is this for me?

Kuriin, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2014

Clinicals can range from once a week to four times a week with theory in the middle. You can decide what clinical hours you want (well, depending on the school), but generally it's from 7-3 or 6:30-5. Or there's the occasional night shift. Yes, you would need to find a sitter multiple times a week.

If I were you, I would look around in your area and see if people are hiring nurses with associates. If so, I would just recommend that.

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Jan 2, 2014

hi all.. I am desperately looking for words of encouragement from students that are parents and or that have left their full time jobs to pursue this career. I am at a point in my life that I really need to make a decision as I feel that I have no more time to waste. I reside on LI NY, I am currently a part time student working on my pre reqs..I'm 35 I work full time, am married and have a 5 year old. My fear is this... I have a pretty decent job, and make a really good salary. But I know that my current job is not what I want to do forever. im actually at work now and I am not "present"my fear is not so much the hard work of nursing school but the time invested. I'm most afraid of not having a job after I'm done in 4 plus years ( I recently learned it would be in my best interest to get a BSN) which is another thing that scared me, I thought I would be done in 2 plus years ( with the associate)but now im looking at being 40 years old and searching desperately for work.I think that my family can survive on my husbands salary for a these few years but I know it will be a struggle. I'm full of fear.. that's the bottom line. can someone tell me its going to be ok? what are clinicals like... will I be able to take my daughter to school in the am? I've heard that clinicals can begin as early as 6.30 am? is this a daily or a couple of time a week? this would mean I would need to pay , or even find a sitter at that hour? my husband leaves for work at 5 am. I do not have any family near by to help with her?the more time passes me by the more I have this desire to go on this journey. How do I know its the right choice? how do I give up what I have now... on a dream? and what if I fail? ugh I'm sorry I know how I sound. I know that no one has the answer for me... but I would really appreciate any words of encouragement or honesty for that matter. thanks so much!

To answer your actual question: no, you will not be able to take your child to school on clinical days. Many of them begin at 8am at the latest. You need to factor in your commute, parking your car, and weather, and being ready to take report at the assigned start time. This will likely be 1-2 days per week.There will be a need for major lifestyle adjustments. You also need to consider after clinicals. For example, If clinical ends after your child is dismissed from school, you need to make afternoon arrangements. This is usually easier than morning arrangements (maybe finding a school mom who will look after him/her until you get out of clinical). And don't forget study time!! As a mom who is around your age, and in your geographic location, I feel I can give you this advice (but keep in mind I am on the other end- I am the professor). Many students have circumstances in their lives, and the ones who come in right away and say "I have kids and can't get to clinical on time" are often looked at as difficult. I am in no way saying every parent who is in nursing school is like this; most are not. But the ones who are tend to stick out, and paint a bad picture for the rest (the one rotten apple...). The majority of them know what they need to do, and the professors have no idea what the student has going on outside the home. I had two students recently: a) came up to me immediately and told me she would probably be late every day because she has two kids that she has to get to school in the morning, lived very close to the clinical site and drove, and b) one who I knew had two kids but I had no knowledge of her childcare arrangements, how she traveled or where she lived. Turns out student b got on a train every morning at 5:30am for clinical and obviously was not getting her children to school on her own. I know not everyone has the same support systems (student b obviously did, but still needed to go through a lot to get to class). I tell you this because if you do decide to go forward with this, it will be a huge adjustment for your whole family.You have to decide if it's worth it. Your point about finding a job is a good one. You will be sacrificing a lot, and if it's not something you are really passion all about doing, it may not be worth it (especially if you do not HAVE to do it). I keep in touch with a lot of my graduates, and some of them do complain about the very unorthodox lifestyle/schedule they keep. If you work in a hospital, your schedule is never regular. There are advantages though (IMO). You may be home in a weekday when your child has one school function, but you may be working on a Saturday when she has a soccer game or a birthday party to attend. If you work nights, you can be home during the day, but may feel like you are hungover from working all night. It's a tough decision to make, and I'm glad that you are pondering all of the factors before jumping in.

wrmotroni · Jan 2, 2014

thank you for your time and honesty