Family or career?

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Specializes in Surgery.

I'm a fairly new nurse working 5 days a week. I've always wanted to be a nurse and I love my job. I have been feeling guilty since becoming a nurse for having to leave my child all of the time. When I get home I'm so tired and I try to do the most that we can on the weekends to try to make up for my absence in the week. I always stayed at home with my child while being in college and I feel that I'm failing them by being gone most of the time. My heart wants to stay home and give my kids the time that we will never get back together, but the money I bring into our home helps my husband so much. My husband also works full time and supports our home. I thought about dropping to part time but I would just have to wait until next year.

I guess I'm just looking for others to share their similar stories; what did you do? How did you get around these feelings? Does it ever get better? I know these are normal feelings. If I could stay at home I would. We can live off my husband's income but it seems like we just barely get by on one income. 

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What does 'barely get by' mean?

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I don't know but my heart goes out to you! I'm a pre-nursing student and I worry about this, too.

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Specializes in Surgical Specialty Clinic - Ambulatory Care.

I feel the same. My husband stays at home with our daughter. It took us a very long time to have a baby and it just kills me that I'm missing her so much working 8-5 Monday - Friday. I have worked the 3 12s and, while I had a better home life balance, I just cannot tolerate working the floor anymore. It is tight living off my income alone, but my husband was physically having issues working (and made about the same as I do...he is a brick mason) so he is staying at home. 

My husband wants me to go back to the floor because he feels like we hardly see each other. I see my daughter a little before leaving for work and a couple of hours every night, and like you m, try to make the most of the weekend. I just cannot go back to working the floor. So I'm looking to see what else is out there like work from home or part time. I'd just rather be poor than keep this up. But we need health insurance, and we really don't have much we can cut from our budget other than TV and the internet. Maybe when my daughter starts school and my husband can work part time I can cut back? But by then I will have missed so much! 
Sorry, not helpful I guess, but at least you know you aren't alone?

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