Options for parents and spouses with strict schedules

[TexRN]

I am graduating in less than a month. I have 2 kids, they are 4 and 5 years old. My 5 year old is starting kindergarten in the fall while my youngest stays in daycare. Daycare center is open 630am to 630pm and the elementary school is 750 to 250. My husband works 4 days a week, 12 hour shifts, with absolutely no chance of variation in the schedule.

That leaves me with few options. I can hope that a hospital will *only* schedule me Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Then I will never see my husband. This is not ideal or realistic. Or, I can find a Monday through Friday job with daytime hours. I don't even know what options there are for my oldest. If she gets out at 250pm... I am not sure about after school programs to stretch it out til 4 or 5pm... We don't have family help or friends. I don't know my options or where to find information regarding this. My husband works from 730 am to 730pm.

I am also a lactation consultant. I thought I'd want to work labor and delivery but I don't think I want to anymore. I have an interview for a hospital residency program that requires a 2 year contract on Thursday. I have to be up front about my requirements because I'm not going to sign a contract if the schedule won't work for us.

What else can I look for? I don't know of many options that aren't in a hospital. I guess there are doctors offices, urgent cares, stuff like that. Is there any suggestions for me out there? Will working at these job places hurt my salary? The hospital residency program starting pay is 24.80 an hour, I'd like to not go below that. I'm going to be a new grad but I have other medical job history and credentials I had hoped would protect or boost my starting pay.

I hope this post made sense and didn't sound like a complaint. I just want to find the right job. I don't want to job hop because things don't work out. I am not in any desperation to find a job right away, so I really want to take the time to research this.

[needlesmcgeeRN, ASN, RN]

You really need to sit back and consider ways in which to make your availability more flexible and appealing to employers, especially as a new grad. You're not the only person with schedule issues. Yes, there are jobs out there that could possibly work for your family's needs, but there is no guarantee that you would be hired for one of those jobs, especially over someone with experience. And then to think you're entitled to a certain rate of pay...? Remember, you need to sell yourself to prospective employers and they have PLENTY of applicants from which to choose, so if you are perceived as being difficult in some manner, they're already looking at the next resume in the stack.

[TexRN, BSN, RN]

I'm thinking that night shift work is going to be the best option. If I need to hire someone to stay with my kids for 1 hour a night I will. My husband works a 7 to 7 or 8pm job so obviously if I'm leaving at 630 for my night shift someone would have to be there. I think that is much more feasible than trying to find the perfect unicorn shift. Lots of people do night work and are fine. I'm sure I can do it for 3 days a week. This will be different than when I was in the military. Thanks for talking this through with me. I have an interview tomorrow and I'm much more optimistic.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

I know it will be tough working with young ones & around your husband's schedule. I'm very nervous to go back to school & start working. I know most new grads work nights but I can't. My husband works nights & I have epilepsy & bipolar disorder.

We have 2 kids & if I were to work nights as well I don't know who would watch our kids. We live with my mom but she works, all of our family members work. When my husband comes home he goes straight to sleep (I know I would too). When I don't get enough sleep I get thrown into a deep depression. I'm really nervous (even though it's a few years away) about finding a day shift position. I hope I won't have to drive too far away for it.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I was in a similar spot as a new grad. It's one of the reasons I opted for a specialty with 8-hour shifts as opposed to 12s, since 8s were easier to work around. I also did rotating shifts--days during the week, evenings on weekends--for my first year. And I signed on per-diem so I wasn't bound to anything...at least, not bound for more than 6 weeks at a time. Fortunately, they were so short-staffed that I easily made full-time hours almost every single week.