Nursing student

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 18, 2003

I say find a school in which you are interested and query what their program requires and what it is like. Then perhaps, shadow a nurse to see what his/her typical day is like. I am a mom and military wife who graduated RN school in 1997. No regrets. It was tough, but you can do it. Start on nursing pre-requisite courses to see if the material interests you. Work into it gradually. Talk to a career counselor at a university (preferably the one you intend to attend). Good luck! OH and WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

memphispanda, RN · Mar 18, 2003

If you really want to do it, you can do it. I am also married with 3 children. It's been a struggle to get this far, and there are days when I think I must have been out of my head to have decided to go back to school.

You need to make sure that you have your bases covered as far as the kids go. You don't say their ages, but if you have little ones that can't be home alone (as I do) that can present some problems if they are sick or if your child care falls through.

You have to be willing to let the house go for a while. Mine looks like multiple packs of wild beasts live in it, but really it's just 3 kids. I don't even care much any more. It is bothering me today, but that's probably because I am procrastinating (got some studying to do) and I tend to find a thousand things to do when I am not in the mood for school stuff.

You will need support from your family. You will have to study and do a LOT of paperwork. They will have to give you space to do that at home, or you'll have to do it in the library or something. It also helps a lot if you have a DH who will do things like laundry, dishes, and cooking.

Good luck!

jmtmom · Mar 18, 2003

Hello everyone!

I completely agree with memphispanda. I'm married with 3 children. Just completed a BSN program last May. You will need LOTS of support from your husband (and maybe a few others, too).

I huge consideration is the age of your children. Young school aged children tend to pose the biggest challenge, and here's why:

In most nursing programs, clinicals start very early in the morning. I had to be on the floor and ready to start by 6:45 a.m. Depending on how far the hospital was away from my house, I had to leave home as early as 5:45 a.m. Now, my husband has to be at work at 7:00 a.m. Children (1st and 3rd grade at the time) had to be at school at 8:00 a.m. School doors did not open any earlier than 8:00 a.m. They were too young to be left alone at home to get themselves to school (not walking distance). So what's a mother to do??? Well, luckily I had a few neighbors I could call on now and then to take my children in that early in the morning AND drive them to school.

Children younger than school age can, say go to Grandma's or cousins Sue's house early in the morning (if available). High school aged children can get themselves to school.

Hopefully you have a very good marriage foundation, because nursing school will challenge it. Lots of nights when there's no dinner. The house is a mess. Too tired for love-making. Little time to spend with the kids.

But here's the up side. You'll be so busy that nursing school will be over before you know it. And if it's really what you want to do, it's well worth it. I now work in an ICU, and it's pretty cool, though I'm going into dialysis soon as well. The good thing about nursing is that there's so many areas to go into, so you can try different things to find your niche.

Good luck to you!