mom about to start school; i'm ambivalent

[jensfbay, BSN, DNP]

I'm about to start a traditional NP program in a few months. I'm second guessing my decision or possibly thinking about postponing another year or two. I have a 3 and a 6 year old. I'm afraid of how I'm going to juggle going to school, working part time, and taking care of my children. I know that being an NP will be beneficial for me and for my whole family; however, I'm so afraid and nervous about how I'm going to be able to juggle it all. I have a very supportive spouse but no family members where I can drop off our kids. We will most likely be using full time child care - right now, my youngest is with me when I'm not working and I don't work that often. I want to be there for my kids' school and after school activities. I want to get involved in their lives and be able to volunteer in class, etc. However, I know that in the long run, me having an NP will benefit my kids as well.

I would love to hear your stories on how you juggle it and, of course, your success stories on how you managed to juggle work, family, and school. thanks!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

My kids were older when I did the APN route but 5 and 10 when I did nursing school. Organization, food prep, not realizing that your house is going to be spotless are all the things that helped me. I worked full time nights as a unit clerk, went to school full time and had the two boys while hubby was deployed.

It was horrendous but in the end the financial positives were all worth it. Our boys are now 32 and 37 and they don't say that it hurt them any at all.