What does the life of a nursing student look like? Between lectures, labs and clinicals, full-time nursing students can expect a full schedule while pursuing their degree. Through organizing their schedules and prioritizing self-care, nursing students can succeed in nursing school by maintaining a school-life balance.
Saying that nursing school is a time commitment is an understatement. Unlike a traditional college degree that might have a few classes to attend every day and some essays or quizzes to prepare for, pursuing a nursing degree combines classroom learning with hands-on experience.
A day in the life of a nursing student could include lectures, labs, simulations, clinicals and more. This can make scheduling a balancing act, but by understanding what is a nursing student’s typical schedule, class load and responsibilities, you can tackle your nursing degree one day at a time.
What Does the Life of a Nursing Student Look Like?
Nursing student schedules vary from program to program and depend on the program format. Whether you are pursuing a traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree path or an Accelerated BSN program (ABSN), you can expect to complete the same types of activities as a nursing student. When it comes to ABSN programs, you will likely have more flexibility with your schedule due to online-based lectures and coursework.
Want to succeed as a nursing student in an ABSN program? See some top tips for online learning.
A typical nursing student schedule will look different depending on the program requirements and student preferences, but a day could look like the following:
6-8 a.m.: Wake up and get ready for the day. This could include a morning workout to get your body moving, a shower to get a fresh start to the day and a good breakfast to get you through your morning lectures. Perhaps even an early start on coursework if you are a morning person.
8-11 a.m.: Time for your first lecture of the day. Get out your notebook and get ready to take lots of notes. Learning what note-taking techniques work best for you is critical to your success in nursing school. Some students take fewer notes during lectures and go back after the fact to flesh out terms and draw diagrams. Other students might prefer to handwrite their notes and copy them into their computer later. Experiment with what works best for you to retain the most information.
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: If you have a lab associated with a class, it might happen during this time. In that case, make sure to pack some quick snacks to keep you energized before and after. If your class doesn’t have a lab, this is a great break period to grab lunch, head home or review your notes.
1-4 p.m.: You might have a second lecture for that day during this afternoon time slot. It might seem like a lot to handle for one day, but carving out time where you can study and recharge is one way to stay on top of your mental health. You might be able to connect with fellow cohort members during this time.
4-7 p.m.: After finishing more lectures, labs or clinicals, you could study for any upcoming quizzes or exams, work on homework, go over your notes from class or prepare for the next lectures by looking over materials. This can also be the time to have dinner and begin to unwind after the efforts of the day.
7-10 p.m.: It’s important to schedule in time for yourself at the end of a long day. This could be a time for hobbies, errands or spending time with friends. Make sure to have enough time to wind down before bed and get ready to do it all over again the next day.
Your schedule will vary from day to day, especially if you are balancing work and family obligations. As you progress toward your degree, you will have clinical rotations to complete, and study times might be different than those listed, depending on your academic commitments and the point in the semester.
Academic Commitments in Nursing School
As a nursing student, your schedule will be packed with different types of classes and requirements. You can expect each of these academic commitments to take different amounts of time, so when building your schedule, you’ll want to keep these three different class types in mind.
- Lectures – These are where you learn the bulk of your information. If you’re a full-time student, you can expect to spend a good amount of time listening to lectures and absorbing them. If you have the option to plan out your own schedule with flexible online-based lectures and coursework, it would be wise to space things out and ensure you have enough time in the day.
- Labs – These will often be in connection with a lecture. Labs are where you can put the skills you learn in lectures to work in controlled environments and experiments. They provide you with the opportunity to practice and test your skills and the space to ask questions before you enter clinical rotations.
- Clinical Rotations – These will take place at a hospital or outpatient facility and will give you the hands-on experience of shadowing real nurses and getting to apply what you’ve learned in class on real patients. Included in this time commitment is the commuting time to and from the location.
Discover more about how an accelerated nursing program works.
Clinical Rotations: Hands-on Learning
Clinicals will take up a significant chunk of time most weeks. Most nursing programs require you to complete hundreds of clinical hours before you can graduate. This usually means early mornings on your feet working at the facility you’re assigned to. Clinical programs, like class schedules, vary from program to program, but you can expect to be at clinicals for around six or seven hours with a short break for a meal.
Success in clinical rotations depends on your attitude toward them. If you can view these long days as an opportunity to get a taste of what your career will look like, you can approach clinicals with a positive attitude and make the most of the time you’re spending with patients and experienced nurses.
The same rule applies from your class days. Stay current on your coursework-related tasks, so you can focus on labs without worrying about falling behind.
How to Manage Your Time as a Nursing Student
Nursing school hours can be a lot to juggle, but with a bit of planning, you can create a schedule that fits it all in. Every nurse has had to go through the same thing. During your clinicals, you can ask the nurses for any tips or tricks that they used to stay afloat amidst lectures, labs and clinicals. Find what works best for you through trial and error. Whatever you try first most likely won’t be your permanent solution, but don’t be discouraged. Nursing school is a great time to experiment.
What to Expect as a Nursing Student in an ABSN Program
It’s safe to say that you won’t be bored while pursuing your nursing degree. You can expect long days of classes and clinicals followed by studying and homework, but the reward of caring for patients makes it all worth it. By taking the first step toward your professional career through an ABSN program, you’re learning valuable life skills that you can use even outside of nursing. You will complete the same rigorous coursework and hands-on labs and clinicals as a traditional BSN program. Most accelerated programs, however, enable eligible students who already have a bachelor’s degree or a certain number of credits to earn a nursing degree in less than two years.
If you’re ready to step up to the challenge, there are plenty of resources to get you started on finding the right ABSN program. Simply fill out our online form and expect to be contacted by applicable nursing schools to get you closer toward your degree.
