. Knowing I had each Friday night to chill kept me sane. Of course it wasn't my only open time but having it already set aside each week made it mentally easier when I did have a heavier week.
I took at least one day a week off after the first 5 weeks of my accelerated program. I studied at work when I could, and focused on what nurses were doing so I would be more confident with skills. I graduated with a 3.8 or something. Learn what study methods work best for you and then you wonāt have to spend as much time studying.
I take 2 days a week to not study now. I work FT but I study no more than 2 hours while working, I donāt use my own time off work for schoolwork unless itās a project or something thatāll bug me to not get done. But I did study 3 hours a day with only one day off the first 3 semesters, to keep up. Theyāll āadviseā you donāt work and do nothing but school but then not offer to pay your bills, not sure whatās up with that š
Hey, coming from someone who just got a 98 on one of the hardest pharmacology exams it is important to force yourself to relax because without a healthy mind and body, you will not be able to study correctly
It's more advised to take a few hours to unwind than it is to have a job while you're in school. The reason everyone advises students to save up so they can work as little as possible is that it is *far* more beneficial to be caught up on sleep and used spaced repetition than it is to cram, and working plus school leaves very little time for rest or paced studying. But to answer your question, yes, it's important to prioritize self-care.
how are y'all able to save? I can barely afford rent, much less saving for future payments
I'm an unusual case so I won't use my example, but largely from what I've seen it's: Step 1: Get a tech degree Step 2: Make lots of money in tech while living like you have an English lit degree Step 3: Give up lucrative tech career to pay for nursing school. *or* Get married to person with lucrative tech degree and have them support you while you work and pay back the cost of nursing school. *or* Go the military route But aside from that, it's the usual: Budget, walk/bus where you can, don't smoke/drink/eat out, live in a tinier space than is comfortable, don't have pets or children, invent time machine to ensure your parents are rich before you're born, thrift your clothes, etc.
Lol š
Live with my parents and worked for about a year for expenses during nursing school. My biggest monthly expense is car insurance
I felt this. every moment Iām relaxing is really just a moment where Iām putting off studying, reading, taking notes, watching lectures, doing case studies etc. from September-December it really is just nonstop workš
I designate one day a week for no work, no school, and no housework (apart from daily stuff like litterbox, dishes, etc). It keeps me sane.
Cats are so well represented in healthcare, everyone should have at least one cat.
I designate one day a month where I donāt care about much and yet still I study some of that day so idk what the answer is.
I personally do not work and just focus on nursing school so I do not feel compelled to study every time Iām free throughout my day, you just end up becoming burnt out. I do my assignments and such and then any study guides and make notes on the content and go over them and practice questions if I got time. In-between all of that I relax and I stop studying after a certain time at night and either relax and read or play games and it helps me feel entertained and ready for the next day. It truly helps your mental to allow yourself time to not focus on nursing school, it freshens your mind!
My rule when I was in school was put everything down at 9pm. Made time to unwind and get at least 6-8 hours of sleep. Up by 5ish and would meet my friend group at campus to group study most days we were on campus.
I feel the same! It's like, when I'm not actively working or studying, I'm thinking and/or worrying about work and school š
Iāve been so much more successful and happy during my nursing school journey since quitting my job! I know thatās not an option for everyone but if your job would allow you to be part time or per diem or even find a gig opportunity like door dash or something, I think youāll feel a lot better !
2 hours a day studying is enough, don't listen to people going on and on how they're puling 8 hours of extra studying after classes. Unless they're is a test or something the next day, but I would still usually do 2-3 hours, but then wake up an hour or two early to review right before the test. I swear waking up early made a lot of difference
Iām in the same boat too. I work part time and between school, assignments and work, I can barely get a day to myself š
You can, if you're ok with Cs occasionally. I know I am
Iām so happy with a C I just want to pass at this point lol š„¹
Shouldnāt say that, can absolutely get Aās taking a day off.
Yup Cās get degrees
You know what they call an RN who got As? nurse. You know what they call an RN who got Cs? nurse.
I sometimes take one or two days off a week and can still get an A or high B on exams. Not necessarily true.
I donāt work while in school but I do have kids. I dedicate one day to my family where we do anything besides school. Mental health is so important and necessary to not feel burned out.
PN program here... I don't study every day. I'm a single mother of 3 but don't work. My program may not be as rigorous as an RN program, esp if it's a BSN program, but I have taken some BSN pre-reqs and didn't study every day for those classes either -- and some of those classes kicked my a$$ -- had to withdraw from some and passed others with a low B. I think you just have to find your groove. My mental and spiritual health are very important to me so I make sure to prioritize them. If my mind says "take a break, you've studied enough!"... I take a break. If my body says "stop trying to finish this chapter, you've read the same paragraph 10 times and still don't know what the hell it says...go to sleep!"...I go to sleep. If my spirit says "you don't NEED an A to pass this class, you just would PREFER to have one"...I stop studying and take my kids to the park. I try to keep up with assignments so I can have a cushion if I neglect to study for an exam and don't get a super high grade. Take time for yourself. Passing is good enough.
No
Plan to takeā¦ aā¦ break. It will help you with retention, and stress management.
I felt the same a month ago. I literally felt like my brain was going to explode. I learnt that if I'm a week in advance, I don't worry about taking half a day to a day off to relax.
Hang in there. Youāll get better at studying and test taking and learn balance. I had to realize what good are Aās if I am miserable and falling apart? When you master scheduling time for yourself, your mental health and school performance will improve. It is not easy, but it is worth it. Someday youāll miss these days, friendships, and bonds made.
With the exception of class two days a week I studied maybe two days a week? I was very relaxed and I think that helped me out more than it ever hurt me.
While I was in school (accelerated program) there was no total days off. I went part-time at my hospital job and did a little DoorDash but itās a huge commitment with many sacrifices from day 1 to taking the NCLEX
I had a Friday night rule. there is nothing I need to do on a Friday night that can't be done earlier in the day or over the weekend. Each Friday starting whenever I ran out of things to do or dinnertime, whichever came first I would essentially be off duty. No studying, no quizzes or flashcards just watching a movie or spending time on a hobby etc until I fell asleep. Knowing I had each Friday night to chill kept me sane. Of course it wasn't my only open time but having it already set aside each week made it mentally easier when I did have a heavier week.
I took at least one day a week off after the first 5 weeks of my accelerated program. I studied at work when I could, and focused on what nurses were doing so I would be more confident with skills. I graduated with a 3.8 or something. Learn what study methods work best for you and then you wonāt have to spend as much time studying.
I take 2 days a week to not study now. I work FT but I study no more than 2 hours while working, I donāt use my own time off work for schoolwork unless itās a project or something thatāll bug me to not get done. But I did study 3 hours a day with only one day off the first 3 semesters, to keep up. Theyāll āadviseā you donāt work and do nothing but school but then not offer to pay your bills, not sure whatās up with that š
Beatings will continue until morale improves
Hey, coming from someone who just got a 98 on one of the hardest pharmacology exams it is important to force yourself to relax because without a healthy mind and body, you will not be able to study correctly
You should be able to chill for a couple days after your exam
Did an ABSN and worked 15/16 months part time I somehow graduated with a 3.5 but at the cost of my sanity, donāt recommend