private pratice nurses? help from RN moms

[Mommy Of Two 87]

Hi, I decided to become a rn nurse. I have two kids my son is 18 months and my daughter is 2 months. So as you can see im super busy! I am going to wait until next spring to do my cna courses, but in the fall im going to be taking some classes. I was wanting information on the difference of a nurse working for a private doctor or at a clinic site, than a hospital. My dream is to become a OB Nurse, I rather work a m-f 8-5 shift, but I know its less money but how much less money? And my other question was is every hospital 12 hrs shifts? I only care because of my kids, they are so little and by time im done with everything they should be in preschool or something but its just I dont want to be working all day, but I really want to become a RN

[NICOLE4RC]

I'm not an RN nurse yet, but I do have a soon to be 7 month old son so I feel your pain. For starters, not all hospitals run 12 hour shifts. You can work on an as needed basis, and there's different shift times. 11 pm- 7 am may work for you. That's the shift my father worked in the hospital to take care of me as a kid since my mother worked days. Also, consider working outside the hospital such as working in a birthing center or doctors office. Generally, its less money but they sometimes are more flexible.

Good Luck to you and yours!!!

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

i would make a survey of the hospitals in your area by calling their nurse recruiters to see what work shifts they offer. not all departments can support 12-hour shifts, especially the outpatient departments. more and more hospitals have outpatient services so you can't assume that they have 12-hour operations of those departments. some hospitals are starting to return to the 8-hour shift format or still have 8-hour shift positions. you have to ask in order to find this out. most nursing homes still work 8-hour shifts. once you graduate from rn school you need to decide where you want to work. if you start working in a doctor's office and have done so for some time a hospital, generally, will not hire you because they feel your skills have waned. your best chance at that point to be hired by a hospital would be to take an rn refresher course where clinicals are done in a hospital where someone on the hospital staff "notices" your ability.

[Mommy Of Two 87]

i want to become a ob nurse, whether its in l&d or even the nicu or post partum, thats my dream, i love it. If i get hired at a hospital with 8 hour shifts in one of those departments that would be great! Im just scared it will ruin my relationship with the kids, but 8 hours wouldnt bother me 12 hrs shift will, i wouldnt ever see them, im not gonna be in any rush though after im done with nursing school, i will look around until i get the job that i really want

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

hospitals that do 12-hour shifts only have their nurses working 3 or 4 12-hour shifts a week. they cannot have nurses work over the 40-hour maximum without paying overtime and most won't do it because their budgets would balloon out of control. how is working 40 hours a week whether it is split one way or another going to ruin your relationship with your kids unless you allow it? you are the one who has control over your personal time and what you do with it. seems to me there is a lot you are leaving unsaid such as time you want for yourself as well. i'd be doing things for myself when my kids were sleeping and spending every free waking moment with my children instead. that's part of the sacrifice of being a parent. kids can be involved in every aspect of life and being taught life lessons while doing so. the last thing i would do is let them think that that my job was robbing them of my time with them. i want them to see me working to support them and to know where the money for the food and video games comes from so as they mature they understand that working at a career is part of life. if i show them how to balance my time at work and with them then they will do the same with their future families. like it or not, it is very possible that your kids will face very similar situations in their adulthood and what they see and experience with you is going to shape how they handle their futures.

[tfleuter, BSN, RN]

While I understand your concern, I think once you are out there and working the shifts (whether 5 8hr shifts or 3-4 12hr shifts) you will have a better idea of how much time you still have to be a positive influence in your childrens' lives. I have a 4yr old and a 6 month old, so I worry to about being gone too much. On the other hand, my husband works 5 12hr shifts a week (not nursing) from 6pm - 6am. While we don't see a lot of him throughout the week, we spend as much time as possible together as a family on the weekends. His relationship with our boys is still very strong. Our hope is that once I start working he can cut back to a 40 hr work week