anyone wait tables before becoming a nurse?

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Just wondering how the physical side of nursing compares? I'm a single mom of a three year old and my plan is that I'll work 3 12-hr night shifts a week, so that I can minimize my time away from him. I'm just wondering if that's going to kick my butt? I hate to think I'll just be so wiped out that all my time at home is going to be spent recovering from work.

Any body done both and have some insight?

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Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.

i waited tables and worked as a grill cook in paramedic school. my boyfriend waited tables in nrsg school. we both came to the same conclusion....nursing is alot like waiting tables. you have to manage your time well, make your client happy, and sometimes that isnt possible, do the best job you can, and prioritize. you have multiple demands on you at the same time and you need to figure out what needs to be done first. it definately helps with time mgmt, i think.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Working three 12 hour nights a week then going home and caring for a three year old is gonna totally kick your butt. I only work a single 12 hour night at a time so that I too can care for my son, and it's all I can do sometimes to stay awake, both at work and after I've napped when I get home. I just worked a night, then had a horrible drive home that took me an hour and 20 minutes d/t an accident on the bridge I take to get over the river... I slept for 4 hours and still feel like I'm dying. Anything that upsets my delicate timeline is a disaster in the making. Be sure you're thinking about how to make your plan work and still stay healthy and sane.

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...nursing is alot like waiting tables

I've often thought about quitting nursing and go waiting tables....the demands are similar and at least you get tips waiting tables :lol2:

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Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.
I've often thought about quitting nursing and go waiting tables....the demands are similar and at least you get tips waiting tables :lol2:

My husband is a retired airline pilot. I often wanted to help the Flight Attendants because their job is so similar to mine: minus passing meds or changing dressings. And they get flight benefits too!

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Working three 12 hour nights a week then going home and caring for a three year old is gonna totally kick your butt. I only work a single 12 hour night at a time so that I too can care for my son, and it's all I can do sometimes to stay awake, both at work and after I've napped when I get home. I just worked a night, then had a horrible drive home that took me an hour and 20 minutes d/t an accident on the bridge I take to get over the river... I slept for 4 hours and still feel like I'm dying. Anything that upsets my delicate timeline is a disaster in the making. Be sure you're thinking about how to make your plan work and still stay healthy and sane.

well, my "plan" is to get off work, pick up my son from my parents house (where he'll have spent the night) the either take him to preschool or the babysitter, and then take myself home to sleep for about 6-7hr. Spend the afternoon with him, and then drop him off at my parents house for the night. I wasn't planning on just caring for him for the full day after work, if that's what you thought. No way I could handle that, but I'm thinking with him only being with a sitter for 6-7hrs three days a week (and spending the night with my parents), is better than working day time and being gone that whole time. Being a single mom sucks sometimes :uhoh3:

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I've often thought about quitting nursing and go waiting tables....the demands are similar and at least you get tips waiting tables :lol2:

Yeah, but your base pay is $2.13/hr so :down:

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Specializes in mostly in the basement.

aahhhh.........unless, just like for nursin', you're in CA! I'm again so happy I grew up here :)

Min wage + tips. Seriously, some clubs and hotels/etc. are also even unionized. That's like $12/hr + tips. It's actually not a bad idea for a little switch'er up.....

I actually have, in various incarnations, worked as a server, as a FA and now obviously as an RN.

In all honesty, the knowledge areas and level of responsibilities keep changing but, seriously, the time management skills you needed to learn way back when are so transferrable to this arena. You'll still have the normal new grad worries but juggling the patients/rooms/txs etc. just is something that will probably come easier for those of you who have that experience. Especially now that we've entered the "customer service" concept of healthcare!

Also, I think partly because of all that earlier life stuff, the only areas I've ever worked or been drawn to in nursing are ER and now flight. May sound crazy but you know if you're that kinda person--the zillion balls in the air type and you thrive on controlled chaos because you've got the map in your head----or you're not. Anyway, worked for me!

BTW, when I was a flight attenant my co-workers would ***** "I'm sick of being treated like just a waitress." And now as a nurse while all the focus is on handing out pillows and blankets instead of actual, y'know, nursing care, my co-workers have actually said, "god, what are we, just a bunch of stewardesses?"

Too funny.......(and I let the stew comments slide 'cause I'm just that kinda gal, but reallly folks, these are saftey professionals....

:) Good luck future nurses....

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Specializes in Psych/Rehab/Family practice/Oncology.

These are just some of the things I did before becoming a nurse: waited tables, made drapes, made padded headboards, made gloves and boots that they wore on the moon, made catalogs, worked as an aide, and then a QMA. One good thing about waiting tables is that no matter how obnoxious your customers were, they were usually only there a couple of hours, not eight, ten, and twelve hours like our patients! I guess if it was a bar, they might stay that long!

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Yeah, but your base pay is $2.13/hr so :down:

You're kidding? I never knew they got paid so little! But then I'm fairly new to this country. So whatever happened to minimum wage? Does it not apply to this kind of work?

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You're kidding? I never knew they got paid so little! But then I'm fairly new to this country. So whatever happened to minimum wage? Does it not apply to this kind of work?

no, because in theory with tips you make well above minimum wage. It's been a great fit for me in college and now as a single mom, because I can make $15-20/hr but work when I want, and if I need money, I just pick up a quick shift.

I'm glad to know that my experience all these years of waiting tables, will have some "real-life" application :up:

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Specializes in ICU.

i used to be a waitress -i was terrible; dropped things on people, and broke dishes. they couldn't wait to get rid of me:bowingpur

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