Newly single mom....will nursing still work for me? - Page 2

I know you said you are already in a nursing program. You still have time to change that if you want. Not all your credits will be lost. I am NOT telling you what to do in terms of nursing or not. But really nursing IS NOT what it used to be.

I don't know what your friends are telling you but this is how it generally goes.

You generally need strong clinical experience in a or a number of areas before being accepted into a per diem position. Also, per diem hours are NOT reliable. So in order to hope to make a base amount per week or month, you have to over schedule yourself, b/c the potential for being cancelled is strongest for you, as compared with the regular FT'ers or PT'ers. So then you will have weeks where you are working perhaps more hours than you wanted to make up for the potential of up and coming or potential lost hours through being cancelled. Most of the hours for positions for per diem on on off shift--mostly meaning night shifts and week ends and holidays. That's the reality.

You could get lucky; but I wouldn't shoot for that straight out of school. You are better off looking for a full-time position or multiple regular part time positions in acute care. Get that experience down for no less than a year or two.

Doctor's offices are notorious for paying well below what nurses can make in hospitals. It's just the reality. There are some exceptions, but those exceptions have to do with nurses that are specialized in a particular field for a number of years, have a four year degree in nursing or higher, have experience in research and also management. I'm talking about the rare physician's group that will pay a RN, BSN and up $70,000 or higher. Very, very rare. For a regular in office nurse, you are lucky if you get 60% of the above salary. Even then they want some clinical experience, and more and more they also want nurses with outpatient/clinic experience and those that are familiar with office management procedures.


Again I urge you to do your research--not just listen to some "nurse" friends. Everyone thinks they will be the exception to the normal--what falls within the normal distribution curve. That may be you, but probability dictates that it may not be. Do what YOU love and are deeply drawn to--and NOT just an idealistic picture of what that is. Too many nurses have gone into the field with a completely unrealistic idea of what nursing is all about. The net result for nursing is that people treat nursing like some lame occupation rather than respect it as being profession-worthy. It's not just about obtaining skills that a monkey can learn. And while you may understand that in theory, since you are in your second year of nursing, rather than say general education courses--if you are in general education course, even better that you think this through--but nursing desperately needs people that are happy in their roles--highly motivated about what the nursing process means--strong advocates that will risk losing a job rather than being on the wrong side of administration when it comes to meeting patients' and families' needs. People that believe in the profession, and not just climbing the ladder for their own success. Patients and families deserve nurses like this.

And indeed, you may be one of such nurses! All I am saying is make sure.

And I am telling you that the hours you seek may probably not be readily available to you post-graduation. In fact, many are lucky to get any kind of job in nursing.

Yes it is also dependent upon what area of the country you live; but by and large, the flexibility and opportunties, by far, are NOTHING like they used to be.

So, please take no offense. Just think about it, and good luck to you whatever you decide.

Also, to help make my point, I submit the following like here at AN.

http://allnurses.com/first-year-afte...er-803413.html

I'm a nursing student right now and I will tell you that when I was going through my divorce I waited until my kids were both in school full time to do it. I did take PSW though and got a job in a LTC facility and worked straight afternoons pt. My kids go to their dads house every weekend, so I usually worked at least every other weekend. But it was hard during the week because I would have to be at work before they got home from school and didn't get home until after they were in bed. I missed them of course, but the reality of it all is, no matter what job it is, everyone has to pay their due's and put their time in on the crappy shifts. I just made sure I made the most of the time I had with my kids. And with the amount of money I made there, I didn't have to work ft, so that was at least a benefit. I also always made sure my kids knew why I had to work, appropriate to their age of course and we made it work. It hurt my heart some days when they were sad and not gonna lie there was the extreme rare time I used my sick days and stayed home with them when they asked. You will figure it out. I did, everyone who posted before me did. Just make sure you don't have super unrealistic expectations going into it and you will be able to make it work. Good Luck!!

Nahla if you are not working how are you going to support yourself and your children, though?

I'd say stay in school and work

If you do love nursing, and you do want to stay in school, go for it. It can be done. I did it.

If you do love nursing, you can have time with your children, and work, too. Many nurses who work the 12 hour shifts, find having four days off each week, is a big plus for parents. Some of them string up their days, to get as many as 6 days off in a row, without using any vacation days.
(of course, during the stretches you string together 12 hour shifts, you will only see your kids parttime).

Doctor offices and some of the outpatient clinics of many types often are mon-fri jobs, no nights, no weekends, no holidays, almost like school days.
School nurses, of course, can be off in the summertime, too.

Some moms find night shift works better to avoid calling sick when their kids are home sick,
but, missing sleep can be hard, too.

Some nurses find home health might offer more flexible hours than a facility might.

out in the workforce,
There are various options you can find, to suit your own life. But, you should also know, the heyday of the nursing shortage is mostly over in most places, it's not as easy nowadays to find work,
as it once was.

I only skimmed, but, i didn't catch how old your kids are?
If your kids are very small preschoolers,
IF IF IF you do have the option to stay home,(?) i always like to see very small kids being raised by one of their parents.
Babytimes go by so fast, and never come back again.

But, this is not an option for many families to have,
and some moms need to leave the home cuz 24/7 motherhood is no piece of cake, either, (for real, i have coworkers who say they come to work to relax, ha ha! not that nursing is easy, nope, is kinda joke that her kids were making her bonkers)
or they'd feel so unfulfilled without following some goal, etc,
and we all do the best we can with the cards we are dealt.

If you would be working anyway, (gone from home) i don't know if that is dramatically different hours-wise,
than working as a nurse, or going to school.


One can be a mom, (married or not) and go to nursing school fulltime, or work fulltime,
and be a mom parttime. It takes a committed, energetic person,
and a network of support,
but, it can be done. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!