Is Nursing a good career choice for moms?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi Eveyrone!! I've just enrolled in a community college to get my pre-req's out of the way and then hopefully get into their ADN program. I'll be 25 in June and I'm getting married in one year! Yeah!! Anyway, I'm currently working in Human Resources right now and it isn't exactly a family friendly type of job...too much travel and too many hours. I would like to start trying to have children in about two years and I was wondering how many of you have young children and work either FT or PT as a nurse and is it a good job and flexible enough to be able to be a part of your children's lives? I would really appreciate any feedback!!

Thanks everyone!

Melissa

It all depends what you want to do in your career.

I started out as a Nursing Assistant, then on to Certified Nursing Assistant, Registered Nurse and now Regulatory Consultant.

Before nursing, I was an Office Manger... the change came from my love for the elderly I'm very glad I did.

I went to college while I had 4 children ranging in ages from 2 yrs to 12 yrs. Farming husband, and 200 sheep the kids & I raised. Haha, my fondest memory of college was the season we lambed all 200 ewes in the week I had off for spring break! yea, WOW!

I guess it's all in what you put in to it, and what you want to get out of it.

I began in long term care, and plan to stick with it til the end, where I will more than likely volunteer with the sewing ladies!!

Nursing has a million different directions for you to go. 9-5 monday thru friday, 4 day/40 hours, Weekend baylor shifts -work sat & sun get paid for 40 hours, 3-12's, you name it you can pretty much set your own schedule.

I would suggest researching an area you are interested in, finding out what types of hours they work etc...

Possibly becoming an aide or assistant in that field and then going to school from there...

Good Luck!!

fedupnurse

790 Posts

If you are going to work staff in a 24 hour unit in a hospital you will have to work a certain number of holidays and weekends. Our FT work 3 holidays and every other weekend. Part time 2 holidays and every other weekend. It does depend where you go and the type of unit you work in.

Good luck to you.

SandyLV

38 Posts

Hi MELIS0106:

I am a full time nursing student and have 3 children. So far I have only worked as a volunteer and a NAP and all I can tell you is the it is possible, but you need a very supportive husband/wife/babysitter/maid/counselor/tutor/...I am dead serious, I only see my children 2 or 3 times a week and I am hoping this will change when I graduate and start a job. The weekend baylor shift Rhonda is talking about sounds great, maybe my kids will know they do have a mother if I spend the entire week with them and only work on the weekends...

Anyway, I think students need to hear a bit of encouragement from the seasoned Nurses since all we hear lately is negative. Thank God I went for it with a lot of LOVE for nursing and really wanting to help!! I love children and want to specialize in peds, but so far I have not found volunteer positions in peds, so I have done nursing homes and ER and I believe that is not my cup of tea.

I hope this helps

:p

colleen10

1,326 Posts

Hi MelisO,

I am in somewhat of the same boat at you are.

I am 27, recently married, currently working an office job and doing pre-req's. right now.

Aside from a degree in Science that I allready have and my interest in medicine and people part of the reason I want to go into Nursing is the flexibility it can afford a young woman who wants to have a family.

There are so many areas of nursing and different types of facilities and scheduling. You could work in a Doctor's office with pretty much a typical work week and day light hours or you could work part time or per diem, 8 hour, 12 hour, weekends. Some facilites do not have mandatory over time, etc.

I have an Aunt that is a Nurse and she works a few weekend days a month to keep her license up to date and to make a few extra bucks for things like vacation.

You will probably hear some complaints from moms that work as nurses that work full time and may end up doing mandatory over time, etc. but really in the end it is up to you. I have a friend who works part time evenings and it has worked out great for her and her family. She gets out of the house, makes some money, and because her husband is home at night it saves on the cost of a baby sitter or day care. Plus, her children get to spend time with both parents rather than in Day Care.

I know that from my experience working in business that I would never be able to find a part-time job doing what I do now. I would either have to work full-time or not at all. I think when I start having children that I will need to get out and work a little but I wouldn't want to leave them all day.

You may have to work some holidays and on weekends but in the end I would rather give up a holiday or two to be the primary person raising my children.

Good luck to you,

Colleen

KP RN

134 Posts

Like the others have written, nursing does hold many different scheduling options.

When my boys were little, I worked evenings in a large teaching hospital, 3-11, and my husband would be home before I left for work.

Now, I do home health and work Mon-Fri from about 900 am to 300 pm. I have to rotate weekends, but it's every 3rd weekend only.

There are a lot of options, and with the worsening of the current shortage, you'll have more choices.

Good luck!!

cpgrn

138 Posts

Nursing is a great choice for a family because of the flexibility. I myself have never worked nights or weekends or holidays. I worked in an office for 3 years and am now a school nurse. This is the only job that I've ever had that people understand, and actually expect, you to take time off for sick children and other family members. Basically you can choose where you want to work and the hours you want to do so. If you don't like what you get into, you can change courses.

Specializes in ICU, nutrition.

Nursing does have a lot of flexible scheduling options. Right now I'm working nights, and since I work 12 hr shifts, that means I work only 3 nights a week. I pick my son up from school around 3:30 every day and we get to hang out till I go to work. My husband takes care of him while I'm at work and gets him to school the next morning while I sleep. Some of the moms I work with do weekend option, where they work both weekend days or nights (2-12 hr shifts) and get paid for 36 hrs. We also have several moms who are PRN, who choose when they want to work based on their husband's schedule, kids' school schedule, etc. You may initially have to take a job where you have to work weekends and holidays, but with the flexibility of nursing, you can move on to scheduling what you want, although it may not be in traditional floor nursing. Besides, the way I was raised, holidays and weekends are just another day of the week, so it does not bother me too much to work at these times. I do get jealous when I hear about all the fun my husband and son had while I was at work or sleeping, but it just makes up for all those times my husband was working and I was getting to stay home with our son.

Good luck on your career choice!

I work in an urgent care...3 - 12 hour shifts/week, no weekends (plenty of part-time staff that want to work w/e.

12 days a month affords me so much time w/ my 2 kids, (and one on the way.) My wife works only 3 days/week too (non-nurse)

live4today, RN

5,099 Posts

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

There is a lot of flexibility in nursing if you work the job instead of letting the job WORK YOU! Best of luck to you in your endeavors to become a nurse! Keep your priorities straight, and you can work any job you set your mind to without allowing it to consume you and your family life. :)

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