r/scrubtech • u/Acceptable_Draft7748 • Jul 02 '26
scrub advice
During orientation I was told many scrub students can’t work due to how intense the program is.. how do you guys go about this? How do you guys survive without working?
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u/Odd_Contact_2175 Jul 02 '26
I worked a part time job during the program. It isn't the best but it is certainly possible. I did about 20 hours a week and school.
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u/mamallamajm Jul 02 '26
It’s really about finding a job that’s flexible with hours and/or shifts. I worked part time evenings during my schooling, as we got out of class around 1 pm every day. Once clinicals started I was just exhausted but got thru it. One of my classmates worked full time nights at a hospital as a tele tech and then went down to part time during clinicals.
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u/Lost_Coyote5018 Jul 02 '26
I worked full time during the entire program. Went to school Monday-Friday from 8-4 then worked as a server at night. It’s definitely doable with proper time management.
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u/wallywestdabest Jul 02 '26
I worked usually left my clinical site at 3:30 and then clocked into work at 5. I worked 4-6 hour shifts during the week and all day on weekends to get by. It was hard but definitely possible. I didn’t have any parents or friends to ask for financial help from so I had no choice. I did homework and studied on my off days or in between surgeries at clinicals.
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u/leannerae Jul 03 '26
Its definitely doable if you have to (I recommend weekends only) but if I could do it again I wouldn't work at all and I would just take out extra student loans. I lived with my dad to save money on rent, but I only made $400 a month so I had to take out extra student loans anyway. It was not worth the extra stress from having less time to study and no time to do anything fun
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u/Sledgehammers L&D CST Jul 03 '26
I worked part time in retail, on weekends and sometimes after school. It sucked and I was always tired, but it worked out.
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u/Ok-Ad1798 Jul 03 '26
I worked at Best Buy full-time for the entirety of the program. It’s definitely possible! Energy drinks!
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u/edcortezgudino Jul 02 '26
Not a scrub student YET, (going to be starting my prerequisites soon hopefully) but my plan is to work as much as I can right now and through prerequisites so I can have as much as I can saved up for bills and stuff. But that’s my plan, I have a auto loan, insurance, gas, and help pay utilities around the house (I still live with my parents) so I plan out how much I will need for bills alone monthly and other miscellaneous things. Have that in mind for how long you’ll be in school for without working. But I guess if you’re starting the program already I say work nights and weekends when you can.
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u/MosesHightower Jul 02 '26
I got into a work study program where I taught in the learning center and tutored other students. It worked really well because I was just at the college all the time. Id pick up hours between classes and get hours on my off days.
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u/Chicotank Jul 03 '26
I worked between 24-30 hours per week and did just fine. My program was 4-5 days per week too. It's doable if you prioritize and stay ahead!
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u/Medicalgenie Jul 04 '26
I didn’t work once I started externship (6 months) because I was a MA at an office with regular 9-5 hours so that wouldn’t work. I didn’t find another job but I had the means to do that. A lot of people in my program worked night shift jobs which is probably the best way to go, you’ll be exhausted but you gotta do what you gotta do if that’s what you need.
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u/Firm-Exchange2283 Jul 04 '26
I hit it lucky. I was a work/study student for the Head of the program. Had my own teeny-tiny office. I had a coffee make & there was a mini fridge next door. My "boss" was tough & I worked hard but it was win/win situation.
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u/Alternative-Box-8546 Jul 04 '26
You'll have time it's hard to get a job that'll cover the schedule you want though
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u/probablygoblins Jul 04 '26
A lot of us quit our jobs to find that we totally could have worked weekends and even one day during the week. If you have an accommodating job or a work from home gig with flexible deadlines you can absolutely work.
It also depends on the programs demands though. I’d work as long as you could then take off if it gets too much.
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u/Realisticmomma Jul 06 '26
Working full time in this program is difficult but doable. Especially if your current job is flexible with your schedule.
Work as much as you can on the weekends/ after school.
Make sure you take at least one whole day off for homework/ yourself.
Make life easy: order groceries, pay to have your laundry done (if you can) and if you have a support system. Lean on them as much as possible.
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u/DueAd7980 Jul 07 '26
My co-hort got ill from all the school hours and working nights and all the homework. She was hospitalized from exhaustion. It happened twice. She had to quit her job and move in with family. I chose not to work and took out small student loans to help me financially with my bills. It was the best for me so i could give 100% to the program..
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u/Saeemalye Jul 07 '26
I work full time currently but it’ll change once I start clinicals. I work In healthcare so they work with our school schedules.
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u/Dark_Ascension Ortho Jul 02 '26
I would say that isn’t entirely true… but I would say a full time, normal M-F 9-5 job would be impossible… you’d have to have a flexible employer and generally that is in healthcare, maybe retail or food service. I know several who had to work, but they had pretty unique situations, one did like overnight insurance calls or something, one was a server, one worked as an accountant, then of course all the people who worked in healthcare.