Anyone with small children?

From experience, I wouldn't recommend it!! I am about to bail out of this very position. Highly mislead at the interview. I have 3 children under 10 and barely see them. When I am at home, constantly on the phone (24 hr on call) and it is not uncommon for me to work 50 hour weeks. My DH works full time and travels a lot so it just does not work well for me!

My facility has been very generous with me. I work mon, wed, and thursday during the day and tuesday at night and various hours on the weekend. this way, my kids are only in daycare three days a week. Plus it helps that my parents help to watch the kids quite often. But I feel that they are with our family more than they are at daycare. My situation is slightly complicated by the fact that I am pregnant (found out the day before I took the job) and so I will have a newborn in daycare 3 days a week also. This is a little harder for me to accept, but I think we will be able to make it work.

It helps that I feel so supported by my work and my family and that I really like my daycare provider.

Plus, my facility likes that I am there on those 'odd' hours to keep an eye on things. I am there when there isn't other leadership around. And it is much easier to get work done when others aren't around!!

good luck! I hope you can find a way for this to work out for you!!

Just found this post again. I took a different direction.....I found out I'm pregnant too...#5 this time. Soooo...I didn't take the job.

Just found this post again. I took a different direction.....I found out I'm pregnant too...#5 this time. Soooo...I didn't take the job.

Wishing you well and an easy pregnancy- share the good news when it comes!

cant do it. The 24 hour demand, long hours, sick kids, calls from school make it impossible.

cant do it. The 24 hour demand, long hours, sick kids, calls from school make it impossible.

But....a male nurse with a family could? We were discussing this again at work. If and when I would do FT work again, DH would become the SAHD and I would work FT. Right now, his job is kinda flexable where he could change up hrs, but he pretty much works around the clock and can get a call etc to work. He also works some odd jobs on the side. (when he has time, LOL) Why would it be any different for us to change roles?

I know the answer for me...I still have that old fashion notion in the back of my head about moms staying home, I do still work PT/ PRN to keep up my skills and could work FT tomorrow if I wanted to but if he stayed home, getting back into the work force would be a bit more difficult...those are just a few for me. Those are the two biggies.

I think my origional post was just a wondering out loud...Since the new baby is coming this summer, these plans are on hold...but that is the wonderful thing about nursing....People are always sick and getting older and when the time is right...I will have a job somewhere.

Lets face it - a male nurse has his own challenges, and what he can and cant do depends on his family situation and dynamics, maybe he would take time off and let his wife go back to work or maybe he is the primary breadwinner where his every hour means income for the family.

I too am glad I took the "traditional" route and stayed home for 6 years during which time I took care of my 5 kids and only returned to work when my youngest was 4 (Yes I had 4 kids in 2 years...) because it didn't pay to keep a sitter , besides I relished caring for my kids!!!

Whatever you decide, enjoy the ability to say that it was your CHOICE to stay home and work p/t or not at all or f/t etc.