A question ...

[Inca_chick]

I am a student and I went back to school thinking i should major in elementary school teaching. Why? well , because the summers you have off and the time you get to spend with your children. I already have a one year old child, and i like the idea of spending time with her. Anyways, once in school i decided to change the major in community health educator and certain classes like anatomy and physiology are classes that nursing majors also have to take before getting into the nursing program. So i started thinking about majoring in nursing it seems like a good job, good pay and i would love to be in a job where i can help people especially children. I wanted to ask a nurse but i don't know any, how the job is. I am not sure if i should really take nursing. If i become a nurse does that mean that i will not have as much time with my kids? i am not sure if what people say about the nursing career is true. people say it is a lot of stress , that you do not have that much time for your kids, and that you have to be on call and if you finish your shift and the person from the next shift cannot go then you have to finish the other person's shift. I really would appreciate if anyone can reply to this message especially anyone that is a mother like me. this is the only website i have found that gives me an opportunity to ask a nurse. Also if you major in nursing when you start working in a hospital can you choose a section to work in the hospital like neonatal or pediatrics or do you get assigned to different sections and as you work later you can choose? I am really confused now and i am not sure if to go to nursing or teaching, i love helping people especially children. The problem with teaching is that the pay is not that good, but the summer off is good. The thing is that i would like to have a great future with my husband and children and with teaching i am not sure if i would be able to earn as much money to give my children as much as i can. Another conflict is that if nursing does not let me spend time with the kids how are they going to feel?

I was thinking that maybe i should volunteer in a hospital and see how the environment is , and see if i would like it but i do not now in what to volunteer, any suggestions?. Please i need a response from a nurse that can tell me how it is.

thanks,

I>C

[LSRN]

I'm a pediatric nurse and wouldn't trade it for anything!! Nursing has MANY different opportunities to offer. I work 3 12 hour shifts a week. I love my 4 days off. My hospital offers many things to moms. We have a seasonal option-where you work 6 months and have 3 off. We have a School-hour option-where they will mirror your childs school schedule. We have weekend option-where you work either 3 out of every 4 weekends or 11 out of every 12 weekends. A lot of moms use these and love them. I rarely, if ever, have to work later than 10 minutes, usually I get out exactly on time.

In nursing school, you will have "clinicals" in all the hospital departments. This is good experience and will help you decide where you want to work. After you graduate, you pick which department to apply to. In the "old" days, most RNs had to start on a med/surg floor, but with the nursing shortage, you can usually pick anywhere to start. I went directly into pediatrics.

I don't have any kids yet, but I feel nursing will allow me more time (when i have them) than a 9-5 mon-fri job would. Good Luck whatever you choose!!

[LSRN]

Typo in my last post, I meant to say the Seasonal option is 9 mos on, 3 mos off. Sorry

[delirium]

Just curious, LSRN, where are you?

That sounds like a great place to work.

The facilities I'm thinking of applying to after graduation offer what they refer to as 'flexible' scheduling, but its nowhere near as flexible as that.

[LSRN]

I work at Frederick Memorial in Maryland. In order to mirror your childs schedule, you have to work float pool-so the hours are flexible. With the seasonal option, I'm not sure if you have to work float pool or not-but you are required to work the most busy winter months as part of your six months.

[delirium]

That's funny, I'm in Maryland. Frederick would be a hell of a commute, though.

Thanks for the info.

[boobaby42]

Well, I'm a former pediatric nurse too. I took a two year break from nursing and taught school. There really are many different opportunities for a nurse. Nurses can find jobs as Health Occupation teachers at high schools or even land a position as a school nurse. The money is less, but the benefits make up for it. And then there's the summers off with your own children. It's a thought worth looking into. You can teach at LPN schools too. I taught at a Technical College as an MOA instructor. The money is great and the benefits are wonderful. You have many choices. Best of luck to you!