SnuSnu82

I have an 18 month old, been working night shift for 3 years... and am currently seeking a day position. NIGHT SHIFT WITH A KIDDO: the pros: I am home (sleeping) if there is a day-care emergency and can be there if needed; I don't feel guilty about missing out on too much time with my kiddo when I'm at work because he is asleep; I am able to run an errand or two, kid-free, before heading home to sleep bc he is at day care; my SO and I have opposite schedules so we only need three days a week of day care, and someone is always home in case of emergency. cons: on my days off I am exhausted from switching from a night schedule to a day schedule in order to spend time with family- sometimes so exhausted, especially the first day after working, that i feel like i'm phoning it in with my kid and not being much of a mom; I am often rushing through the precious little time I have with my family on nights I work to be able to get ready and leave for my shift; NOBODY "gets" my schedule (especially my family! and I've been on nights for 3 years! Just reverse the times people- would you like being called at midnight? No? Don't call a nightshifter at noon then!); Holidays start and end at midnight so if you "work" Thanksgiving, you only get holiday pay from 1900-2359, nevermind you spent the whole day sleeping and missed the holiday anyway (at least this is true at my hospital- HOWEVER the reverse of this is true- work the night before Thanksgiving, get holiday pay from 0000-0700, and take a nap so you can celebrate). What I'm trying to say is, you may be required to work holidays and miss out on family time, but may not necessarily be compensated for it like a day shift person would. Anywho, sorry for the extended post but just some things to think about, hope this helps! I love love love the rhythm of night shift- its generally more laid back and since there's a higher nurse to patient ratio and less staff, the teamwork seems to be better (maybe that's just the units I've been on though) HOWEVER with the kiddo in the mix, I am exhausted, and need the switch.

My partner and I have a 1 year old. We both work full time- I work 3 12's, 7p-730a, and he works a regular Monday-Friday, 7a-330p job. I found a state licensed home daycare a few blocks from my house that my kiddo has been going to since he was 6 weeks old, and the owner has been super flexible with my erratic schedule (another thing to consider- hospitals usually won't let you have a "set" schedule, and will almost never let you start out Part-time or PRN as a new grad. Quite frankly, you wouldn't want to start out less than full time- it takes a full time schedule as a new grad to get acclimated to the fast-paced flow of a hospital position.) Search your state licensing site for something like that near you- we may have just gotten lucky, I don't know. My partner has also stepped up and takes care of our kiddo while I work- Your husband might need to let go of preconceived "breadwinner" notions and take on some child care/ housekeeping duties in order to make things work. You might also end up making more than him, and he will have to get used to that as well. I used to do private duty nursing in pediatric home health before I was pregnant- I had set days and hours and there are some cases that only needed nurses to go to school with the kids, some cases that only needed a nurse to watch the kid when the parent worked, etc. It was a very rewarding job and the pay was great- I actually took a pay cut when I started working at a hospital. It's a bit scary to do as a new grad- since you are the only medical professional there, but usually there are stable cases you can start with , and eventually work your way up to a more challenging patient. You might also want to consider a nursing home if private duty nursing doesn't sound like your cup of tea- the ones in my area offer 8 hour shifts and they also sometimes pay more than a hospital position :) Bottom line, there are a lot of ways to use your nursing degree once you've gotten it. As for getting your degree, make sure you research how long wait lists are or what you need to be competitive- it's hard to get into school. I agree with the poster that said don't count on your degree taking just 2 years- 3-4 is probably more accurate, once you've dealt with the prereqs and then nursing classes, clinicals, etc. I've known ladies who were pregnant or new moms in nursing school and did just fine, but it seemed really stressful. Hope this helps! Good luck!