Time Demand Analysis of a Summer 2025 Nursing Program

A Comprehensive Case Study

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive time analysis of a 14-week summer nursing program comprising four concurrent courses totaling 16 credit hours. Using established educational benchmarks and time estimation methods grounded in nursing education literature, we calculated that students require 73.3 hours per week to meet all program requirements.

Students have 66.5 hours available after accounting for physiological necessities and scheduled commitments, resulting in a 6.8-hour weekly deficit. The analysis reveals that actual time demands exceed federal credit hour guidelines by 19.6% overall, with individual courses ranging from meeting guidelines to exceeding them by 57%.

73.3 Hours Required Per Week
16 Total Credit Hours
19.6% Above Federal Guidelines
6.8 Hour Weekly Deficit

Figure 1: Weekly Time Distribution

Analysis reveals that 45.2% of required time involves independent study (33.1 hours), 31.7% scheduled class/clinical time (23.2 hours), 20.5% commuting (15.0 hours), and 2.7% examinations (2.0 hours).

Table 1: Weekly Hours by Course

Course Total Hours/Week Hours per Credit % Above Federal Max
Adult Health NURS310 18.9 4.73 +57%
OBGYN NURS330 16.7 4.18 +39%
Gerontology 315 10.6 2.65 Within guidelines
NCLEX Immersion 335 11.2 2.80 Within guidelines
Program Total 57.4 3.59 +19.6%

Figure 2: Credit Hour Compliance by Course

Federal guidelines indicate 2-3 hours of total engagement per credit hour per week. This visualization compares actual requirements to federal maximum expectations.

Figure 3: Weekly Time Requirements Across 14 Weeks

Time requirements vary throughout the program, with significant peaks in final weeks. Week 13 requires 87 hours and Week 14 requires 83 hours, coinciding with multiple final examinations and project submissions.

Peak Workload Warning

Weeks 13-14 exceed available time by over 20 hours, creating particular risk for academic performance degradation and health consequences. Students must plan ahead and complete work early to manage these peaks.

Figure 4: Distribution of Academic Tasks by Type

The complete analysis encompasses 797+ individual tasks across all courses, with reading assignments and clinical sessions comprising the largest categories.

Figure 5: Clinical Day Schedule

Clinical days represent concentrated time commitments requiring 18 total hours. The typical clinical day begins with a 4:30 AM wake time.

4:30 AM
Wake up and morning preparation (30 minutes)
5:00 AM
Commute to clinical site (45 minutes)
5:45 AM
Pre-clinical preparation (45 minutes)
6:30 AM
Clinical rotation (10 hours)
4:30 PM
Post-clinical documentation (1 hour)
5:30 PM
Commute home (45 minutes)
6:15 PM
Dinner break (30 minutes)
6:45 PM
Evening study (4 hours)
10:45 PM
Sleep (only 6 hours available) (Below recommended 7 hours)

Table 2: Task Summary by Course

Course Total Tasks Total Hours Hours per Task
Gerontology 315 134 148.11 1.11
OBGYN NURS330 152 233.72 1.54
Adult Health NURS310 183 264.60 1.45
NCLEX Immersion 335 89 137.74 1.55
Total 558 784.17 1.40

Conclusions

This comprehensive case study quantified the time demands of a 16-credit summer nursing program and benchmarked them against federal credit hour criteria and human time limitations. Key findings include:

The Summer 2025 nursing program delivers a robust educational experience within a compressed schedule, demanding significant student time investment justified by credit earnings. By comparing these requirements to federal guidelines and physiological needs, we illuminate the importance of workload planning in nursing curricula.

Recommendations: Institutions should implement time management training, distribute assignment deadlines, provide academic support services, and consider educational technologies to help students manage this challenging yet achievable workload while safeguarding their well-being.