Early clinical hours...need some tips :)

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I'm about to start my junior year, and up until this point my earliest class wasn't until 9am. My children would get on the school bus at 7:30 and that is the same time I would take my 3 year old to his grandma's and I would leave for school. My drive to school is about 40 min. so there wasn't a lot of extra time to spare. Now, this coming semester I have two different clinical sites with early hours. One of the sites is in the same city as my school, so that is no biggie. However, the other site is about 1 and a half hours away and we will have to be there very early...I'm guessing anywhere between 6-8am (they haven't told us the details of clinical hours as of yet). So, I will have to trust my kids to get themselves ready and on the school bus, and will have to take my youngest to his grandmothers much, much earlier. My school age children are 16, 14, and 10. I know they are capable of getting themselves ready...but I'm still concerned about this change in routine.

Do any of you have a similar scenario? What can I do to make this go as smoothly as possible? My ideas so far include, being sure to have easy breakfast foods (cereal, bagels, toaster waffles, etc.), and making sure that the clothing they want to wear is put out the night before. Any other tips?? I know I'm probably worrying for no reason and that everything will work out fine...but there is still that little voice in the back of my head that tells me they will constantly miss the bus, forget to brush their teeth, forget to use deodorant, wake up sick, or numerous other things. What else can any of you suggest to help ease us into this transition? :)

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Your ideas sound good. Having easy breakfast ideas and their clothing and school stuff ready the night before will go a long way to making mornings run smoothly. Do they have alarm clocks? And an easy reference checklist maybe? Something that just has morning items on it like rinse off breakfast dishes, morning hygiene (teeth, face & hands, deodorant) and turn off lights, etc? This might not be necessary for the oldest ones, but could be helpful for the 10 year old.

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Would your Mom come to your house? Sometimes when I had early clinical I would pick my Mom up really early and she would watch my daughter at my house and also make sure my older three were fed and got to the bus safely. I also sometimes dropped my daughter off the night before so that I wouldn't have to leave so early in the a.m.

It's so hard to juggle the kids and early clinicals! Good luck!!

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Posting a to-do list is a great idea! Unfortunately, I don't have anyone that can come to my house to help with getting the kids on the bus. My parents are no longer living and I only have one sibling, and he lives several states away. Thanks for the advice ladies :)

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Specializes in NICU.

I grew up with both parents going to work early in the morning. My mom would make sure I was awake and they left. It was entirely on me to get to school on time. It prepares you for college and not having mommy to drag you out of bed for a 8 am class. Your 16 yr old will have to take more responsibility for getting the siblings off to school. If you are really worried, financial (late curfew, get out of trouble card, or whatever will make them highly motivated) incentive works miracles. If your 16 yr old gets everyone to class on time, no tardies, no book bags or lunches left at home for the month then they get the reward. One mistake and no incentive.

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Have a LOUD alarm set in the kitchen/main floor that lets them know they have 10 minutes to the bus arriving. Set up a consequence ahead of time for missing the bus, and make it a doozy. When you're in clinical the last thing that you need is to have your mind wandering and wondering whether or not they got on the bus with everything they needed. Have an emergency "Plan B" if something goes terribly wrong: A friend's parent that can be called if they miss the bus or are sick on clinical days, $5 EMERGENCY in the pocket of everyone's school bag in case lunch is forgotten, a hidden house key etc...

The biggest thing I can say with the ages of your kids is have a sit down, and planning session with them. They're completely old enough to run the show at home in your absence. Have them participate in setting themselves up for the next day. Point out how they will benefit once Momma Bear is a working nurse. They have as much invested into your schooling as you do!!

Above all else, step back and recognize that you've done a great job raising these little humans, and they will do fine without you around to keep the ball in the air. They're smart kids, after all, you raised them!!!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Logically, your 16 yo could shoulder this responsibility, but it would probably be perceived as a negative - unfair - responsibility unless you provide some incentive. Would it be possible for you to 'hire' your oldest to function as an internal 'au pair' for those early clinical days? A formal agreement - with specific expectations & payment terms - might be the best way to go. It would provide some "work-ish" experience & facilitate development of a work ethic. Since you're working with a teen, be sure that the agreement is mutually agreeable, allowing some independent judgement rather than parental micromanagement.

You'll probably be faced with meeting the demands of a shift work schedule after graduation, so it might be a good idea to establish a good working arrangement - that could be used later on.

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Have them start practicing now getting up and ready by themselves without you helping. My daughter has been doing this since she was eight, and while someone is usually home, she rarely needed prompting and now, at thirteen, she's a pro at it. They can do it!

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Thank you all for the helpful responses! It is completely my fault that my children depend on me so much. This is just as much about me relinquishing control, as it is them taking responsibility. I plan to have them lay out their clothing and backpacks the night before, and I'm going to post a reminder note on the refrigerator for the things they need to remember to do like brush teeth and use deodorant. Things may be a little rough for the first few days, but I have confidence that they will get into the groove with minimal problems. I do need to sit down with my 16 year old and discuss his role; anytime we leave him in charge he tends to let it go to his head and he becomes a strict dictator, which causes him and his younger siblings to argue. Thanks again for the helpful replies :)

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