Making it through Nursing School with Children

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;) Hi everyone. I am a first year nursing student with two small children. I am now entering my second semester (I'm in a 2 yr. RN program). Last semester was very difficult with regard to juggling school and taking care of my family. I'm deathly afraid of this semester because we're starting IVs and Fluid and Lytes, and I'm just so scared that I won't have enough energy to juggle everything. I am determined...I passed with a B+ last semester, but I really struggled at times, and I cried a lot!:o

Any insight and suggestiong would be wonderful.

PS -- I have a very loving and supportive husband who is a godsend, but I feel guilty for escaping all the time to study!

Thanks in advance for the advice!;)

Oh yes nursing school and children!!! The first day of our 1st semester one of our instructors told us if we had kids and we thought it would hurt them to not have enough time with them to drop that very day. I couldn't believe she said it, but she tells us all the time kids come first, but then assigns 200 pages of reading in one night. I think it is her way of not hearing anyone say, but I have no time for my kids/family.

Anyway you can do it!! I am a prefectionist and I had to get rid of that part when it comes to house cleaning and laundry. I drove myself crazy and stayed up late many nights in the beginning of last semester to try to keep up. I finally gave in and said if I have dust up to the ceiling I am not dusting...I did just the bare minimum and the day after my finals cleaned the house....this semester I said to my dh who is supportive but works 12 to 14 hours a day I am not dusting until May!!

My kids a 9, 8, & 7 and they can microwave any dinner in the freezer like pro's!! I try to cook a crockpot meal here and there or order out...Studing is my #1 priority and everyone knows it even if they don't like it too much! "O" I also gave the kids a you can not get sick while mommy is in school rule....LOL I am lucky to have my parents close enough if someone is sick they can cover! Good Luck and try to relax!!!!!!!!

Dont be afraid to lean on people for support. My kids were 8,9, 11 when I went back to school; its tough, but people are willing to help a lot for u to reach your dreams. My kids are now 11, 12, 14 and I am sending in my app to obtain my BSN and on to FNP. Husbands not happy about it but oh well.

I went through LPN training with a 3 yr old,a 2 yr old yr old, and pregnant and delivered during the program.I was also a single parent by the end of the program.Lots of fun.One girl I went to RN school with had 4 including an infant,single,and a job.We all graduated,never had any sleep for 2 years,were broke all the time,etc.It will eventually end and it will be ok!A routine helps and a back up for the back up when the kids are sick or out of school always helps.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Wound Care.

"The bathtub was where I did a lot of studying"

OMG that is too funny! I studied in the bathtub all the time. My husband even cut a piece of wood to fit over the perimeter of the tub to rest the book on. I went back for my RN in my early 40's and its not easy, but its doable. My son and I used to study alot together at the kitchen table, and he remembers that to this day. Take is one course at a time, Peanut Butter and Jelly is your friend, and the kids will survive (and maybe even become more independent?) for this time period. Been there done that and made it through.

When i started training my children were 22 months, nearly 3yrs and 7 yrs and of course my hubby. If it was not for my parents, especially my mom, i wouldn't have got through. She used to take them to school, look after them whilst i was on placement till my hubby came home. I was lucky i had and still do have the support of my parents, who still look after my boys whilst im working.

I too am going through nursing school married with 2.5 kids (hubby being the .5 kid :D ). My two are boys, ages 7 and 8 and at times they make me feel like a planet with two little moons orbiting around it. In my first year of nursing I carried between 18 and 21 credits (doing A&P, nutrition, micro, etc.) while doing the program. It was really hard at times but I made it and know you can do it too. There are even some single moms in my class who go to school, work, and raise kids. Just keep telling yourself that you can do it and good luck to you.

Specializes in ER straight out of nursing school.

I am 32, have four little girls ages 9, 8, 3 and 2. I am in my second semester of nursing school (2 year RN program). My first semester was pure hell! My 2 year old was in the hospital with asthma for 4 days and 2 days later I went in for 7 days (also respiratory related.) Needless to say, I had a very hard time catching up. I went into the final with a 76, a 78 is passing in our program. I did it though.

I am doing much better this semester (I have a high B). I have found that the way for me is to treat school like a job. 5 days a week (while my children are in school and daycare), I go to school 8-5. My clinical days are other hours of course, but I am in school other days 8-5, no matter what I have to do that day.

To top it all off, I have ADD (yes, I still take medications and have since 2nd grade) When I am not in class or in the lab, I go to the library and sit in a cubicle with no distractions to study. I have found that this is the only way I can study. There is absolutely NO WAY that I can study at home.

I know that it is hard... there are so many obstacles to overcome. But it is going to be well worth the work and sacrafice!

Hey all. Just wanted to intro myself. I will read all the posts later as I have to get ready fro church in a bit.

