Nurse Practitioner school question?

You might consider a third option - volunteer at a free clinic as an RN. This will give you an opportunity to hone your skills, you can spend as much or as little time as you like, and you don't have to quit your current job. Of course, this may be difficult to schedule with your job and program requirements, but many clinics would be willing to work with you one Saturday (or weekday if you can swing it with your job) a month, or less if that's all you can give.