balancing job and family :)

[undecidedjp]

Hi :) I posted a thread on here about whether or not I should go back to school for nursing or teaching. :) I guess a question I should ask that would really help even more is :

Those of you who are already nurses and have children.. do you find it difficult balancing both? do you feel your work gets in the way of home? I just feel like I would be miserable having to work holidays and weekends having my two little ones at home! .. but I also know that me becoming a nurse will be a great benefit for my family. I know there are SO MANY different Nursing Jobs out there, I guess I am just afraid that I will be away from my family when they are all home and i don't want that.... anyone else feel the same or deal with this, or have a way to get around it????? Thanks for all advice!!!! I plan on starting school this summer with some pre requisites..

[mmh2]

I am not a nurse (yet - star t pre reqs this summer) but I have 2 kids (2 & 8) and work full time. No matter what your job is/will be there is juggling/balancing involved with working and raising a family. Go with where your heart is. I personally could never be a teacher - my husband is - and bless him and all of the other teachers out there! You should do whatever will make you happiest. Easier said than done, right. Good luck!

[Jules A, MSN]

Your family will have to make sacrifices, simple as that, but I think if the benefits outweigh the risks it is worth it.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

The reality of nursing is that your work schedule will prevent you from participating in many of your family's activities. This is especially true in the early years. In most areas, it may take years to get a day job. You will probably be working every other weekend and half of the major holidays. You may be required to rotate work shifts. Healthcare is a 24X7 business, and nurses are responsible for continuous care delivery - that's just the way it is.

Of course, you could always work in a clinic or non-inpatient/hospital job, but these generally pay much less and do not generally contribute to overall career advancement because they don't have relevance to the areas that employ higher-level nurse managers & executives.

If you have a spouse that is hands-on with child rearing responsibility -- not one that says he/she is 'baby sitting' when taking care of the kids -- it is very do-able. You just have to accept the fact that you aren't in charge of everything; there are many ways to load the dishwasher; it's OK not to sort the laundry your way; either parent can competently respond to childhood urgencies. . . etc.

Best of Luck to you