career question

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · May 7, 2008

hi all,
i am very interested in going to nursing school, but the question i have is: what type of jobs can i have if i have small children? i'm the most interested in hospital work, but from what i understand it's committment to a 12 hr shift, which basically means you have to work at night. doctor's offices and home care don't interest me as much, because my understanding is that it's boring (is that true?).
could y'all tell me what you do, what your hours are like, what people in your position earn (don't have to tell me your personal salary) :). also, please tell me if you have an associate's or bsn, because i'm trying to decide which one to go for (i already have another bs, so could do accelerated bsn).
thanks in advance!

i know nurses with small children who work in several different areas with a variety of schedules. it depends on your support system outside of work as to what's best for you.

hospital nursing does not equal 12 hour shifts, nor does it equal night work. while some systems really stress 12 hour shifts, not all require it, and those shifts can be harder to obtain sometimes, actually.

i've never worked in a doctor's office or home care, but i don't think home care is boring from what i've seen in nursing school or from what i've heard. as for offices, experience is usually required.

i just left a 7p-7a medsurg position at a small community hospital. i am going to start in the operating room at a larger facility in a different state, working 7a-3p. as for what i earn, i don't mind telling you, but i'd like you to know that it is usually dependent upon where the hospital is and how much experience you have. when it comes to working in the hospital, different departments don't pay different base rates. they're all the same human resources department, and it depends usually on experience, not where you physically work.

i have a bsn, and once more, some hospitals prefer that over adn or diploma. if you already have a bs, i'd say go for the accelerated. be warned that it's a lot in a little amount of time, and if you're thinking of working, doing that, and raising your children, it might not work for you.

where do you live? if you tell us that we may be able to help you in regards to salary, hospitals and schools!

wish you the best!

jess

ontocrna · May 7, 2008

Hey, I got into this field for flexibility. What I didn't know going in was that the education to get into it is NOT flexible. I have small children at home and found nursing school was very time consuming with a very taxing schedule. I found that you are basically at their mercy till you're done and that three different babysitting ideas had to be available to accomodate the changes that came up. I became nocturnal to study. I prayed for no one in the house to get sick during it and I made my husband take days off from work when someone did get sick. You need a huge support system to get through it. That said, there are several part time options with flexibility available to an RN. Per diem and on call are always options too. Places that staff based on acuity often offer flex schedules.

cherubhipster · May 7, 2008

You could always be a school nurse!

jjjoy, LPN · May 8, 2008

Just to be forewarned, it can be difficult (not impossible, depends on local nursing market) to get work as a nurse part-time without previous experience. New grad nurses need a lot of support and more facilities are offering extended orientation programs that usually demand a full-time schedule.

Other nursing positions outside of the hospital or LTC can be competetive to get into and have low turnover - such as school nursing. And may not have the same flexibility and job stability as hospital nursing. Of course, it varies from place to place.

Depending again on local nursing market conditions, new grads often have an easier time getting a job working nights or evenings (7pm-7am, 3pm-11p, 11p-7a). It also tends to be less busy on those shifts which can make it an easier transition to the full responsibilities of a nurse.

So the flexibility for which nursing is known may not come to fruition til a nurse has a year or two of experience. If you want to work in nursing, it will be worth it in the long run.

futurecnm · May 8, 2008

Hi All,
I am very interested in going to nursing school, but the question I have is: what type of jobs can I have if I have small children? I'm the most interested in hospital work, but from what I understand it's committment to a 12 hr shift, which basically means you have to work at night. Doctor's offices and home care don't interest me as much, because my understanding is that it's boring (is that true?).
Could y'all tell me what you do, what your hours are like, what people in your position earn (don't have to tell me your personal salary) :). Also, please tell me if you have an associate's or BSN, because I'm trying to decide which one to go for (I already have another BS, so could do accelerated BSN).
Thanks in advance!

There are many options, which makes it sometimes easier to work while having small children. I know I want to do nursing because of all the alternate shifts, less daycare, and more opportunities to find what works for me. I have a job in a hospital lined up for this summer in which I will work a 0.7 (56 hr/2 weeks) evenings 3-11pm. I was also offered a day/night position at a 0.9 which was a little more than I wanted. That job would have been 12 hr shifts and the one I took is 8 hr shifts. Most hospitals have a combination of 12 and 8 hr shifts, and like someone else said the 12 hr ones are sometimes harder to get as many people like working less days. I for one, do not like 12 hr shifts (maybe that will change later) and do not like nights. I was sure as a new grad I would have to work nights and am so thankful there are those out there that like them so I do not have to do them! Ultimately I'd like a day/evening shift so I don't miss as much evening stuff with my family and kids. I am finishing up a AD program and have previous bachelors degree. The reason I did not do the accelerated program is that I could not afford it, and I would have had to spend even more time away from my family since it is basically full time. I went to a evening/weekend program which eliminated a lot of daycare and worked out great for me and my family.

Mogol · May 9, 2008

Thanks for replying, everyone! What about home care and doctor's offices - is that interesting work, or are you taking blood pressure and temperature all day?

jjjoy, LPN · May 9, 2008

For just taking BP and temps all day, you actually don't need a nursing license. You could be a home health aide or a medical assistant. Roles that require a LPN or RN license will generally include a wider range of responsibilities.

Home health nurses may be administering IV drugs, doing complex dressing changes, as well as assessing the patient's overall well-being and understanding of the conditions. This is important because patients are now discharged much sooner than they used to be and come home still far from well. HH nurses will generally drive to see several different patients in one day. And there is usually also quite a bit of documenting and paperwork (eg for insurance reimbursement purposes) for each case visit.

It actually isn't very common these days for licensed nurses to work in doctor's offices. If they do, it's usually because the office needs the clinical skills of a licensed nurse - which goes beyone taking BP and temps, as noted before. So if the office does conscious sedation, for example, then they might employ a nurse to assist with that. Some specialty offices will hire nurses to help manage patients, but it isn't a well-defined role, usually designed uniquely for each practice.