Students with children

mybrowneyedgirl, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2009

My situation sounds so much like yours - except I have 2 kids. My best advice (without knowing their ages) is to teach them to become as independent as possible so that they can help around the house. I also recommend asking some of the sport parents if they'd mind helping transport your kids if need be. Do you have some friends or family that will be able to give you a hand when you're sick or have clinicals at odd times? I hope you do.

Good luck to you

J9G2008 · Apr 11, 2009

I have three kids, one hubby, and really good friends! I have rearranged Nursing School to be on two days of the week, so really those are the only problem days. The baby goes to the sitter till hubby gets home, the older two let themselves in after school (friend drives them home for me). If they have sports after school, I beg someone to bring them home, and they do. Hubby heats up dinner or gets Subway and I'm home by 8:00 PM. The main problem I could see for you is with clinical days. You have to be there really early, so if your husband isn't around to get the kids off to school, you will have to work out something with your mom, a friend, a babysitter, whatever. Good luck.

kendra1978 · Apr 11, 2009

How old are your children? As a pp said, do you have good friends you could call in a pinch? I would NOT plan to fall back on your hubby, I would get a plan a, b, c, and d for the unexpected things that can happen with kids. I have four kids and a husband and am planning to start in January (providing I get accepted into the program) and I, too am scared to death. I am just planning to suck up the fear and go for it, because I am afraid I never will if I don't do it now. Maybe if you start soon we could be encouragement to one another, cheering each other on. As far as things happening with the kids, I am going to plan to make a list of everyone who would possible help me, and I plan to call them often. My mother-in-law, aunt, and my three best friends. I can make it work. At least that is what I am telling myself. :yeah:

Jennifer7076 · Apr 11, 2009

My kids are 13, 9, and 4 so the oldest I'm not to concerned about unless he has a sporting event, the 9 year old, and the 4 year old is the ones I'm most concerned about. Their not old enough to stay home alone and the baby has preschool, but only 3 hours a day and if they get sick I don't know what I'll do! I have great friends, but my one best friend lives over an hour away, and my other best friend works and has 3 kids of her own. But with that said she is my very best friend since we were teens and she knows how important this is to me and she's already told me she would do anything to help me get through school. I have a sister who lives 10 mins away, but works full time, my brother works fulltime, and my poor mom still has to work, but my step dad who is 73 still tries to help out! If it wasn't for my step dad and my mom watching them at night while I did all my generals, I wouldn't be this far! In laws don't help much and they live 30 mins away. I also have a wonderful babysitter who have watched my children since my middle daughter was born, but her husband has a cancerous brain tumor right now, so I can't ask anything from her right now. So what time do clinicals start? I know every school going to be different, but just so I have an idea. Has anyone ever had to miss school for some reason? I've heard you can't miss know matter what! I am so scared!! But like Kendra1978 said I'm going to have to push through this fear and make this work! It will be worth it in the end!

elkpark · Apr 11, 2009

As another poster said, you need to have plans "B", "C", and "D" in place as back-ups in case something goes wrong with "plan A" on a particular day. Your school schedule, including clinical days and times, will vary from term to term, and you can't depend on having a consistent schedule. You may well have clinical on evenings or weekends at times. Some schools require that you go to your clinical site the evening before your actual clinical days to gather info about your assigned client(s) in order to prepare for clinical (many don't) -- that can take a few hours. There are v. limited absences allowed from class and clinical in nursing school before you get dropped from the program, not because the schools want to be mean, but because the state BONs require that students have completed a specific number of hours of lecture and clinical in order to be eligible for licensure and those numbers are so high that there's not much "wiggle room" within the school's curiculum. With many schools going to longer (10 or 12 hour) clinical days, and fewer of them, it's often the case that missing one clinical day will mean you fail that clinical rotation (that was the case in the last clinical I taught), and failing a clinical typically means you're out of the program. In other schools, you can miss a day or maybe a little more (the last program in which I taught full time, you could miss 12 hours of clinical, which was 1-1/2 days, but that meant 1-1/2 days -- if you missed two days, you were out), but there is a hard line, and it doesn't matter how good your reason for missing is (we've had students here in the past posting about how unfair it was that they got dropped from school because they had to have emergency surgery).

