A Day in the Life of a Nurse Practitioner and Online Student

As a full-time nurse practitioner, graduate student and mom of two, Doctor of Nursing Practice student Jane Ginther’s schedule is pretty packed each day. She walked us through a typical day in her life to show how she balances her responsibilities at home, work and school.

4:30 a.m.
Wake up, grab some breakfast and coffee, then head to the hospital.

6 a.m.
Work begins at 6 a.m. I am a nurse practitioner with the Orthopaedic Trauma team at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC). We begin each day meeting as a team for Fracture Conference. This is a time when the Ortho Trauma surgeons, residents, advanced practice providers (APPs), and rotating students review cases for the day, new consults, patients currently on service, and patients who remain inpatient requiring follow up. Next, we round together. Then, the residents and APPs briefly meet to run the list and discuss plans for the day.

7 a.m.-3 p.m.
Patient care

9:30 a.m.
Meet with unit nursing leadership, PT/OT, case management, and social work to discuss patient disposition planning and barriers to discharge.

3 p.m.
Meet up with residents to run list again with updates and to plan for the evening.

3:30-4:30 p.m.
Follow up on anything outstanding. Answer InBasket messages, refill requests, etc. Prep for tomorrow.

5 p.m.
I have two little boys, a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old. After work, I pick them up from daycare and then we go to the playground or play outside for a little bit.

5:30 p.m.-7 p.m.
Make some dinner, bathe the kiddos, read a few books with them on the couch, and put them to bed.

7-8:30 p.m.
Class time! I typically log into class in the dining room, or wherever I can find some quiet space. As far as meeting with my advisor, she's super flexible and works around my schedule. I can reach her by text, and we meet via phone or Zoom if we need to use video or share our screens. With group projects, my classmates and I meet via Zoom, typically in the evenings since most of us have families and work full-time.

Learn more about Jane and the online Doctor of Nursing Practice program.