MSN/FNP...stick it out...or go with what i've got?

allnurses Guide · Aug 4, 2009

Hi,

I haven't been in your exact position, but I am a mom who went back to school and worked while my kids were little, and then recently went back for my MSN (kids are now teenagers!). It was tough both times, but worth it to me in the end. I'm now doing something I love, I'm not working nights, weekends, or holidays anymore, and I have a steady, predictable schedule. The most important part of the whole equation is that I'm doing something I love, and that was worth the sacrifices to me. That being said, with all due respect, I don't get the sense that you're passionate or even excited about becoming an NP. You present a lot of good reasons for continuing with your MSN (financial, the DNP monster, not re-taking core courses), but do you really want to be an NP when all is said and done? If not, then why continue? If it is truly what you want, then you will have a couple of challenging years, but a wonderful sense of accomplishment at the end and a new career. Your children will be fine. You have the support of your family and that will certainly make things easier. I also think it's important to do something for yourself, and if you really want to finish your degree you should do it. You will not be neglecting your children and you will still be there for them. It was hard to leave my kids when they were little to go to school and work, but we all thrived. I was happy to have something for myself, and I think that made me happier to be with my kids when I was home. I have no regrets about going back to school/work when the kids were babies, and then again two years ago. I understand what a huge change it will be for you if you do go back, and change is always hard. However, I think the first step is to decide if you want to be an NP, all other things aside. It's a tough decision, and I wish you the best no matter what path you choose.

Bonosgrrl · Aug 5, 2009

I was sort of in your boat.

I started my MSN program and 2 wks after starting found out I was preg with my 1st. she was born at the end of the first year and I was faced with do I continue or not.

my dh was very supportive and was able to arrange his work schedule to be home the 1 day of the wk I had class, and I did the clinical very part time, i would go do clinical time a couple of mornings a week, hubby was at home, he worked evenings at the time. It took me longer to finish up clinical time since i did it slower than my classmates.

so i was probably gone only 15-20 hours a week total, and baby was with her daddy, so it still tugged at my heart but i was glad he had one to one time with her too.

and honestly now with more kids, I would find it more difficult to do the program, i think it was easier to do it when my first was a baby. and I wanted to finish because i would have been in the same boat of having to retake classes, or just never finish a program i was half way thru.

i am glad i did it now and it is over, i couldn't see myself doing it now.

i think if you really want to do it, and you have family to care for your kids, what better situation could you have? family gets some precious time with them too, its win win.

good luck with what you decide and keep us posted.

Sheri FNP-C · Aug 5, 2009

I was in a very similar situation. I have 4 children and little family (only my in-laws who are not helpful at all) in the area. I worked every other weekend as an RN and really, really wanted to go back to school to be an NP. I really, really didn't want to leave my children though.

Ultimately, I decided that leaving my children for a short time was worth it. I knew that when they were all in school I wanted to be NP job ready, not just beginning my educational journey. I know 6 weeks seems like a long time now, but in the big picture it really isn't very long at all.

My plan was to finish up my degree when my youngest was 4 and have an entire year to worry about certification, licensure, etc. I planned to seek NP employment once all 4 were in school. My advisor really, really pushed me to finish in 3 years, which I did in May. My youngest is only 3, which could give me 2 years to tie up loose ends, but in the past 3 years I have become a different person. I loved being a stay at home mom, but I found that I loved being out of the house more than 1 day per week also.

I recently accepted my dream job and will work 4 days a week. I kind of wish I had opted for a 3 day work week, but there is always that option when I renegotiate my contract next year. That leaves me 100% available to my family the other 3 days. No evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, etc. We live in a M-F 8-5 society, so I really missed out on lots of events in my childlren's lives by working weekends. There are Saturday sporting events, dance receitals, cookouts at friend's houses, etc. Now that will not be the case. At the same time, I will still be able to volunteer in the classroom, take kids to the Dr., park, library, etc. It seems like the perfect balance.

For me, it all worked out in the end.

Maybe you could take a year or 2 off and still finish within the 6 year time limit? I know this is a difficult decision for you, but I am sure you will make the right decision.

a.malone · Aug 5, 2009

Wow...each of you REALLY helped me. I was SO hoping for this! I replied to all three of you..please feel free to answer any questions from my reply...thank you SO much for your time!!

