Advise! Real life with ASN degree

Atl-Murse · Jan 8, 2016

You will work nights, weekends and holidays, that the nature of the job, get over this and concentrate on school.

ED Nurse, RN · Jan 8, 2016

If you don't want to work nights, holidays, or weekends, then the nursing profession is not for you. People do not stop becoming ill at inconvenient times- actually, that is typically when I treat the sickest. Eventually you may have a job that doesn't require these things, but that is rare, and you usually need years of experience.

Nursing school, while keeping up with five children, is also probably not going to be possible.

Perhaps you should consider other careers where you can be with your children when needed.

RNperdiem, RN · Jan 8, 2016

Right out of school, a lot of us started with the jobs we could get rather than the ones we wanted.

Post-partum is considered by many nurses to be a desirable specialty. Consider if you would be willing to relocate to another area for a post-partum job(5 kids makes this difficult), would take nursing job in another department with the hope of transferring to post-partum in the future, or would you hold out and tolerate a period of unemployment to get into post-partum.

There are no right or wrong answers, just know your financial needs and choices.

BSNbeauty, BSN, RN · Jan 8, 2016

I'm a post partum nurse and babies are born 24/7. Therefore you may have to work your fair share of weekend's and holidays. You may escape nights though.

nutella, MSN, RN · Jan 8, 2016

Going to nursing school with 5 children, some of them young, is very challenging.

Once you graduate you may not be able to get the position you desire, not to mention only certain shifts.

Plus the BSN is already pretty much more desired.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2016

Being a post partum nurse has always been my dream, but I'm worried about my family life suffering.

You will work weekends and holidays as a postpartum nurse. You might need to start on the night shift before a day slot opens. You might not even obtain a postpartum position immediately upon graduation since it tends to be a coveted specialty.

Forewarned is forearmed...

chacha82, ADN, BSN · Jan 9, 2016

I have my ADN from a very well respected, old-fashioned hospital program. One of the last ones in the state affiliated with a hospital and not a 4 - year university or 2 year college. In order to keep my job I am starting my BSN in a week. The reality is you will be expected to at least begin a BSN unless you find an employer who is not worried about magnet status, etc. Post partum is an extremely tough specialty to break in to. If it is where you want to be 100%, expect to move for a position. I worked as a CNA for about a year at the hospital where I am now. That helped me get a foot in. But expect to work nights, weekends, holidays, rotating hours, etc.

direw0lf, BSN · Jan 10, 2016

Abilail20, when I first decided on nursing, I was all determined "not gonna work nights" and googled info about hiring rate for new nurse grads for the day shifts and asked questions about how do you get through nights and worried too. That was the summer. Now I'm working nights as a pt observer and now I don't care about taking a night shift when I graduate for 1-2 years or more if necessary (but I do hear real life stories about new nurses getting day shifts). I guess what changed was I saw how competitive it can be, and I wanted to get in and ahead even if it meant taking the night shift. I think you or someone else might change your mind too once you're in the nursing classes and talk to nurses, and then you also realize in the end, while it might be hard at first, it's going to be for the better of you and your family.

P.S. I'll like working holidays. I think I have a bit too dreamy idea about what it will be like, but I want to work in pediatrics and I look forward to Christmas trying to make it special. But there are nurse positions that don't work holidays, but not for postpartum. I did hear though that some places take turns...like if one nurse worked Thanksgiving, they get Christmas off?

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Jan 10, 2016

You do realize postpartum nurses work nights, weekends, and holidays, right? After your deliveries, you had nurses at night, right?

What I've told my own five kids: people don't stop being critically ill on holidays. They still need their nurse. Be thankful that you are healthy and enjoying your Thanksgiving dinner; some people are fighting for their lives.

NurseWannabe2021 · Jan 12, 2016

I'm going into this knowing holidays and nights are the regular. I'm a night owl and can't stand holidays so it works for me. You need to change your mind set. It's also pretty hard for a new grad to get into labor/delivery, peds and post partum

direw0lf, BSN · Jan 12, 2016

I'm going into this knowing holidays and nights are the regular. I'm a night owl and can't stand holidays so it works for me. You need to change your mind set. It's also pretty hard for a new grad to get into labor/delivery, peds and post partum

This is true, but I heard of 3 nurses in my area who got hired in peds as their first job as new grads, I know one was a day shift but I don't know about the others. I'm really hoping I could be that lucky, but prepared for reality too! :yes: