How do you juggle nursing and family ?

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Specializes in CCRN, Geriatrics.

When I decided to become a nurse I knew it was a promising career that would provide lucrative income for me and my child.

As a single mother I find that many of the jobs I have come across are not equipped for nurses with minimal or no support.

What hours or jobs would you recommend that allows time for children to be dropped off to and from school.

7-3 and 7-7 does not work and unfortunately the support I do have threatens to not help me in terms of dropping my preschooler off to school or picking them.

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Well, you were wrong in your first thought that it’s lucrative pay. I would have also researched hours to work. 7-7 is a very common shift to work. I know ERs have differing shifts, but if you have to drop your child off and pick them up from preschool, you might be out of luck. Unless you did some type of weekend option with someone to watch your child.

But, these are things you figure out ahead of time. I know I might sound harsh, but we can’t fix this for you.

And stating that nursing is a lucrative career right now when I’m literally risking my life everyday for peanuts, rubs me the wrong way.

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Hi! There are plenty of roles with non-traditional schedules, or some 8-4 and 9-5 jobs. They may take a little creativity, and some may pay less than working as a hospital-based staff nurse, but the beauty of nursing is its flexibility.

Depending on your experience, I'd recommend looking into the following:

-public health or other government-sponsored roles

-community clinics

-private MD offices

-home health

-school nursing

-private duty nursing

-case management

-telehealth jobs in patient education

-surgery centers (maybe like 8-4 pre-admissions testing)

-LTC administration

-Odd shifts in ER

Your screen name says ADN, so I would recommend pursuing a BSN if you haven't done so already, strictly to expand your work options in these less traditional roles.

Spending time together is so important with preschool-aged kids, so I wish you luck in finding just the right job for your family! Don't give up, and don't be discouraged by the negative comment above.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ICU, Rehab.

I wouldn't call someone threatening not to help you as support. That's the opposite of support. Where is your family? Where is your real support? I'd move to wherever that is.

As for hours, the most flexible is ER, or pool. Or take an office job. What were your goals in nursing? Nursing is a huge field to enter without some sort of goal or idea on Where to work. You need to figure that out. So you want a 9-5 office? A 3 x12 hospital position? A 5 x 8 skilled nursing position? Faculty RN have a lot of good examples for you above. But like they said... It depends on your experience.

The obvious answer is you're going to need to find flexible child care. There is no other way around this. Or move to where you have real support. Daycare is stupid expensive, but you can typically find good caregivers/babysitters to take a kid a few hours in the morning to drop them off and a few in the afternoon to pick them up. Also see if the preschool program has early drop off or wrap around care. Also, If you find a nearby position to where your only dropping off 10 minutes early some places may not mind. Start making calls. See who can work with you.

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Specializes in CCRN, Geriatrics.
6 hours ago, LovingLife123 said:

Well, you were wrong in your first thought that it’s lucrative pay. I would have also researched hours to work. 7-7 is a very common shift to work. I know ERs have differing shifts, but if you have to drop your child off and pick them up from preschool, you might be out of luck. Unless you did some type of weekend option with someone to watch your child.

But, these are things you figure out ahead of time. I know I might sound harsh, but we can’t fix this for you.

And stating that nursing is a lucrative career right now when I’m literally risking my life everyday for peanuts, rubs me the wrong way.

I'm sorry if it rubs you the wrong way but the current state that I am offers decent pay for the cost of living. It was not a matter of not researching hours beforehand I actually did. Unfortunately in my area many jobs that were once 9-5 recently converted to 12 hour shifts. I am not asking for HELP I am asking for ADVICE. This was simply a post for single mothers to provide advice on how they are juggling work and family. I am sure that many other nurses that are single moms and other single moms working in other professional fields have experienced some of the problems I have encountered.

1
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Specializes in CCRN, Geriatrics.
4 hours ago, FacultyRN said:

Hi! There are plenty of roles with non-traditional schedules, or some 8-4 and 9-5 jobs. They may take a little creativity, and some may pay less than working as a hospital-based staff nurse, but the beauty of nursing is its flexibility.

Depending on your experience, I'd recommend looking into the following:

-public health or other government-sponsored roles

-community clinics

-private MD offices

-home health

-school nursing

-private duty nursing

-case management

-telehealth jobs in patient education

-surgery centers (maybe like 8-4 pre-admissions testing)

-LTC administration

-Odd shifts in ER

Your screen name says ADN, so I would recommend pursuing a BSN if you haven't done so already, strictly to expand your work options in these less traditional roles.

Spending time together is so important with preschool-aged kids, so I wish you luck in finding just the right job for your family! Don't give up, and don't be discouraged by the negative comment above.

Thank you for the suggestions. I am two months away from completing my bachelors degree. Unfortunately, my child father is in another state taking care of his mother with cancer its been over a year.

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You can individualize shifts in extended care home health more easily than in traditional jobs. I was on a case where another RN wanted/needed to be home when her child got home from school, so instead of working an eight hour day shift until three, she worked it out with the client that she left at 2:30 instead. This takes cooperation from the agency and the prospective clients, but it can be done. If you need to drop off your child by a certain time, then you tell the staffer that you can not start a home care shift until X time. They find you a situation where you can do that. Extended care day shifts typically start at 6, 7, or 8, even 9 am. You just have to tell the staffing coordinator what you need. Shift timing is just one aspect of the "flexibility" that home care agencies always tout about this area of nursing. Just one example. You can probably negotiate hours in other jobs too, just more so on an individual basis. HTH

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