nursing student is thinking about throwing in the towel after first semester.

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi Peaceful2100!I can honestly say I never burst any one's bubble...but I feel in this case I must.First of all congratulations on returning to school after having a child,that in itself is a great accomplishment.This tells me you have the fire to be just about anything you want to be.Unfortunately with the concerns you have you'd best pass on nursing.We not only work weekends and long hours.We also work Christmas,Thanksgiving,during children's plays,first words everything...including nights.90% of our profession are parents and great ones at that because our profession allows us to see horrible things first hand and gain a greater appreciation of health and family.As well,as far as I know to be an effective pediatric practioner you have to get years of pediatric experience before even embarking on the course.You can't just walk out of school and be prepared to do community nursing...you have to work the trenches to have a baseline.Our profession is fantastic as we touch thousands of people's lives.However,it ain't easy.You have to make a decision from the heart and kick the b@#$% pickleface's opinions to the curb.Monday to Friday just is not even an option without experience.Good Luck and congrats on the reality check before getting in too deep.Perhaps you could look into a Child Care specialsit field or counsellor.I wish you all the best!

There is no perfect job and being a single parent is always a juggling act. You are not going to escape this reality, no matter what you end up doing with your life.

Keep plugging at what you love...being a good parent and a nurse...and this will give you the incentive, commitment and patience to find the compromise position within the nursing field that will satify both you and your child. If you want a happy, well adjusted child you have to be a happy, well adjusted parent that he/she will want to come home to every day...and everything else you will be able to weather together. I personally do not know how I would have survived as a single parent without doing what I loved to earn our keep...because I did't have have time for much beyond what did not involve my role as a parent. I also felt I had the perfect career to meet the demands of raising my children solo. If you only think of every hospital and nursing agency there is across the country...then of every school...you realize that nursing has a lot to offer a single parent in terms of security, flexibility, and growth potential both within the field and as a spring board for other goals. My children rarely behaved like they were victims of my schedule because I didn't project myself off as it's victim. If I could not be home for work on a particular holiday...we found a way to celebrate the holiday twice. We would put our heads together and see who could come up with an "untraditional" way to celebrate the holiday I had to work that would mark the day as special. We pushed up or postposted the traditional celebration to a day before or the day after the actual holiday...kid's choice...so you know what they chose when I had to work Christmas!

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Hello! YOU CAN DO IT! I have been a nurse for 4 years and I love what I do. It is worth it. I have to admit I don't enjoy working weekend and holidays but I work in an ER I don't have much choice. I can get passed that though be I come hom everyday thinking I helped someone today or I helped to save someones life. I made a difference. I don't know too many jobs that make you feel that way. Besides there are many nursing jobs that you don't have to work weekends. What about a peds Dr. office? NO weekends! We need you in our profession. We need good nurses to help our profession grow. Hang in there. Don't give up its worth it in the end.

tracie

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I know how you feel. Thirteen years ago I was finishing up the prereqs for the nursing program when my wife had our first child. My wife is a nurse and since we both worked nights I had to quit my job to stay home with our child.It was a great experience to be there for our child. She is now a teenager and I am back in school and starting a nursing program in the fall. Even though I am older than the other students I am looking so forward to getting my RN finally. So even if you decide to quit the program for now to raise your child, you can always go back later. There is nothing better then being the primary care giver to your child and developing that bond that will last forever, especially if you're a father. So you don't have to give up your dream, there are always options.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Keep the faith and don't give up if this is what you really want. I went back to school when my sons were 7 and 12 - it can be done. The pay has improved and is expected to continue with the growing nursing shortage. I agree with other posters that you just have to be persistent to find job that will fit your needs. Good luck...judi

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Originally posted by peaceful2100:

