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I'm starting an Accelerated BSN program in August and will graduate the following August (2011). My husband and I have been married for 2 1/2 years and are a bit older (in our 30s). We are so excited to start our family and the biological clock is ticking very loudly. I don't think I want to have a baby while still in school, but has anyone had a baby while in NS or had classmates that had?? In particular, an accelerated BSN program? What was your experience? Would it be a HUGE mistake to have a baby before I graduate? How about being pregnant in NS (with the due date a couple months after I graduate)? I ask because I'm a little afraid that when it comes down to it, it may take us a long time to get pregnant. We tried for 7 months to get pregnant about 1 1/2 years ago to no avail, so I'm terrified that it'll take us a year+ to get pregnant. Since I'm already in my 30s, I don't want to wait too long. Thoughts?
Another thing to consider about being pregnant at graduation--your first job as a nurse.
1) It will be hard to get hired when you're showing. Oh, sure, no one will ever tell you that you weren't hired because you're pregnant, but they will find another reason to go with another candidate.
2) Your first year of nursing will be time intensive, stressful, and suck a lot. Do you want a newborn on top of that?
3) You may or may not get maternity leave. FMLA only kicks in once you've been working for a year.
Another thing to consider about being pregnant at graduation--your first job as a nurse.1) It will be hard to get hired when you're showing. Oh, sure, no one will ever tell you that you weren't hired because you're pregnant, but they will find another reason to go with another candidate.
2) Your first year of nursing will be time intensive, stressful, and suck a lot. Do you want a newborn on top of that?
3) You may or may not get maternity leave. FMLA only kicks in once you've been working for a year.
This is another good point. Grads who have interviewed at a local hospital have said that they are requiring them to sign an agreement to not get pregnant during their first year there. Now, I don't know if this is merely a rumor, but I find it ironic that this hospital is Catholic and is against the use of birth control. How would the married new grads handle this? Not be intimate with their husband/wife for a year? Maternity leave is another expense for hospitals and they want to make sure you're going to stick around before they spend money on you. These grads could be exaggerating but it's something to think about. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
Thoughts?
I have no idea why people purposefully have babies during nursing school.
About 6 or 7 girls in my 80-student class got pregnant during the first year of our ADN program. Two had to drop out due to complicated pregnancies. Two others were lucky to get by with Cs after missing class and clinicals. Another one became permanently irritable and constantly complained. You couldn't even talk to her.
Another decided to hide her pregnancy for some reason. Tough to do during clinicals.
Even our instructors became exasperated with all the pregnancies.
Good luck.
This is another good point. Grads who have interviewed at a local hospital have said that they are requiring them to sign an agreement to not get pregnant during their first year there. Now, I don't know if this is merely a rumor, but I find it ironic that this hospital is Catholic and is against the use of birth control. How would the married new grads handle this? Not be intimate with their husband/wife for a year? Maternity leave is another expense for hospitals and they want to make sure you're going to stick around before they spend money on you. These grads could be exaggerating but it's something to think about.Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
This practice sounds illegal under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. If an employer can't ask you if you are pregnant or what your plans are concerning children during a job interview, I don't see how they can get around it by placing a contractual obligation upon you not to become pregnant.
This practice sounds illegal under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. If an employer can't ask you if you are pregnant or what your plans are concerning children during a job interview, I don't see how they can get around it by placing a contractual obligation upon you not to become pregnant.
That's why I came to the conclusion that they were stretching the truth, if not flat out lying. I figured the hospital had a policy like a previous poster mentioned about not providing maternity leave until a year after employment, and these graduates were exaggerating the situation. The fact that they claimed a Catholic hospital was trying to say that their employees can't conceive during the first year of employment raised a red flag as to whether they were telling the truth. There were two people saying this and I doubt there was any truth to their statements. Employees there said they never had to promise any such thing.
I am in an accelerated MSN program and I graduate in December. Like you, my husband and I have been married for a couple of years and are longing to start a family. So we started trying this April and were successful. We waited long enough so that I would be due after graduation. I am due on Jan 11-so almost a month after I finish my program.
My advice would be is to wait your first year before trying. Next spring would be a good time to try because like me, you'd be having the baby after you finish the program.
Thanks for all the comments everyone. It has helped to shed some light.
I guess no matter what I do, the timing will never be perfect. There will always be something else on the horizon getting in the way of having a baby. I think I'll take the risk of not getting a job over the risk of not having a family. If a hospital won't hire me because I'm pregnant, then I think I'd have a good lawsuit on my hands (and wouldn't want to work at that facility regardless). Family is ultimately #1, so if my career suffers ever so slightly because of it, then so be it. Thanks again for all the insight. I knew I could count on my online nursing student buddies to be truthful. :)
If a hospital won't hire me because I'm pregnant, then I think I'd have a good lawsuit on my hands
They won't tell you they didn't hire you because you're pregnant, just like they don't tell older people they weren't hired because they're 50+. They'll say another candidate was a better fit or had a better GPA or whatever sounds good. Pretending that this sort of thing doesn't happen often is naive.
I was against having a baby during nursing school in the beginining. During my 3 semester I got pregnant 6 months after our wedding ( we got married the weekend before my 2nd semester). I luckily had a great pregnancy ( no vomiting or complications) I didnt miss a day of class or clinicals until I gave birth. Luckily/ironically I gave birth during maternity rotation and it made pumping so much easier during the 12 hr shift of clinicals. Im currently finishing my MSN with a now toddler with a 3.3 gpa. The hardest part is spending enough time with my family ( Im working and going to school full time). My hubby has been so supportive and I wouldnt have been able to do it without him and my mom who used her massive amount of vacation time to help watch the kid during class. I dont regret having her when I did because now I can concentrate on getting an RN job and in this economy Im glad that I can start early before graduation. Some of my classmates have to delay the job hunt due to pregnancy/ newborns.
My program is 2.5 years total and I hear that you have no free time in the 1 yr program. If you do try to get pregnant do it near the end of the program.
All in all you cant predict how pregnancy/ parenthood will change your life. You have to be (somewhat) prepared that things can get really hard. Go with your heart on this decision.
gumby1411
288 Posts
Yes, it's an accelerated second degree program. I'm not currently a nurse...I'm actually a landscape architect. They're closely related, huh?
I already have my general education credits done b/c of my first bachelor's degree. I've been taking the rest of the prereqs (micro, A&P, Pharm, Patho, etc) over the past year. My program is 12 months, full time, roughly 20 credits a semester. Crazy.