Sheri-FNP-C,

Exactly the same...really want to be home with them and really cannot imagine leaving them. I think you are right, six weeks in the grand scheme isn't the end of the world. And yes, the NP hours and no weekends is very appealing. If I do quit and stay with RN i'll have to work in a surgical center or dialysis or something...I don't want to miss any of those weekends or nights. I thought hospital twelves were going to be the end all of all and a dream...wrong. I left at six and got home at eight-thirty and it took me two days to recover from the pace of the unit I was in! So ya, mommy job and hours are a top concern also! So you are working four days a week as a NP? I wanted to do the same...but get licensed before my youngest starts Kindergarten so I can be all in..she is just now turning 3. Big question for you...how did you do with classes such as pharm and adult health? As most of us are...i'm a perfectionist and what i'm more afraid of...other than physically leaving the little babies is the emotional expenditure of studying. I really checked out on my husband and family when I went through the BSN program...with a husband that works in healthcare as well and three babies...I can do a class at a time and make my window...but can I do an eight hour clinical day and come home and lay it down and be all in with huband and babies....how did you do with that. I don't want to stress my husband out like I did in undergrad. My A+ mentality about pushed him to the brink..lol..but from what I read most nurses seem to have this trait! This degree and licensure is no joke...i'm really mostly worried that I won't be able to do well at it all, so my husband will suffer, again! So far it has, surprisingly, been a bit easier than undergrad. How do you split yourself...i've only been a mom for three years.

Bonosgrrl,

Thanks...yes I was wondering...as they get older and in elementary school I think it will be even harder. I think now it will be hardest on me...since they are so little. And anything goes with grama. And my two oldest would be in preschool two days a week by that time also. But my husband is an OT in a hospital. His hours are great 8-4:30 but this being said there is no way he can change them. I did think to ask him to take his vacation in the middle of the six week clinicals between grandmas. Uuugghhh...it just hurts my heart because last night I was up between 2 and 4 with them...they tag teamed me. BUT because I don't have anywhere to be the next day it doesn't matter...I am in sweet mom mode and am very collected...i'm worried that i'll be frantic to get them down and choke my husband for sleeping through the drama. lol. Of course he'll have to help and is very willing, but will I be able to do this...yes moms do it all the time...but I never knew how in the world they did. The odds of having someone wake up are very good with three toddlers all a year apart...and having to be in that level of clinical the next morning...how do you do it? Are the clinicals, licensure, certification as hard as i'm envisioning them to be??

BCgradnurse,

Your point hit my heart...do I really really want to be a NP. I had a corporate career before becomming a RN. it sounds strange but I lived alone all my 20s...had a career...got married at 30...went back and became a RN...THEN had the babies...this whole feeling of needing something for myself is kind of just not there anymore. I feel like my whole life has been about me (went, did, spent, wherever/whenever) and all of a sudden, and very unexpectantly, my heart is all for my husband and three babies. I've really changed since my first was born almost three years ago. It is like the reverse...I didn't realize I would feel this when I became a mother!! I was all guts and glory when I became a RN, drove a jeep wrangler, and thought I was pretty much the center of the universe (actually called my mother to exclaim "Hey...i'm not the center of everything."...she laughed and said "I know, isn't it great?" lol). Indeed it is great!! Now I drive a minivan, am lucky to have my teethbrushed by noon, have given up all my rights-moods-free time-etc...AND I LOVE IT. Lol...very strange motherhood!!

All this to say...do I want to be a NP...I want to go back to work in a job that is VERY conducive to being as "all-in" with these kids as I can...will not require me to make my husband nuts because I come home war-torn from "the unit" every day...I want a great mom job that I will also enjoy as my children get older and eventually start their own lives..which path is this? I think I would enjoy NP more than being a RN in the hospital which is all I know. Here is my question for you...do you find the daily grind of being a NP more or less taxing on you and your family? I've heard it is actually a lot less stress once you are a NP...is this true? I love being a nurse and I have several roads to take as RN that will allow me to get the mommy job...but is NP going to benefit the fam better in the long run and when my children are in highschool and college? What do I want to do...great question...my husband keeps asking me this as well. I wish I could get a picture of what my days would look like down the road...any ideas here now that you are there?

