holding me back...

Nurses Career Support

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I am very excited to pursue my nursing career but one thing keeps crossing my mind that I feel may be holding me back. I know it comes with the territory, but how does everyone deal with working weekends, evenings, and especially major holidays? I'm newly married with a baby on the way and I can't picture being away from them on thanksgiving and xmas. I know I'll probably get over it but I just wanted to see how others wrap their heads around this. Thanks.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I hate to say it but you do become imagnative. For example, this year, I'm not working thanksgiving, so I'm having everyone at my house. However, I work the XMas weekend - (on call in hospital 55 miles away). I am off Dec 22nd so that is when we are celebrating.

Not the most fun, but doable. As to nights - did them for about 12 years - worked well for me when the kids were young, because I was home when they got home from school and that was important to them.

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I mention this on every one of these threads but a free standing surgery center is a great place to work when you have kids. No weekends. No holidays. All outpatient surgeries and the patients go home!

One near me pays well and has bonuses and even takes the employees on a trip to Reno every year during the holiday season. They charter a big bus and pay for the hotel.

Nursing is a big world - you can find something that will work.

Good luck!

steph

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One thing to remember is that the date of the holiday is simply that - a date. Whether you as a family decide to spend December 20 or 27th as Christmas doesn't make it any less important than if you spend it on December 25th as most do. Weekends - here we only work every other weekend, so you cherish your weekends off. And, when kids are young, it's great to have days off in the middle of the week to do other things with them. When they're in school, having days off in the middle of the week allows you to have some time to yourself while they are gone, or to volunteer in the schools.

The job and its work schedule is what you make of it. I volunteer to work Christmas. I love Christmas, but I find if I work nights on Christmas, I let those who really want it off have it, and I still get to spend some time during the day with my family before and after I sleep.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

clemm78 - you said it well! Thanks.

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Specializes in Looking for a career in NICU.

In our family, we came to realize that a day was just a day, and it didn't matter if you celebrated the day before, or the day after. I went for years never having my parents together for holidays until the later years and got every accustomed to doing things late evening.

Thanksgiving we did the day before or after...if I had to go to school that Wednesday, they would just let me stay home.

Christmas, if one of them had to work Christmas Day we would just celebrate Christmas Eve. Some of my friends were jealous b/c I got to open my presents early :)

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