New to forum and need some advice :)

Hello there,

Welcome to Allnurses :)

You said that you wanted a flexible job that you do not have to "bring home" with you. Unfortunately, nursing often does not fit that description. There ARE areas of nursing that have very flexible schedules and relatively low stress environments but the reality is that, more likely than not, in order to get to these positions you...

1. have to endure the rigors of nursing school which most people find an inflexible and stressful commitment that cuts into their family life and social life

and/or

2. gain experience in more stressful areas of nursing like medical-surgical floors or long term care facilities with high patient to nurse ratios.

I do not mean to discourage you from nursing. Far from it. But I encourage you to pursue nursing with full knowledge of the challenges and how to prepare yourself and your family for them.

Welcome again, and good luck!

I agree with Cuddles. If you only want to go into nursing for the flexible schedule, there is a good chance you will end up unhappy. All you have to do is search for posts on here by new grads who went into the field for the wrong reason and now say they hate their job and are miserable. If you want to get a better idea if nursing would be a good fit for you, try and shadow one or even an aide. Better yet, volunteer or work as an aide. That will let you know real quick if you're cut out for nursing. Cuddles is also right about the inflexibility of nursing school. It is a very vigorous program that doesn't leave a lot of time for much else. If you don't work, you may still have a little time left for your baby but even so, you will need lots of help. Good luck with whatever you decide :)

Okay, so what I forgot to ask above was...what do you two mean by inflexible?

Every nursing school is different but it is pretty typical to be expected to show up to class or off-campus commitments at a moment's notice. Even if you are given adequate notice, you may be asked to attend classes or clinical rotations that do not fit with your schedule. It just comes with the territory.

Attendance policies are also strict because nursing schools have to prove that you have attended a certain amount of hours of classroom and clinical time. One or two absences may be all it takes to be dropped from a program even if you have a good reason.

From what I'VE SEEN, you do your write-ups, do the shift switch-over with the incoming nurse and go home. Am I incorrect?

Some nurses have jobs where they mull over paperwork at home on a regular basis but, yes, you are correct when it comes to nurses that work shifts. However, nurses that have shifts are often required to be on call for a certain number of days. This means that you do not go to work immediately but have to be on site within 30 min-1 hour of the hospital calling you. This is a pretty universal requirement for nurses who work in a hospital, including PICU and NICU.

With pretty much any nursing job, there is also a lot of time spent on continuing education. You may end your shift at 7 pm or 7 am but be required to return in a few hours for a meeting or an in-service where the management updates you on some new skill or standard of care.

I know that I'll be thinking about patients all day and that I won't be able to completely "shut out" the happenings of the day but, I would like to be able to stay busy and then go home to my child and relax.

This is another issue. It depends on what kind of person you are. Some people let the madness and sadness of the day slide off their back. I am not one of those people. I have to consciously work at letting it all go and not let it cut into my personal life. The many, many posts from overwhelmed nurses (both new and veteran) speak to the fact that I am not alone.

It is often said that the first year of being a nurse sucks. I agree with that. I think people who do not deeply question their ability, self-esteem, worth as a nurse etc. during the first year are in the minority.

Overall, it is not a field I would pick if I wanted flexibility and peace of mind.

I realize that this post seems really grim but, I assure you, I speak as someone who has found deep satisfaction and happiness in nursing. I have faced all of the challenges I have written about and more but still love what I do. I hope this is the case for you as well. :)

sweettooth,

The other posters are correct in that nursing is not the most flexible job in the world. But I have to disagree with some of it...

If you work in a hospital, normally you work 12 hour shifts. Its a long day, but 3 days=a full week. If thats all you need to pay your bills, that gives you 4 days off a week! There are also weekend warrior contracts where you can just work weekends and make as much as you would working 3 days/week somewhere else. Also, the hospital I work at does not require nurses to ever be "on call" (at least not in the ICU). If they are short staffed and need someone to come in, they call you but you can say yes or no (or not answer the phone at all).

Bottom line is it depends on where you work, and jobs are getting harder to find for new grads. The nursing shortage refers to experienced nurses, not new nurses. Having a BSN will make you more competitive in the new grad pool for jobs. It takes a lot of time and $ to train a new nurse on the job.

Nursing school is tough and requires a lot of devotion, motivation, planning and time management. It sounds like you have these things.. If you want it bad enough you can handle it. Most of the time (if you are in a good nursing program) you will have adequate notice and be able to plan for clinicals, classes, meetings and childcare. Clinicals can be 12 hours, especially towards the end of school. This may be a bit of a challenge as far as daycare goes, but every school can be different. Pick a solid BSN program and you can make it work for you. Pick a substandard program and your life will become very hard to manage.

It sounds like you have the capacity to make it through nursing school and be a good mom in the process. Nursing is an emotionally and sometimes physically draining profession that only those who love it can excel in it. I had a lot going on while I was in nursing school and it was purely my desire to reach my goal that carried me through it. Your GPA is fine, say goodbye to straight As in nursing school! Anything 3.5 or above is acheivement!

Be a nurse, you won't regret it

I'm still in school, so will let the others answer the rest but I know you would start clinicals at or before 7am and/or finish after 6pm often at any of the nursing schools around here. That does not count travel time, which can be up to an hour. From the school, if you live in the opposited direction from the school then that much longer. You could check with the schools you are considering.

sweettooth,

The other posters are correct in that nursing is not the most flexible job in the world. But I have to disagree with some of it...

If you work in a hospital, normally you work 12 hour shifts. Its a long day, but 3 days=a full week. If thats all you need to pay your bills, that gives you 4 days off a week! There are also weekend warrior contracts where you can just work weekends and make as much as you would working 3 days/week somewhere else. Also, the hospital I work at does not require nurses to ever be "on call" (at least not in the ICU). If they are short staffed and need someone to come in, they call you but you can say yes or no (or not answer the phone at all).

You're right. I shouldn't have generalized. In my experience, it's common but my experience shouldn't be the gauge.

nursing school is not particularly flexible, but you'll be getting through it before your child is old enough to have constant play dates, sporting events, etc. once you're through school, nursing offers a great deal of flexibility, especially for a single parent. many jobs offer self-scheduling, and you can plan your work around your son's needs. i have colleagues who work straight night shifts -- they put their kids to bed at grandma's house, or at home with a student/babysitter who stays the night. after work, they go home and get the kids off to school, then sleep until it's time for them to come home. spend evenings together and back to work . . . of course it's all easier with a partner. but what isn't?

it's true that in hospital jobs you'll have to work nights, weekends and holidays, but very few kids mind when santa stops at their house a few days early because mommy has to take care of sick people. and when you have to work december 25, your son can spend the time with a friend or relative. unless you've given birth on a major holiday, you'll always have your son's birthday off to spend with him.

after you work your shift, you're not obligated to take your work home with you. you're off until your next shift. you're right about that. and that's a real plus. when you're off, you're off. nursing is an interesting, varied career as well. if you start out in orthopedics and get burned out, you can transfer to l & d or icu or oncology or whatever tickles your fancy. and if you meet a man who lives 400 miles away, you and your career will travel. (maybe not right now, but those days will return.)

despite the many naysayers and negative nellies on allnurses.com, there aren't that many incidences of "lateral violence" or bullying. approach your new colleagues with a humble, positive attitude and you'll get the benefit of their knowledge and experience. and don't let anyone tell you that your reasons for wanting to be a nurse aren't valid. you don't need a calling to be a nurse. (see the article on "advice for those considering nursing as a career.")

best of luck to you.