Thanks again,

Allison

Bonosgrrl · Aug 6, 2009

My situation was a bit different because I did not do 8 hour clinical days, I only did about 10 hours of clinical time a week, couple of mornings.........it did take me longer than my classmates to finish it up, but I did it :)

I was also lucky enough to find a part time job after graduating where I worked only 2 mornings a week, getting home before hubby had to leave for work. so again baby was with daddy.

after my second was born I did leave that job to stay home full time.

right now I am interviewing for a part time job doing behavioural health med management for a nursing home. I am only going to do 8 hours a week and its flexible, I can basically make my own schedule. which is exactly what I need right now since we homeschool and hubby now works 7-3.

I guess you have to look at the big picture, if NP is what you want, I would say do it now, I truly think it gets harder as they get older. but I do agree it is a sweet time with the little ones.

a.malone · Aug 6, 2009

Was your part time job and is the job you are applying for more lucrative than if you were a RN? Do you think it is harder or easier to find part time work that fits with your home situation? The big picture...can I tell you...when I look down the road in life I think the NP would be wise to finish and would be more lucrative, provide more options, and be a good career as my children grow older and eventually leave. The flip side is I can say all of this in regard to the RN...it will be more lucrative as I progress through my career (of course not at the level of the NP), I still have limitless options in regard to specialty, and would still work with my family as it grows. So if NP is what I want...? You know I guess therein really lies my dilemma...I cannot get a clear picture in my head of what my life will look like as a RN versus a NP.

Any insight here? Any NPs that have been RNs...is it better...just different...I understand the difference in the role and what each nurse does...but I also know that school and real world are quite different. Once I became a RN my job exceeded my hopes in some aspects and were also very dissapointing in others...will any of you NPs looking back say that being a RN would have been easier on your family or more flexible or less stressful...?

Thanks again!

allnurses Guide · Aug 7, 2009

Hi Allison,

Yes, I think being an NP is easier on my family than what I was doing before. I've always worked in healthcare, although not as a nurse. I did the corporate management healthcare thing for a while, and I was always on call or dealing with a crisis. There were more holidays than I care to remember that I never got to sit down to dinner cause I was on the phone dealing with staff or some other emergency. When I went back to nursing school I worked part time in a hospital lab (my original career) and it was weekends, nights, and holidays all over again. That was tough on all of us. I wish I hadn't had to work while I was going to school full time, but we needed the money. Now I work 4 ten hour days a week at a community health center and I love it. No holidays, no call, and only one 6 hr. Saturday shift every 6 weeks. We're completely on electronic medical records, and I can take my laptop home if I don't want to stay and do any charts I haven't finished. It's a perfect situation for me. I'm around on the weekends now, not on the phone with work all night, and not being forced to work cause someone called out sick. I'm working full time, but I did come across several part time NP positions when I was looking for a job, so they're out there. Several of them were at college health centers, and were 9 month positions that had the summer off? How great would that be when your kids are in school? Clinical placements can be a wonderful resource for finding a job. If you continue, are you able to set up your own clinicals or do you have to go where they tell you? If you have a say in it, maybe you could contact places that you are interested in working at later on, and see if they'll take you as a student.

Hope this helps!!

a.malone · Aug 7, 2009

BCgradnurse,

Yes, this helps me tremendously. I will even read your reply to my husband! This is very encouraging and really answers my flexibility and lifestyle questions. I think I may have a say in my clinicals because the person who negotiates them is also faculty in the BSN program I attended and has become my friend. If she isn't retired by the time I start I should be in good shape. I know what you mean about networking also. I'm pregnant with my third as i've shared and my ob/gyn also attends my church. I joke with him a lot that he'll have to give me a job if I keep having children...i'll have to pay for them at some point...he laughs...but has seriously told me that is a very good possibility. I may do a clinical with him as well. I live in a tight knitt medical community that is in Vanderbilt's backyard...so in one sense there are a lot of NPs...but in another most of them move away or stay in Nashville. I'm looking for something in a bit more rural area...so I should be in good shape. Your job actually sounds exactly like what i'm hoping for and envisioning!! That is indeed VERY doable. Actually my best friend, who has no children, is seeking her administrative license, and she is already in that boat with the phone calls and hours..not very family friendly. Well again, thank you, very helpful!! I have a couple more questions for you...I think i'm leaning toward pressing on and sticking with NP...I wasn't going to go here...but I will...it seems to me the "morale", if you will, of NPs is a bit higher than RNs...have you noticed this? Also, do you think it will be easier to do clinicals while the babies are so young? Is the pay decent (a community health center is were I think i'd most like to work as a NP)? What was licensure like? Is it comparable to RN boards?

