best work schedule for single mom with school-aged kids

Nurses General Nursing

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if all goes according to plan i'll be gradualting in august and hope to be immediatly working after that (fingers crossed!). i'll love to work in ICU or cardiac care unit but the reality is i will gratefully accept whatever position is offered to me.

one thing that i'm not at all clear on, is what schedule would be best. my #1 priority is something that makes me more available to my kids. working nights doesn't bother me.

i'd like to hear what has worked the best for other single moms/dads and why (also what i should avoid). basically i'd like to benefit from the insight and experiences of other mom rns.

thanks in advance for any response.

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Specializes in LTC.

I would think 7p-7a. They will be in school during the day that way you can sleep. You can still spend time with them before you go to work. Keep in mind this is only 3 days a week. Another nice shift is 11p-7a or 7a-3p. Good luck and congrats on almost being done!!!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
if all goes according to plan i'll be gradualting in august and hope to be immediatly working after that (fingers crossed!). i'll love to work in ICU or cardiac care unit but the reality is i will gratefully accept whatever position is offered to me.

one thing that i'm not at all clear on, is what schedule would be best. my #1 priority is something that makes me more available to my kids. working nights doesn't bother me.

i'd like to hear what has worked the best for other single moms/dads and why (also what i should avoid). basically i'd like to benefit from the insight and experiences of other mom rns.

thanks in advance for any response.

I think it all depends on what type of support you have in place. If you are in an area where 12 hours are the norm, you obviosuly need coverage at some point. I worked nigths when my daughter was a baby, but the shift was 8-8, which really meant 8:30am (after report). I worked with some moms that had issues in the morning because of this. Years later, a friend who happened to be a NM (different unit, our kids went to school together), made arrangements to work 6pm-6am, so she could go home and get her kid to school (she had an overnight babysitter, her sister, who needed to get out of the house by 7 so she could get to work). She swore this was better than days at the time (she is now on days, but our kids are in 6th grade).

Either way you're going to have to sacrifice something. I could not stomach nights for very long (but my daughter was not in school, so I didn't have the option of sleeping when I got home). If you do work nights, at least you are 'home' when she is in school, and if (God forbid) she gets sick, or needs something at school, you're available (albeit tired). You get to cook (an early) dinner, if that's your thing, and breakfast and lunch on the weekends and days off. And when you're at work, you're not missing much with them (just putting them to bed). To me, that was a plus; knowing she was asleep for most of the time I was at work.

As they get older, you may want to consider days, because it becomes more of a normalcy thing.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.
I would think 7p-7a. They will be in school during the day that way you can sleep. You can still spend time with them before you go to work. Keep in mind this is only 3 days a week. Another nice shift is 11p-7a or 7a-3p. Good luck and congrats on almost being done!!!

Overnight? As a single mom? who's watching the kids at night?

You need days because many schools offer early drop off programs/after school programs for just this situation. Ask the schools, they usually have a lot of links to day care, etc.

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thanks so much for the input. 7pm-7am sounds like it would be best. i might look into 6pm-6am too.

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