need answers about working during clinicals...

futurecnm · Aug 17, 2008

hello everyone. i am a 28 year old (100%) single mother of 2 boys...i want to enroll in school either nursing or ultrasound tech but both have clincal rotations. a friend of mine is in the nursing program, she is enrolled full-time and has a husband that supports her financially. she tells me that you can not work at all during clinical rotations (1-2) years depending on what i decide to go to school for. my question....are there any other single parents out there that have done this, and how? i currently work for a health insurance company and have been there for 5 years, so i make okay money but i need that money for everyday bills...just curious if i should even attempt this or if it will just be impossible to provide for my family during clinicals

thanks!

if you find a family/work friendly program it can be done. i went to a night/weekend rn program (associates) and we had class 2 nights a week and clinical every other weekend. however, to make it work you would need lots of support in caring for your boys since you will be gone a lot. i, personally couldn't have worked full time and went to school because i would have missed my kids too much. i do know that many in my class did just that, and most of them got through it. how old are your kids? most of the students that worked full time and went to school in my class had older kids that were able to care for themselves at home and didn't miss them as much (if that makes sense). my kids were young so it wasn't something i was willing to do so i luckily had a spouse that could support my school without me working.

unsure4now · Aug 17, 2008

My boys are 6 1/2 and 8. Right now I have a lot of support from my family (hopefully it stays that way).

I'm looking to go back to my old department before I start school, and hopefully I'll be able to work from home. It will give me a few more hours with my boys, and no commute time to work, which will make it easier to study. Since I'll be going to school part time I'm thinking the clinicals won't be for a few years..is that correct? My life status may change by then but I don't want to get myself into something I can't do. I am determined and focused...I'm ready to be on the other side of health care!

pagandeva2000, LPN · Aug 17, 2008

I see people do it all the time. It doesn't mean it will be easy, but I have seen single parents with 5 children and working full time go into and graduate from nursing school. If you can find a 'parent/working friendly' facility like the above poster mentioned, that would be ideal, but I think finding those places depends strongly on where you live. My area doesn't have such for RN programs. A scant few LPN programs had them, but even that is decreasing in my side of the globe.

casi, ASN, RN · Aug 17, 2008

I think it really depends on how many hours you are working and what kind of flexibility you have with your job. There are TONS of parents who make it through nursing school.

I'm not a parent, so I don't really know about balencing parenthood-school-work, but I do balence school-work with clinicals. I work 20hours a week overnights and if I need specific days off for clinicals I tend to try and work with the other aides to trade days off.

emnicams · Aug 17, 2008

I am a single mom to one little boy. He was a year old when I started my pre-req's and 2 when I entered the nsg program (ADN). My ex-husband has never really been any help, long story. I do have family support though. Do you have parents nearby to help, or an aunt, someone? I only had clinicals once a week until the last semester, but classes/labs/exams/studying took up the rest of the week. I waitressed from usually 5-9pm weekdays and 6a-2p weekends. I couldn't have done it without my parents to watch my son for free..

I wish you the best...

shannonFNP, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 17, 2008

I have finished 2 long semesters, and two summer semesters of RN school. I easily work 20 hours a week without affecting my studies whatsoever, and I easily have time for study groups and just downtime.

WVStarFish · Aug 17, 2008

i wasn't able to handle work and school because i don't have family to rely on to help with the kids, so i was able to get help from the state. it was a *****, and it felt like i was going insane with being broke all the time, but it's worth it now.

even at that, i was wore out tired most of the time and still felt like a neglectful mother. but i kept reminding myself of the benefits in the long term.

there were very few who worked and had kids, and they had lots of support from family. even then ,they felt like terrible moms and got down about not seeing their kids very much. i kept encouraging them by reminding them of the reward, and that it's better they are getting this over with while the kids are smaller. (mine are teenagers)

if you decide to work and go to school, be prepared for a tough time. i only say that not to discourage you, but if you go into it knowing that it's going to be rough, you might deal better.

either way, keep your eye on the prize for your future and your childrens future. a year or two of sacrifice will be so worth it, and that is what you have to keep in the forefront of your mind!

focus on the long term, and you can do it!

best wishes!!!

Becca608 · Aug 17, 2008

I think it depends on the program and your support systems. Talk to recent graduates of the school you want to go to. Anything is possible with determination and hard work.

Also look into scholarship opportunities, include hardship scholarships. Many schools have these and if you will talk to your nursing department, they should be able to tell you who to talk to in financial aid that can show you resources you may no be familiar with.