Nursing school or OT, and mom of young kids: doable?

chocokat79, BSN · Jul 27, 2009

Hi there. I am not from the US so I don't know where STCC is but I just wanna share that I also went to nursing school here in the Philippines (BSN) and I took it up for three years while also caring for my now 4 and a half year old child and husband at the same time. Well, yeah your situation is more difficult because you have 2 kids but probably with a little help from hubby or your mom or in-laws then you can do it. :nuke:

I remember I used to get up at 3:30 in the morning to have time to prepare my husband's packed luch for work, prepare our breakfast, cook our viand for the whole day so that when I get home from hospital duty I would just take out the food from the fridge and we would have dinner. My mom would watch my son during the day (if I have day classes/hospital duty). If I'd have night classes/duty, then it's my hubby's turn to take care of our son.

When I am sure that my mom would be in charge of my son the whole day and that I know we already have food for dinner, I would not go home right after class. Instead, I would go to the library to study lessons or do homework because I could SELDOM study at home because of other responsibilities. It was really hard for me but my family was really very supportive so I made it through. I'm sure you could too:yeah:. Just prioritize and pray to the Lord that He may guide you in your school and home life.

God bless you!

twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN · Jul 27, 2009

Totally doable. When I started college my 1st was 1.5 years old and my twins were 5 months old. So when I got in nursing school I think they were only 1.5 years older, so about 3 years and 2 years. Don't ever EVER let people tell you you can't do it when you have small kids. You just have to get creative when it comes to study time.

beausmom · Jul 27, 2009

Thank you for responding! You've done a lot!!!

Are you working in nursing now? Do you love it? I hear so much bad news about nursing. Dissatisfaction and high stress.

angel337, MSN, RN · Jul 27, 2009

i imagine that if you are motivated enough you can do anything. i do believe that having children does present a different set of challenges and i remember some nursing students with kids did well and some decided that it was too much trying to be a mom, work and school. i guess it all depends on your support system. i didn't have any while i was in school and i was exhausted. wish you many blessings with whatever you decide.

beausmom · Jul 27, 2009

I won't have much support - meaning evening hours I will be making dinner, getting the girls tucked in. But, like you said, when your mind is ready - you can do anything.

JustEnuff2BDangerous, BSN, RN · Jul 27, 2009

I'm not a mother but I would like to say that I had many classmates who were, and they did great in nursing school - Some were even "single parents" because their husbands or wives were deployed overseas, so they had to run an entire household with anywhere from two to three to four kids by themselves, AND go to school. I believe it is absolutely doable, and though you will most likely be very tired and spend many late nights and early mornings (gotta study when the house is quiet, and I'd imagine the only time it is is when the babies are sleeping!), it will be worth the future you are building for you and your family.

Also, in response to your bit about nursing having a lot of dissatisfaction and high stress, you must remember this: every job comes with its own set of responsibilities and bad sides, and nursing is no different. Satisfaction with your job has everything to do with your attitude, your outlook about the job (why you are there - is it to make money or help people?), and also the culture of the unit you are working on (do you like your manager? do you like your coworkers? do you like the facility in general, do you believe in and fit in with their ideals and goals?). When you are dealing with sick people it is always going to be stressful, but every job has its own type of stress. You have to learn to leave the job at the door of the building you work in and not take it home with you; it'll be there when you return the next morning/evening, promise :). If you do not cope well with stress, you will always be stressed out, and you'll learn pretty quick in nursing school how well you handle stress!

Always remember that everyone has their own reasons for choosing nursing. If you are going into nursing for the money or the fame, I do not suggest you continue any further, because there is no guarantee you will see either of those things, and even if you do it will not compensate for the incredibly hard work you put in. The hard work nurses do is only satisfying if you come into this profession with the goal of helping people and saving lives. THAT is why you hear about so much dissatisfaction - people are choosing nursing for all the wrong reasons, and they aren't doing ANYBODY any favors - not themselves, not their patients, and definitely not those of us who chose nursing because we believe it is a higher calling!

JomoNurse · Jul 27, 2009

sure you can do both. but you can only do one successfully. your kids will suffer by not having their mother "there" for the next few years. the good news is that they seem young enough that they won't remember this when they are older. i'm sorry if this seems harsh/insensitive. but to me, it seems like more and more parents throw their kids on the backburner and then use the "this is to better our future" excuse to alleviate their guilt.

also, a 3 year old doesn't understand that 4-7pm is mommy's "study time". their perception is that their mommy doesn't want to play with them

beausmom · Jul 27, 2009

Hi JomoNurse.

I agree with you that children need their moms (or dads). I left my work when they were born in order to take care of them. Unfortunately, since one-earner incomes are not feasible to raise kids, when your husband is a teacher (and currently out of work), I must find a new career. I LOVE old people and can see being very happy caring for them. My only reservations were that I would not be able to mother my kids well enough, are they are still so young. It does break my heart.... (as well as all the negativity about nursing which I can see on the forums)

beausmom · Jul 27, 2009

Dear Just enough to be Dangerous,

Thank you for your insights. I have chosen nursing in order to care for people. This is what I want to do. I was in corporate sales for years and am done with that!

I am weighing Nursing versus Occupational Therapy. Both interest me very much. I am concerned about the Nursing program being too intense. Kids will be in daycare 5 times a week. With the OT degree, I can do it in 3 years and they would be in day care for 3 days a week.

Peanutter1 · Jul 28, 2009

Just wanted to let you know I am in nursing school right now with others who have children. One of the women is in her mid to late thirties, a single mom, and has four kids ages 4-9! Another woman is married with 4 kids, one who has a serious chronic illness, ages 10-19 I think. A couple of the young girls have two small kids (both under the age of two!) There are others with kids, but the point is, while the curriculum is difficult, the studying hard, and the time commitment is crazy, it is doable! You will do great in nursing school and will make it work.

Find creative ways to study, prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them, don't care so much about clean house, and find a few people to build a support system! Good luck! :nuke:

lindarn · Jul 28, 2009

If you could swing it, I would go for OT. OTs have much more flexible options for work, do not work nights, weekends, holidays, (the times that you would not be able to find child care), and you can open businesses, and be you own boss.

If I had to do it over again, I would have chosen OT over nursing any day of the week. JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington