Any nursing mom can relate?

island40 · Oct 3, 2009

Are you looking for ways to have a travel nursing job- move every 13 weeks or are you looking for a new permanent venue to live until you children are grown? As a single mom of 2 adults I caution you to get a job that allows you to be parent to your children and expand your career after they are independent. A child of a single mother is 700 times- not 7 times but 700 times!- more likely to be incarcerated than a child with 2 parents. Get a job that pays the bills and allows you to be home for dinner and be involved in your children's lives!!!

rn2bnwi, BSN, RN · Oct 3, 2009

i agree.. hats off to all single moms out there!! but the idea of being a travel nurse rather than providing your child with a stable environment sounds like a bad idea...especially at their age. they will be grown befor you know it... then you will be ready to travel! good luck!

nkochrn, RN · Oct 3, 2009

I agree with finding a job that you are able to spend lots of time with your kids if you are a single parent.

There's not THAT many tornadoes in KS :chuckle. It's mostly a bunch of scares. I did make 5 or 6 trips to the basement with all my patients last spring though . I'd be more worried about the boredom in KS though. lol You definitely see all four seasons, sometimes all in the same week it seems. lol

I've never worked in OR but have always thought it didn't seem like as much 'nursing' and found it boring. Our OR nurses don't tend to do much of the actual pre and post op though.

MELY13 · Oct 4, 2009

ISLAND40 and RN2BNWI

To elaborate, I want to travel outside of Texas, to find a nice place where I can raise my kids, but NOT be traveling with agency jobs... I know I wont be able to do this (it says up there). It takes me 10 hours just to get out of Texas.... So I want to be in a place where we can take mini vacations without having to drive so far... Nice parks, mountains, etc because I AM very involved in their lives, and will continue to do so ESPECIALLY since I'm raising them on my own. That's why I got a late start with school, to be home with my kids, but now, I need to provide for them myself, and nursing it is. So, still--- Any awesome places that would be beneficial for a family like mine to try and experience?

ownadobe · Oct 4, 2009

The mid-atlantic area seems to have everything. MD, WV, PA, VA. Rural areas are great for raising your kids. I moved here when mine was 9. I used to work in the city but found that they did not care that you need to stay home on a day or two cause your kid was sick. Since I moved to the rural part of the mountains there seems to be a different mentality here. We are in the mountains, not far from the beach, and close enough to major cities for day trips. I really like the smaller hospitals where you are more than a "always replacable employee". A sense of family is felt here.

RNKPCE · Oct 4, 2009

Sounds like you need to find a day shift job if you move to a new area. Because who would be watching your kids while you are at work.

Starting a job as a nurse can be pretty stressful, might it be better to find a job where you currently live and have some sort of support system of friends at least. Your kids already have their network of friends too. Then once you get experience then do the relocation thing.

ONCRN84 · Oct 4, 2009

Washington has parks, mountains, beaches, lakes, etc. I used to live in central washington and pretty much anything was within 3 hours. Seattle was 2 hours away, the mountains were about 30 minutes away. There was a theme park about 3 hours away. And we don't have many natural disasters! Flooding, but only if you live in the flood plains. Wild fires, not a huge deal if you don't live in the middle of no where. I live in Eastern Washington now and I miss central washington.

Miss Mab · Oct 4, 2009

A child of a single mother is 700 times- not 7 times but 700 times!- more likely to be incarcerated than a child with 2 parents.
Get a job that pays the bills and allows you to be home for dinner and be involved in your children's lives!!!

Source, please?

Not for the self righteousness--just the one about incarceration rates.

Thanks!

kayty2339 · Oct 4, 2009

I just had to chime in...I notice a lot of you are not answering her question, but rather passing judgement on how she should raise her kids. She didn't ask what shift she needed or what your advise on her being a single mom was. She just wants to know if anyone knows of any nice places to live. Just because she is a single mom doesn't mean that she shouldn't want to move somewhere nice with her kids and just because she's a single mom doesn't mean her kids are going to prison either, seriously?!

My mom was single and raised three kids on her own...none of us are in prison and if I say so myself, I think we all turned out pretty well. It's not about having 2 parents, it's about having GOOD parents and even if it's only one, quality is better than quantity.

I live in Pensacola Fl. It's in the panhandle of florida, about 2.5 hrs from New Orleans, 5 from Atlanta and we have beautiful beaches. The pay here isn't as great as some other places but the cost of living is much less than other areas as well. Not close to any mountains though. Job opportunities are limited, but as a nurse they're not. Three big hospitals in Pensacola and Mobile, Al only 45 min. away.

ownadobe · Oct 4, 2009

I'm not telling her how to raise her kids but I know from experience that some employers really don't care what your personal issues are. They just want you at work.

I found when I moved where I am now, people were more understanding and helpful. Dayshift jobs are hard to come by especially for a new nurse but they are out there.

RNKPCE · Oct 4, 2009

I just had to chime in...I notice a lot of you are not answering her question, but rather passing judgement on how she should raise her kids. She didn't ask what shift she needed or what your advise on her being a single mom was. She just wants to know if anyone knows of any nice places to live. .

You can live in a really nice place but if you don't have a support system or decent day care/night care it can be really rough. How many new grads are on these boards are stressed just starting out on their first job living in their home town with support. Most of us have gone through the phase of nursing she has yet to go through we are just trying to help her make a well thought out decision.