I'm not saying this to discourage you, just to provide realistic information. It is certainly true that lots of people go through nursing school with small children at home. It's just important to be sure that you have sufficient back-up for unexpected situations. Best wishes! :specs:

mybrowneyedgirl, BSN, RN · Apr 11, 2009

Some schools offer a variety of schedules ie. PM, Weekend or the typical A.M. A.M. clinicals usually are from 7am ish to 3pm ish. They are usually 2 days per week.

For me, my mom comes over those mornings to take my kids to school and either she or my friend pick them up for me. Just make a plan. You can do this :) Good luck!

Jennifer7076 · Apr 11, 2009

Thanks for all the advice! I'll just have to figure it out and have plenty of back up plans!

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Apr 13, 2009

I am in the same boat. I have 4 children, my oldest can help a lot in off season, but he has football from Aug-mid oct. I have prepared them though that things are going to be hard and won't be able to do as much stuff. I am going to look into maybe finding a HS student that wants to earn some extra money to be able to help as well. My husband works out of town 4-5 months a year, and to be honest, I think I am done with him, but I am used to it always being just me anyway so it won't really be much different. We all seem to be happier when it's just us anyway and I have awesome kids, especially my oldest, that are very responsible and help alot.

cursedandblessed · Apr 13, 2009

7-4, 7:30-4:30 depending on the rotation. Then we have to preplan the day before, as well. Backup to your backup plans is important. Make sure the children have all their shots, teach them to wash their hands all the time with soap and water, vitamins unless contraindicated. Change from your uniform immediately after arriving home or before leaving clinical. I know there isn't a lot of evidence but I just prefer to be safe than sorry by bringing in germs from hospitals into my home.

SiennaGreen · Apr 13, 2009

Lots of great suggestions!

I am in my first term with a 2,5, and 8 yr old. DH is flexible, so that's nice, but honestly...it's still difficult. I concur with the poster who said have back up plans for your back up plans. Do all you can to keep little peeps healthy and then expect they won't stay that way. My little ones went through cold, flu, infections..all around this past winter. My DH had to take 12 sick days to stay with them over the course of the semester. If he wasn't there, I would have had to have other back up. Family? Neighbors? My friends w/kids didn't really want my sick kids in their house, so that was something I hadn't thought through completely. I never realized all the time and how available I was as a SAHM, until I wasn't anymore.

Set expectations way ahead of time, change the roles around the house, and then be ready for some guilt trips. (These may be self induced BTW :)

All in all, still totally worthwhile and really enjoyable. I am much happier and content than when I was SAHM, but it is taking some adjustment. Have reasonable expectations and I think you can do anything you want!

kendra1978 · Apr 13, 2009

Lots of great suggestions!
I am in my first term with a 2,5, and 8 yr old. DH is flexible, so that's nice, but honestly...it's still difficult. I concur with the poster who said have back up plans for your back up plans. Do all you can to keep little peeps healthy and then expect they won't stay that way. My little ones went through cold, flu, infections..all around this past winter. My DH had to take 12 sick days to stay with them over the course of the semester. If he wasn't there, I would have had to have other back up. Family? Neighbors? My friends w/kids didn't really want my sick kids in their house, so that was something I hadn't thought through completely. I never realized all the time and how available I was as a SAHM, until I wasn't anymore.
Set expectations way ahead of time, change the roles around the house, and then be ready for some guilt trips. (These may be self induced BTW :)
All in all, still totally worthwhile and really enjoyable. I am much happier and content than when I was SAHM, but it is taking some adjustment. Have reasonable expectations and I think you can do anything you want!

Are you in an LPN program or an RN program? I really like what you said about the guilt trips and also about being happier than you were as a stay at home mom. Sometimes we just have to do something that is only for us moms, ya know? LOL.