Burnout advice

[anewmanx]

How do you guys deal with burnout? I’m looking for tips. I’ve been hitting the prerequisites for nursing school Through straighterline hard the last 9 weeks and I’m starting to get crispy. It’s getting hard to read, hard to focus. I have 7 weeks or so left to finish 3 labs, 1 anatomy course (which I’m wrapping up right now, 250 pages of reading left + 14 tests/quizzes), and 2 psych classes at Coopersmith. Ive gotten burnt out before, but never this bad. Taking time away doesn’t seem to be helping much. I guess stats, microbio, chem 1, and anatomy 1 in 8 weeks might have been too much stress at one time.

[GizmoJack]

How do you guys deal with burnout? I’m looking for tips. I’ve been hitting the prerequisites for nursing school Through straighterline hard the last 9 weeks and I’m starting to get crispy. It’s getting hard to read, hard to focus. I have 7 weeks or so left to finish 3 labs, 1 anatomy course (which I’m wrapping up right now, 250 pages of reading left + 14 tests/quizzes), and 2 psych classes at Coopersmith. Ive gotten burnt out before, but never this bad. Taking time away doesn’t seem to be helping much. I guess stats, microbio, chem 1, and anatomy 1 in 8 weeks might have been too much stress at one time.

Sounds like your workload is what has you burnt. Most of those subjects are hard enough taken one at a time. Perhaps a lighter load that gives you more balance with family/friends, etc. will help.

[anewmanx]

How do you guys deal with burnout? I’m looking for tips. I’ve been hitting the prerequisites for nursing school Through straighterline hard the last 9 weeks and I’m starting to get crispy. It’s getting hard to read, hard to focus. I have 7 weeks or so left to finish 3 labs, 1 anatomy course (which I’m wrapping up right now, 250 pages of reading left + 14 tests/quizzes), and 2 psych classes at Coopersmith. Ive gotten burnt out before, but never this bad. Taking time away doesn’t seem to be helping much. I guess stats, microbio, chem 1, and anatomy 1 in 8 weeks might have been too much stress at one time.

Sounds like your workload is what has you burnt. Most of those subjects are hard enough taken one at a time. Perhaps a lighter load that gives you more balance with family/friends, etc. will help.

I suppose I over did it. I had only ever studied biology and college algebra before this in undergrad, my degree is in religion. My goal was to finish all 18 credits through straighterline within 3 pay periods, then the coopersmith courses at my own pace. This is my second pay period and I do think I’ll finish the last class (A&P 2) before it closes out. That just leaves 3 labs next pay period. 

Maybe I did overdo it. I am edging up on 4000 pages of science and math reading in 2 months and it’s all starting to become a blur. At least the material is so interesting!!

[ss20ts]

Here's the good news....you're almost done!

[anewmanx]

Here's the good news....you're almost done!

Indeed. What a wild ride. Now to choose between the 18 month bsn/msn accelerated program followed by pmhnp cert and the generous transfer 16 month adn followed by wgu bsn/rn bridge and an msn/pmhnp program. They both have things about them to make them appealing, and both could lead me to np certification in almost the same period of time. Hard choices.

[bjcheung77]

Dude, what do you do now, in other words, which profession again? I know you're set or your mind set is towards the health professions - Are you set on being a nurse? I see you're wanting to get into a nurse practitioner role with these certs. Have you checked out all available options for a BSN/MSN combo for cheap and RA? Do you have a set budget and timeline you want to finish?

[anewmanx]

Dude, what do you do now, in other words, which profession again?  I know you're set or your mind set is towards the health professions - Are you set on being a nurse?  I see you're wanting to get into a nurse practitioner role with these certs.  Have you checked out all available options for a BSN/MSN combo for cheap and RA?  Do you have a set budget and timeline you want to finish?

Retired military / disabled vet. I don’t need to work again unless I feel like it. I have extensive healthcare experience, but as the caretaker of an incredibly ill child who survived, and later as a patient myself when I became severely disabled in an accident.

I have enough GI Bill left over to get to the MSN degree without expense, whether it be via ADN - RN-MSN bridge program followed by pmhnp cert, or a DEMSN - pmhnp cert path. I can pay for the pmhnp cert coursework out of pocket. Money is no issue. Time and convenience are issues.

Timeline i have set for myself is 18 months maximum to RN license, followed by 12-24 months to PMHNP, followed by a 1 year residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin as a pmhnp assuming I was accepted. 

Right now I have a BS in Religion from Liberty with a 4.0 institutional gpa for the last 3 years worth of coursework of my degree. Previous CC coursework from 15 years ago was abysmal. I have 15.5 graduate credits from brick & mortar residential seminary at 3.83 gpa, and I have intro to stats & precalc from Aleks, chem 1, microbio, business stats, college algebra, and a&p 1 from straighterline. Finishing A&P 2 now followed by the associated labs, then Some psych classes from coopersmith. 

The two big programs I’m looking at locally (Milwaukee) are Alverno’s combined direct entry bsn/msn which is 18 months and is generalist follow3d by a pmhnp cert from Herzing or Alverno, and the other option is the ADN from Bryant and Stratton BUT the appeal there is I can transfer in EVERYTHING that’s not a clinical. Pathophysiology, anatomy, pharmacology, etc. So during the 16 months of the program I only have to worry about clinicals, I get an ADN, then knock out the bsn through WGU in 1-2 months (I work crazy fast,) and do a pmhnp msn program at Alverno, Herzing, Walden, etc. time wise both paths are similar. Financially they both make about the same sense. I guess the biggest difference is I get to masters faster at Alverno, but Bryant and Stratton is MUCH lower stress and let’s me bridge the bsn and msn via online which is my preference.

[ss20ts]

Think of where you want to go as a nurse/nurse practitioner. Will a degree from Bob's U get that job or will a degree from University of We are Awesome get you the job? Maybe take some time and find out what local employers are looking for. You don't want to go to Bob's U to save some bucks and transfer in more credits only to find out that no one will hire anyone from Bob's U locally.

[anewmanx]

Think of where you want to go as a nurse/nurse practitioner. Will a degree from Bob's U get that job or will a degree from University of We are Awesome get you the job? Maybe take some time and find out what local employers are looking for. You don't want to go to Bob's U to save some bucks and transfer in more credits only to find out that no one will hire anyone from Bob's U locally.

I’ve already scoped out the employer(s) I would like to woe for and they have hired graduates from both programs.

As a backup I can pretty much land any federal nursing job because of my veterans preference and 100% rating, to include non-competitive appointment.

[ss20ts]

Great that you have a backup plan! So few people seem to have one. They just put all of their eggs in one basket and are devastated when it doesn't pan out.