Hi everyone. I am 21 and a single mom to a three year old child. I am halfway through my first semester of nursing school. I already have my assoicate's in liberal arts and I transferred to a university for the BSN program. I started as a second semester sophomore but the nursing classes start in the sophomore year second semester. I feel like I made a wrong decision in nursing. My ultimate goal was to become a pediatrics nurse practitioner and do community/clinic nursing and open up my own clinic. I think it still is I am not for sure. I am debating wheter or not to get out. I hear so many nurses who say they love what they do but they hate all the political BS, the corparate BS right about now and nurses say they don't get enough pay. Everyone should get paid what they should and the money is not the big reason for my wanting to get out but I am afraid with all the nurses having to go beyond 12 hours shifts like 14, 16 and more that I will not be a good mommy to my little girl and I will miss out on so much of her life. I want to be a active mom in her life and her education she will start kindergarten the exact same year I graduate from nursing school if I stay which will be in 2003. I am not trying to be stingy but I can't work weekends and never really thought about that before and Nurses must work weekends. I am deciding to get out because of the hours/weekends. Nursing is in my heart but I don't think it is compatiable with being a mom. If I want to go see my little girl in one of her activites I can't just say sorry but my little girl is doing such and such I will end up getting fired. I am looking for other options right now and I don't think nursing will work out for me although it is in my heart. Am I right to think this way? If I feel this way is it best to get out now?

This is very hard and frustrating,

Thanks for listening

[email protected]

Hi Peaceful2100,

I can honestly understand what you're going through. My kids are 2 and 8. You've come a long way though, and I guess what you really need to ask yourself is will nursing make you happy? Do you have previous experience in the field? I would love to give up the rotten hours, endless weekends and holidays, and the political crap, it is as bad as they say. But keep in mind that you're goal is a BSN, and if you're willing to dabble a little into say geriatrics, you could work weekdays in a management position, until your daughter is a little older and who knows? maybe you'll get married and have someone to share the parenting with? If nursing is truly in your blood, I would stick it out. Working full time is a problem for single parents no matter what profession, no doubt their will always be a need for you in nursing, you could work with an agency and pick your hours? Most agencies even offer health insurance. If nursing is really what you want to do, I wouldn't let these things stop me. If not? then I would find something else because you will ulitimately leave nursing if it makes you unhappy anyway. Not an easy decision, don't be hasty.

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Originally posted by peaceful2100:

Hi everyone. I am 21 and a single mom to a three year old child. I am halfway through my first semester of nursing school. I already have my assoicate's in liberal arts and I transferred to a university for the BSN program. I started as a second semester sophomore but the nursing classes start in the sophomore year second semester. I feel like I made a wrong decision in nursing. My ultimate goal was to become a pediatrics nurse practitioner and do community/clinic nursing and open up my own clinic. I think it still is I am not for sure. I am debating wheter or not to get out. I hear so many nurses who say they love what they do but they hate all the political BS, the corparate BS right about now and nurses say they don't get enough pay. Everyone should get paid what they should and the money is not the big reason for my wanting to get out but I am afraid with all the nurses having to go beyond 12 hours shifts like 14, 16 and more that I will not be a good mommy to my little girl and I will miss out on so much of her life. I want to be a active mom in her life and her education she will start kindergarten the exact same year I graduate from nursing school if I stay which will be in 2003. I am not trying to be stingy but I can't work weekends and never really thought about that before and Nurses must work weekends. I am deciding to get out because of the hours/weekends. Nursing is in my heart but I don't think it is compatiable with being a mom. If I want to go see my little girl in one of her activites I can't just say sorry but my little girl is doing such and such I will end up getting fired. I am looking for other options right now and I don't think nursing will work out for me although it is in my heart. Am I right to think this way? If I feel this way is it best to get out now?

This is very hard and frustrating,

Thanks for listening

[email protected]

I know how difficult it can be to try to be everything to everyone. I am a mother to a 3 year old and a 1 year old, fortunately I'm not single. However I do work full time in a hospital as well as one day a week in a Doctor's office. Shift work is very difficult when you are trying to raise little ones, I feel like sometimes I am just a shadow in their lives. When I am on days off I make the most of them, and make every minute count.

If Nursing is in your heart and this is what you feel will help fulfill your life then I say stick it out. Once you have graduated you don't have to work in a setting that means shift work: working in a Doctor's office can be very fulfilling, one very important role in Nursing is health teaching and prevention, as well as support, the office is a great place to provide education to patients while they are healthy and open to teaching! Community nursing is also an option, again this is a great chance to teach and help with prevention as well as utilize your practical skills. Alot of community Nursing is primarily daytime work, sometimes some agencies have an on call roster to field questions during the evening and night time hours and in emergency situations. Don't give up if this is what you want to do, you don't have to work shifts, holidays and weekends, you just have to research your options.

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