I have a 3 and a 4 yr old and I am in nursing school. I will start clinicals in the fall. I have a husband who recently has been supportive of me finishing school. He owns his business so I am very fortunate taht when I start clinicals he will come home at 12 noon 5 days a week and work Sat. so taht I can go to scholl for cliniclas and stuff without putting my kids in daycare. I have been a SAHM since they were bon and I worry too much so I would rather them be home with a parent. (just my worry-wart ways) My husband will also home school our oldest for K4 and K5 this fall and next so taht we do not have to wory about picking up our son at school before I have to race to school(in K$ and K% the go to class all week but get out at noon, i start cliniclas arond 1-2 pm.) We are not real close to the Christian school we will send the kids too. Plus this will save us money for the forst couple years of schooling. That will be nice. :chuckle

anyway. It is hard being a mom of 2 young kids and trying to get an studying done. All my kids do is fight with each other ALL the time. They don't stop. But when one is gone with daddy and I am home with the other, All I hear is When are they going to be home mommy. They miss each other so much when apart but fight like mad when together. In fact rigth now they are screaming and fighting. (reday to pull hair out) So I wait til everyone is in bed and I stay up til about 4am studying every night. This means I get about 3 hours of sleep and I am so tired but not much i can do ya know. I gotta get through school. :)

BTW, speaking of husbands: one of my classmates (who happened to be a working LVN going for her BSN) and a child, said that she noticed that her husband loved to torment her about going to further her education to b/c an RN but he sure never complained about spending her LVN paycheck!
My husband used to be like taht. His mom is very unsupportive of me being in school as well as my SIL. I think my SIL is jealous and my MIL thiks I need to eb home with the kids 24 hrs a day. I am home with my kids BTW and I love to be but when I have the few hours of break once a week, from the house and I go to school it makes me appreciate the kids more and they appreciate me more too. They see me in school and they can't wait to go. they think school is a part of life. I have been going for about 2.5 yrs now and my kids are 3&4.

My husband was tottaly unsupportive until he decided taht if I were a nurse we could move to FL and i will support the family while he takes off work for 6 months and builds our house. Yeah we will have a tiny mortgae and it's not like he will do nothing for 6 months. If my husband is anything it is a hard worker. He just doesn't stop. And it will be our beautiful home just the way we want it. But what erks me is taht he used to actually tell me that I could not go to class some nights (I had exams those nights!!) and forcefully make it so I could not go and now all of a sudden he is workign with me and supporting me. All bc he gets what he wants if I finish school now. Life is a bit better now that things are this way. I am aslo getting what i want too. :)

My grandmother on the other hand (My whole family for that matter) is Totally supportive. My grammy got married while in nursung school 50 yrs ago and soon after got pregnant. So could not finish school(back then you couldn't if you were pregnant) and she ten went on to have 6 children. She wishes she had been a nurse. it was the job of her dreams. (She worked as a mom when all her kids got older) and she wishes she could have been anurse instead of the job she did. She told me recently to "do it for me." So when i graduate it will be for my grammy and myself. I love her so much!! Plus my other grammy was a nurse for about 60 yrs beofre she died. my daughter is named after her. :p

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I understand how you feel about juggling school and family it's very hard but you will learn to come with a routine that works best for you and your household. I have 4 children and a husband so that counts as 5 children and they are all under 11 I just finished a 2yr program in january. I used to study at night when the children were sleep and on the weekends i would go to the library. You would find that it's things that would be neglected. My house used to be a total mess and cooking was for the birds because i didn't have time for those things and I was home schooling my children. It's well worth the sacrifice even thought the guilt kills you at the time. you can do it and if you feel like crying is your coping mechanism then let it out insteading of holding it in. and just know that you are not alone :)

Specializes in Anesthesia.

You can do it....it's rough, but you absolutely can do it.

I began working toward my BSN when I had a two year old and a newborn at home. Had my third child during my junior year over Thanksgiving break. Of course, I have a very supportive husband, and I can imagine it would have been much more difficult without that support. Like someone else here mentioned, I always thought to myself that those college kids living in the dorms or at mom and dad's house without jobs or families to care for should have been making all A's, but instead that was me. Having a family and knowing that what I was doing was for their good as well as my own was a great driving force and it made me take what I was doing seriously and give it my best. I graduated summa cum laude and really proved to myself that I can do whatever I set my mind to doing. Now I have four little ones. I'm enrolled in grad school classes right now, and will officially start in my school's nurse anesthesia program this fall. I don't listen to the nay-sayers who like to tell you that they don't see how you can possibly do it or who like to point out how difficult it will be. I already know that, and my family knows it will be hard for a couple of years, but with sacrifice comes rewards.

Hang in there. I was a single mom with a 3 month old and a 2 yr old when I started nursing school. It was very hard. Kids illnesses seemed to follow whatever system I was studying at the time. :uhoh3: I had to be very disciplined and had to follow a strict schedule: ie kids bathed and in bed by 7pm every night so that I could study. Up at 5am in the morning, put whichever kid was potty training on the pot, comb hair, dress, breakfast, drop off at the sitters, school, then back home to cook, play with kids, and back at it again. Was it hard? Yes! Was it worth it? Yes.......Being able to provide for my family once I finished school was definitely worth the effort! 20 years later, I have 3 smart, beautiful and strong daughters (met and married my DH after finishing school) and to this day I can say it was well worth the effort and sacrifice :balloons:

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