Husband Wants to Become a Nurse Too

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I have been an LPN since 2016. In October I will begin an LPN to RN bridge and then just keep on moving up the educational ladder until I get to where I want to be.

My husband has a business degree but is simply unhappy in his work (Restaurant General Management). The money is great but he is very unfulfilled and feels that he isn't making a difference in the world at all. He has started considering becoming and RN for many reasons including the schedule (he works up to 7 days a week, sometimes 15-16 hours a day currently). He is very detail oriented and precise in everything he does. He very much cares about others. He would definitely be a minority in the nursing field, which makes him a bit nervous, because he is an African American male. However, he said he is excited for the challenge and what he can do.

He applied to the same school as I am going to and has been accepted. We would be taking many of the same classes at the same time.... which is fine with us. We tried to look into other married couples that are both RN's and couldn't find much info. Does anyone have any insight on what it is like to go to nursing school together? We most likely wouldn't go into the same specialty, but could end up working for the same company. We are just trying to get a picture of what all this could look like.

Thanks!

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Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

I know of nurses that are married, but the ones I know met after nursing school at work. As a married couple in nursing school I would imagine that a constantly available study partner could be a very nice aspect. And when you're done with school the many options for specialties and shifts could allow you flexibility in your schedules. Good luck to you both!

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

My husband and I graduated from nursing school at the same time, but we went to different schools.

We work in VERY different areas of nursing (OB and hospice). For a couple brief times during our career, we worked for the same hospital, but it was always super weird seeing him in various meetings and such. I prefer that our professional lives remain very separate, with weird random occasional intersections (e.g. twice in my career I've been the labor nurse for a woman who was giving birth to a baby with Trisomy 18 who went from my care, directly into my husband's care as a hospice nurse).

It's nice having someone in healthcare that knows the lingo and can commiserate with a lot of the stuff, but is separate enough that I don't feel like we're in competition.

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Specializes in Adult Primary Care.

Good luck to both of you!!!! Do you have the same last name? If not, I would consider not sharing that you are related. No specific reason, just a thought.

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My FNP sister is married to an RN and I often wish my husband would go to nursing school as well. He’s a 41 year old carpenter so it’s probably not going to happen, but I know he’d be a good nurse. And it would be amazing to have someone at home who knew what I was talking about as I debrief after work.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I have known quite a few nurse/nurse couples. I am always a bit envious, as there is a layer of intimacy there that my husband and I (who are very close) just will never have, as he will always process my work through the lens of a healthcare consumer, not a healthcare provider.

The ones I am MOST envious of are the ones without children who do travel nursing together and get to experience life all over the country and/or world while making really great money.

Good luck to you both!

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My wife and I are both Nurses graduated 4 years apart. I finished before she did. There is some jealousy on my behave as she has seen and done things I have not but that is how it is. I work in Addictions and she works Corrections so we have a few difference if opinions at times. We learn from each other which is great.

Our kids have told us that they want to be nurse's like we are. Our house has nothing that is off limits conversation wise and we have a dark sense of humor as most nurses do. We would like to do travel nursing when the kids get older. Im in PMHNP school now and once I finish she wants to get her FNP.

My wife and I met at taco Bell at 16 and worked together for 7 years until I graduated nursing school. Working together can make or break a relationship. She is now my best friend.

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Specializes in Adult Primary Care.

My husband and I work together and it is wonderful. He is an MD and I am an NP. We have other family members who are also in health care, and I just feel sorry or those who aren't when it comes to family functions!!!

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On 6/6/2019 at 11:04 PM, AnnieNP said:

Good luck to both of you!!!! Do you have the same last name? If not, I would consider not sharing that you are related. No specific reason, just a thought.

Yes, we do have the same last name. Thanks for the tip!

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16 hours ago, not.done.yet said:

I have known quite a few nurse/nurse couples. I am always a bit envious, as there is a layer of intimacy there that my husband and I (who are very close) just will never have, as he will always process my work through the lens of a healthcare consumer, not a healthcare provider.

The ones I am MOST envious of are the ones without children who do travel nursing together and get to experience life all over the country and/or world while making really great money.

Good luck to you both!

I agree!

We would actually love to travel nurse together once our kids are a bit older.

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My husband and I are currently in nursing school at the same school, but I’m one semester ahead of him. We are also parents to two young children, and it does get a bit hectic but we really are loving it. As far as study partners, it’s very nice and really helpful to bounce things off of each other. Even though I’m ahead of him and he hasn’t taken the classes I’m taking, he can still help me and we can think critically together and see each other’s thought processes. That being said, we have very different learning styles so although I can give him an answer if he has a question, he still learns better with his study mates in his own class.

As far as working, it’s been good and bad. We are both doing extern programs this summer. I am on a med surg unit and he is in the ICU. I have struggled with this, because while he is loving the icu, he still isn’t sure what kind of nursing he would like to do, while I have known since the beginning I want to do trauma/critical care and eventually get to flight nursing. So having the competition for jobs be with your spouse is kind of crappy, but it’s also nice to have the connections and networking that comes with it. So if you and your husband are both hard workers, it can pay off.

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On 6/6/2019 at 4:10 PM, GoodWifeLife said:

I have been an LPN since 2016. In October I will begin an LPN to RN bridge and then just keep on moving up the educational ladder until I get to where I want to be.

My husband has a business degree but is simply unhappy in his work (Restaurant General Management). The money is great but he is very unfulfilled and feels that he isn't making a difference in the world at all. He has started considering becoming and RN for many reasons including the schedule (he works up to 7 days a week, sometimes 15-16 hours a day currently). He is very detail oriented and precise in everything he does. He very much cares about others. He would definitely be a minority in the nursing field, which makes him a bit nervous, because he is an African American male. However, he said he is excited for the challenge and what he can do.

He applied to the same school as I am going to and has been accepted. We would be taking many of the same classes at the same time.... which is fine with us. We tried to look into other married couples that are both RN's and couldn't find much info. Does anyone have any insight on what it is like to go to nursing school together? We most likely wouldn't go into the same specialty, but could end up working for the same company. We are just trying to get a picture of what all this could look like.

Thanks!

Shhhhh... someone is gonna think we're married, lol.

But seriously, I am that guy (sort of). I am leaving a 20+ year career in F&B to go into nursing. If you like, PM me and he can contact me. I will say that I am still on the outside looking in. I haven't applied yet and pray to start in January. I really empathize with him as he has a similar schedule and all. I wish you both the absolute best of luck!

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