Any of you nurses have a firefighter spouse? How do you work your schedules?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm still in the process of trying to get into a nursing program and I was thinking about the normal nurses schedule, which seems to be about 3 12 hr shifts a week. My husband is a firefighter and he works 24hrs on 48hrs off. We also have two kids. I was wondering how hard it would be to try to work my schedule around his...is there anyone else out there in this situation? How do you do it?

Thanks!

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Specializes in CVICU.

not really in the same situation. I'm both the nurse and firefighter. I work 7a to 7a (24 on 48 off) then go to hospital and work 11a to 11p 3 or 4 days a week. The wife keeps the home front. I do carry kids to School on way to hospital when i can.

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Specializes in Peds.
not really in the same situation. I'm both the nurse and firefighter. I work 7a to 7a (24 on 48 off) then go to hospital and work 11a to 11p 3 or 4 days a week. The wife keeps the home front. I do carry kids to School on way to hospital when i can.

Wow, God bless you for that work week! and a family to boot! :up:

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Specializes in Adult Acute Care Medicine.

Well my husband is not a firefighter...thought I'd respond anyhow.

Nursing is very flexible. You do not necessarily have to do 12's.

I do three 8's per week.

Does your husband do all weekends?

Some nurses I work with do ONLY weekends.

Do you have any family members, etc. who could help if there were a couple hour overlap in work?

If you really want to be a nurse, just go for it and get through school.

There are many schedule options.

Best of luck to you.

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

I am not married to a firefighter, but I work with a nurse who is...She works per diem and only comes in 2 or 3 days a week. She just doesn't come in the days he is at work. Not really a problem. My husband is a mailman, I work 2nd shift. I am home all day and he is home in the evening. Kids are at the neighbors for about 15 minutes after I leave for work, he is home. People think that I never see my kids, but honestly. By the time you work in Summer vacation, days off for Teacher Conferences, Christmas etc...Plus, I only work 4 days I see them more than most working moms. Best of all, they are always with a parent, day or night.

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Specializes in Rehab/Post Acute.

Something that no-one told me when I was asking questions like this prior to nursing school. It's very tough to get per diem work as a new RN, tough to get part-time work, tough to get all weekend work. As a new RN, most really have to start full time -- either (5) eight hour shifts or (3) 12 hour shifts.

My husband doesnt' work shift work, but he does leave for work at 6am. Makes 7p-7a difficult as well as 7a-7p. What we realize we have to do (I'm looking for my first job--- passed nclex last month), is get a reliable babysitter. We live near many colleges, so we're looking for a college student that can come over from 6a-8a, if I get a 7p-7a shift. Something to think about. If you want to be a nurse, you'll find a way, somehow. I think about my parent's best friends. Dad was a cop, when the youngest son was 2yo, mom decided she wanted to be a cop as well. They both worked rotating shifts. Sometimes they were both gone in the middle of the night. But, they found a great babysitter, who could stay with the kids and basically came over whenever they needed her. Kids are grown, and she's still part of the family. Somehow, it will work out, if this is what you want. At least, that's what I think about when I worry how we're going to make this work :)

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Something that no-one told me when I was asking questions like this prior to nursing school. It's very tough to get per diem work as a new RN, tough to get part-time work, tough to get all weekend work. As a new RN, most really have to start full time -- either (5) eight hour shifts or (3) 12 hour shifts.

My husband doesnt' work shift work, but he does leave for work at 6am. Makes 7p-7a difficult as well as 7a-7p. What we realize we have to do (I'm looking for my first job--- passed nclex last month), is get a reliable babysitter. We live near many colleges, so we're looking for a college student that can come over from 6a-8a, if I get a 7p-7a shift. Something to think about. If you want to be a nurse, you'll find a way, somehow. I think about my parent's best friends. Dad was a cop, when the youngest son was 2yo, mom decided she wanted to be a cop as well. They both worked rotating shifts. Sometimes they were both gone in the middle of the night. But, they found a great babysitter, who could stay with the kids and basically came over whenever they needed her. Kids are grown, and she's still part of the family. Somehow, it will work out, if this is what you want. At least, that's what I think about when I worry how we're going to make this work :)

Make sure, whichever schedule you take, that you are getting some sleep=after kids have slept all night, they're raring to go, even if Mommy is ready for sleep!

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Thanks everyone for your input...I guess it just takes a little creativity with a job like this and having a family, especially when the spouse has such a funky schedule too. In a perfect world I would graduate school, find a day time job that offers 8 hour shifts...but I know that is unlikely. Either way I guess we'll find a way to make it work. I've wanted to be a nurse for so long, I hate the idea of the schedule keeping that from happening.

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Specializes in Rehab/Post Acute.
Make sure, whichever schedule you take, that you are getting some sleep=after kids have slept all night, they're raring to go, even if Mommy is ready for sleep!

Thanks--- luckily my kids are in school full-time now (1st and 3rd grade)-- so I can drop them off and go to sleep, and our school has summer camp available when school ends. I dont' know if I could have done it when they were little.

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