How to Balance Multiple Responsibilities While in Nursing School

Nursing school can be overwhelming, but adding other obligations like a job or parenting can make it even more challenging for students. Balancing school and other life responsibilities require strong time management skills, preparation and a can-do attitude.

Check out these tips on how to balance multiple responsibilities while in nursing school:

Communication is key

Being able to communicate effectively is a crucial part of maintaining a balance between school and other commitments from discussing your schedule with your family to coordinating work hours with your boss. If you feel overwhelmed, talk with your professor. He or she might have suggestions on how to approach a project or how much time you should be spending on an assignment.

Be proactive and plan ahead

One way to keep track of all your commitments is to create a schedule. It’s easy to ignore deadlines that are further out, but procrastinating can increase stress and hurt the quality of your work. Try making a calendar or using a planner to outline your week. You can also get started on projects early or break assignments down into sections to avoid cramming into one day.

Know what to prioritize

Having an understanding of what tasks need to be completed is an important step in juggling multiple responsibilities. The best way to do this is to ask some of the following questions:

• Which project has an earlier deadline?
• What does the workload look like for each assignment?
• What does my current schedule look like?
• Is this project something that can be broken down into smaller pieces?
• How can I complete this project efficiently?

Make realistic goals

Setting expectations that are too high can be just as hurtful as not having any. When creating a goal for yourself, think about more than just the outcome. Is there a better way you can achieve the task? Setting goals is about being realistic while also holding yourself accountable. A guideline to follow when creating a goal is making it SMART– specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.

Use study apps

Lack of time is one of the biggest challenges of studying while having other commitments. Using different study apps is a way to take your studying with you on your mobile device. There are several apps specifically for nursing students that are helpful resources for learning and retaining course information including NRSNG Scrubcheats and UWorld.

Interested in starting an online program? Check out Herzing University Online to start your healthcare or nursing program today!