Thanks!!!

allnurses Guide · Aug 8, 2009

I really can't speak to the morale question, as I have never worked as a RN (I'm a direct entry grad). The NPs I encountered in my clinicals were all RNs for several years before going back, and they all said they were happy they made the change, for various reasons. Most of the reasons were scheduling/lifestyle and autonomy. Maybe those are an indirect indicator of morale.

I think it will be easier to do clinicals as opposed to classes with babies. With clinical, once you're done for the day, you're done. You don't have to come home and write papers and study. The other advantage is that your kids are young enough that you won't be missing school and sports events because of clinicals. I missed a lot of things these past two years and that was difficult. The tough thing for you may be sleep....it'll be challenging if you're up at night with a sick or cranky little one and then have to go to clinical. Hopefully your kids and the new baby will go easy on you.

I think my pay is decent at the community health center. It's not as much as I would be making at a private practice or at a for-profit practice group, but I'm eligible for loan repayment through the National Health Service, which more than makes up for the pay difference. I work for a good sized organization, so they're able to offer us great benefits that a small practice could never afford. And I feel really good about helping a population that has had little to no access to health care-that's worth a lot to me.

Licensure has been smooth for me. I took my boards 7/13 (ANCC), had my certification number in a week, and got my state license 2 days ago. My state controlled substance permit and DEA registration were sent out yesterday, and hopefully they'll go through soon. I thought the ANCC boards were much easier than NCLEX-no $#@*! "choose all that apply"!! I had my results immediately, so there were no days of anxious waiting.

Feel free to PM me if there's anything else I can help with.

jess818 · Sep 19, 2009

I really can't speak to the morale question, as I have never worked as a RN (I'm a direct entry grad). The NPs I encountered in my clinicals were all RNs for several years before going back, and they all said they were happy they made the change, for various reasons. Most of the reasons were scheduling/lifestyle and autonomy. Maybe those are an indirect indicator of morale.
I think it will be easier to do clinicals as opposed to classes with babies. With clinical, once you're done for the day, you're done. You don't have to come home and write papers and study. The other advantage is that your kids are young enough that you won't be missing school and sports events because of clinicals. I missed a lot of things these past two years and that was difficult. The tough thing for you may be sleep....it'll be challenging if you're up at night with a sick or cranky little one and then have to go to clinical. Hopefully your kids and the new baby will go easy on you.
I think my pay is decent at the community health center. It's not as much as I would be making at a private practice or at a for-profit practice group, but I'm eligible for loan repayment through the National Health Service, which more than makes up for the pay difference. I work for a good sized organization, so they're able to offer us great benefits that a small practice could never afford. And I feel really good about helping a population that has had little to no access to health care-that's worth a lot to me.
Licensure has been smooth for me. I took my boards 7/13 (ANCC), had my certification number in a week, and got my state license 2 days ago. My state controlled substance permit and DEA registration were sent out yesterday, and hopefully they'll go through soon. I thought the ANCC boards were much easier than NCLEX-no $#@*! "choose all that apply"!! I had my results immediately, so there were no days of anxious waiting.
Feel free to PM me if there's anything else I can help with.

Hi! I am new to this blog, and had a question. I am a pre-occupational therapy student but I am considering going into an Accelerated BSN program and my ULTIMATE goal would be to become an NP. That being said, I saw that you went right into an entry-level program. As long as I work part time during school along with clinical rotations, would you say I would be able to find NP jobs? I know some people feel you should work 2-3 years but I really just want to get the schooling over with.

allnurses Guide · Sep 19, 2009

The program I was in was for prople who already had a bachelor's degree in another discipline. If you don't already have that , you might want to look into programs that give a BSN and MSN after 5 years of fulltime study.

Good luck!