Anyone else have this problem?

Nursing Students LPN-RN

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Specializes in Psych, Home health/Hospice, Neuro-Trauma.

It seems like every time I get out of school for the semester my husband and kids look at me like I am a stranger sitting in their living room. We always have a hard time reconnecting because they are a little bitter about me spending so much time doing something that is for me, and not much for them. It is really hard to balance it all, my hats off to anyone who has mastered the art of keeping their family satisfied through this program. I am almost done, next semester is my last one, I cannot wait. Anybody have any creative, clever things that helped them and their family through this?:sofahider

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I just finished my nursing program and am finally getting "pinned" in January. All I can tell you is that being in this program was harder on my family than working full time in another field ever was....the only advice I can give you is to keep plugging away and it will be over before you know it....My kids are happy it is over but yet miss what they used to get away with when only with their Dad. However you look at it , it is very stressful on your family. This has been tremendously stressful on my family and I hope it gets better once I take the Nclex and get to work....Let me know if I can be of any help to you and good luck!!

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Brigi23,

I hear you on that one...i just graduated in March of 2006 and it was a huge sacrifice for all but my hubby and kids realized the benefit to them once i was done school so that is what kept us all going. But for me my first job was awful and we ended up relocating but things are better now. My first job was so stressful I almost felt school was easier. I spent a lot of time venting in the evenings which my husband found hard. I really love my job now and things are way better. Hang in there.

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Specializes in telemetry.

same here, my stepkids are older (12 & 19) & independant pretty much, but they still act like I'm overacting about how much homework, etc I have. My stepdaughter (19) is in college now & makes comments that her classes don't take up so much time & how could nursing classes be any harder than any other college classes. Hubby is trying really hard to be patient & I warned him so many times about how hard & stressful it was gonna be. He admits now that he had no idea it was going to be like this. He always tries to tell me that the stress is what I make of it though, which in some ways I disagree with. So I just try to not talk about it with him or the kids anymore. But that creates quite a barrier between us I feel. I don't know, we can't seem to resolve this, but I'll be done in May thank God!!

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I don't want to alarm you but in the first class my intructor told us how time consuming nursing school would be and she had seen more than one marriage break up because of it. I realize you are not just starting off.

I cannot speak from a marriage perspective but nursing school ended up costing me my GF of 6 years. We did not live together so that may have played a role.

The only advice I can give you is when you do have free time get out of the house with your family. Your home will be a stressful place even during free time and my view is that a different environment with your family would be beneficial.

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Specializes in floor to ICU.

pre-req's have been hard enough on my Dh and Dd. I hope to be in a transitional program in May. We shall see what happens. I really don't have any advice. Education is such an investment in the future (yours and family). I am hoping the sacrifice will be worth it, Good luck!

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Specializes in Developmental Disabilities, LTC.
My stepdaughter (19) is in college now & makes comments that her classes don't take up so much time & how could nursing classes be any harder than any other college classes.

Oooh! That would bother me so much! Granted your stepdaughter is rather young, but...ugh! What an insensitive thing to say! One thing I learned real quick is that nursing school classes are completely different from general, liberal arts classes.

When I first started going to college (hmmm, let's see...I think I was about 19!), I probably showed up for class 1/2 the time & did just fine, if not excelled, in all of my classes. Now, in my 2nd year in the nursing program, I'm barely holding my head above water, & I attend absolutely every lecture & absolutely pour over my notes & books every night.

I hope you told your step that nursing school is a completely different ballgame than the English 101 & Advanced Algebra classes she's probably taking now. A comment like the one she made would only make someone feel, I don't know...selfish with their time, or like an idiot, because you're not being selfish, you actually do this amount of time in order to keep up with your classes.

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Specializes in telemetry.

Oh it does bother me, A LOT, I have told her, but I can tell she thinks I'm just exxagerating. I am hoping that at some point she will run into some nursing students & hear from them how it really is. Then maybe she'll rethink things. She is possibly considering being an attorney & she often talks about how hard law school. I always tell her that law school is like nursing school & that if I can do it so can she. But I think in her mind she really doesn't think nursing school is as hard as law school. She has a very negative attitude towards community colleges, thinking they aren't hard enough, so the fact that I am at a community college to her means it really isn't very hard. In another year or so she'll be transferring to a private college, maybe then she'll see there's not really THAT big of a difference. I personally think community colleges are awesome & everyone should take advantage of them as much as possible. I have been able to do all my schooling at community colleges so far, but that will stop later this year when I go on for my BSN & MSN through university of phoenix online.

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Oh it does bother me, A LOT, I have told her, but I can tell she thinks I'm just exxagerating.

Just show her the volume of reading and writing asignments then let her take some sample test questions. If that doesn't change her thinking she is one that has to learn the hard way.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

Did you ever go to a ball game or recital or anything for your kids? It sounds kinda selfish to me that they are not more supportive. Afterall, you are probably looking at an increase in pay after graduation. That will affect the whole family. Could you plan a big event to take place after graduation that all can enjoy, like a camping trip? I believe you are making a bigger impression on them than you realize. They see that having and working towards goals is a positive thing. Congratulations on sticking in there!

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Specializes in telemetry.

I agee, its a sacrifice now but it will better the whole family in the not too distant future. My stepkids dont appreciate that because l am not their mom but when we have more$ to spend on them I will be pointing out that its bcuz of my schooling

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