Working full time graveyard shift...full-time post-bacc

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gabbMD

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Hi everyone,

I've been a lurker on these forums for the past five years. I've been coming here and reading some of y'all's thread hoping that one day I would be in the same boat as some of you.

Here's my story:

I am 31 yrs old and have a B.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies. I went to an accredited catholic seminary so we really weren't required to take some of the math and science courses you find at a regular community college or university. My GPA there was a 3.3. I was young and really didn't put forth any effort into my classes. Too focused on other things.

A few years later I found myself working at a community clinic as an interpreter for under served Spanish speaking patients/panel manager of a care team (tracking data such as BP readings, diabetes pts, scheduling, etc.) I got to witness some pretty cool things as an interpreter as this allowed me to be in the pt rooms with the providers.

I realized along the way that while I enjoyed my job, I was longing to be the one in charge of the pts. I thought about going back to school for a long time and began to process this idea out loud with co-workers and friends. Most were not supportive. "Why would you do that to yourself?" "Be a nurse" "doctors are over worked" "you're too old" "why not PA?" blah blah blah. I'm sure some of you have heard these too.

I did consider other tracks like PA, NP and ND, but eventually ended back at MD for various reasons. I believe I really want to help ppl in this way, eventually in a specialty, or with Doctors without Borders or something like that. We'll see.

I enrolled in my local community college and took some prelim math courses (i had to repeat College Algebra where i got a D, got an A a semester later :D). I've completed all of my math requirements for med school save for Stats, which I will complete next summer.

I am currently taking Physics, Chemistry and Biology during the day and working nights at a detention center. The job pays well, so it helps offset some of the cost for school. I've had to take out loans this year so i could pay for everything all at once.

I'm about to complete the first week and I am incredibly exhausted. I realize I'll need to better manage time if I am going to get through this with A's. I am a little afraid at failing, but I am confident that with a lot of planing a head and staying on top of my classes, I can do this.

I am single, so I feel like I am in a good place to do this (i am amazed at working parents). I have no support system though, and my friends still think i am making a mistake, but the dream is alive and well.

Is anyone else working nights and going to school full time?

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I don't work nights but I'm in a similar scenario. I work full time, completing coursework for a master in healthcare administration as well as public health, completing prerequisites, volunteering, and tutoring. I've done a time study; my usual week is 66-72 hours, not including travel time, group projects, etc. It's better than when I used to work in a different position and put in 98+ hours a week (there were many, many sleepless nights) but not ideal.

It is exhausting, but don't get discouraged. I think about it as conditioning your mind and body; consider it training for a tough residency or practice. Eat right and find time to exercise (body). Plan accordingly, recognize that this is a slow process, and stay focused on why this is important to you (mind). Keep your mind and body moving forward- stagnation is bad.

Good luck and keep your chin up.
 
I'm not anymore, but I did full-time nights and grad school almost full-time for several years. Plus all the other extra curricular stuff. Working full time and school is tough in general, but the night shift factor can really add another dimension.

The biggest things I did were to get a routine going, consistently, for when I studied and when I slept. I made sure not to neglect sleep if possible, because if you're completely sleep deprived nothing sticks.

It was really hard. There were defintely weeks that I'm not quite sure how I got everything done, but somehow I did. Some weeks it was just one foot in front of the other.

When you start to look ahead and it seems daunting and overwheling, take a second to look back and see how far you come and what you've already accomplished. It helps.

Finally, if you do start to see your grades at risk, don't be afraid to cut back on something as they need to be highest priority.
 
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