Future student looking for advice.

I'm going to tell you what my nursing instructors told me on the first day. It's blunt and it's harsh.

"Your families are not our concern. Make sure you have childcare and back up childcare. Your childcare is not a consideration when it comes to time spent in hospitals as you are required to work hospital/LTC hours and on your final placement you work your preceptor's rotation."

School has to be your priority. You haven't said how old your children are or if the other parent is in your life. These two facts are very important in how you arrange your school life.

It can be done, students with families graduate all the time.

Agreed. I went to school with many second career nurses who worked AND had children at home. It can be done but be prepared for some sleepless nights trying to juggle all of it.

Also know that nursing jobs have been disappearing so it's unlikely that things will improve by the time you're finished school. The falling price of oil will affect the entire economy, not just Alberta. In addition, all Provinces are struggling to balance their budgets.

Can you afford to work casual? Can you afford to pick up and move with your family for a job? These are the current realities for nurses. Full time permanent jobs are rare, especially where you live. I've worked with many nurses from BC who moved to AB because they couldn't find work. Now there are hiring freezes and layoffs across AB.

Be prepared for the realities you will encounter.

There were many moms in my BSN program, quite a few of them single moms. They needed a lot of support from their families, and partners. In our program they appeared to make a lot of allowances for them, and took them into consideration when placing them. That being said you will be doing shift work, and lots of late nights with homework, its a heavy workload, manageable with support. Most people I know got hired in BC (lower mainland) upon graduation in the last year. It is especially helpful if you get an employed student nurse job, basically they look at it as a really long interview. Good luck :)