Time for family

renerian, BSN, RN · Jun 6, 2004

Yes I did not see my family much through my college degree programs or when I started working as a nurse. Not much family time. Hubby is a nurse as well so we speak the same lingo and totally understand the "issue". Many spouses/mates do not understand this.

renerian

FLCRNA2B · Jun 6, 2004

I appreciate everyone's replies. The program I will be applying to in 2.5 years increases clinical hours throughout the program. In the last 2 semesters you have clinicals 40 hours/week. My plan is to listen to lecture tapes during the 1 hour commute to and from school and study 1-2 hours a night. Is this a realistic amount of study time...approximately 3-4 hours/day? This would give me a few hours each evening to spend with my family, right? I plan on taking out lots of student loans and my mother in law will be watching my 2 kids while my spouse is working and I am in school. As far as the weekends, if I studied approx. 3 hours each weekend day, wouldn'd that leave the rest of the day for family? It seems like I could find the time for my family...am I being niave?

alansmith52 · Jun 6, 2004

I sometimes hear people in class say. " what, I can't come to that I have got two kids"." and i don't know anyone here that can watch them... I am a single mom" its almost as if they need a special provision becuase they have a "unique" problem.

My advise is to get a support system becuase this line is very unamussing to your classmates. everyone is sacrificing, everyone has problems. plan, plan, plan, and in the end. suck it up and drive on.

Qwiigley, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, CRNA · Jun 6, 2004

My opinion is as valid as yours "Trauma", I believe that children come first. Career comes second. A family can do well with a parent at home. So you have to "sacrifice" some of the luxuries in life. You say that is wrong, but you also say its ok to sacrifice the lives of the children. IN MY OPINION (and only that) the sacrifice should be the parent not the child. The parent brought them into this world. Their life can no longer be as it once was. Reality. You have to make choices in life. If someone choses to bring children into the world, they have to give up doing things that others do due to their choices.

Is CRNA school that hard? Yes. (Those reading this in nursing school: nursing school is pretty darn easy in comparison).

Again, these are my opinions. You have a right to yours as I do in mine.

Those considering going to CRNA school (only) please read ALL of the opinions here and make your decision. An informed decision.

Good luck to all!

iliket3 · Jun 6, 2004

Thank you Trauma Tom for your reply. I agree with you 110%. I have been told time and time again to go when the kids are young. When they're older, they have school functions, sports, friends and a busy schedule. I wil be approaching my 40's by the time I apply and my child will be about 6 yrs old. To wait until he's older just isn't an option in my opinion. I agree that the proper planning and support system is essential for one's success. And I plan on doing that.

Theresa

calimarinewife · Jun 6, 2004

I am going to school in san diego. My husband and neighbors/friends are a great support system for me. My husband is a Marine so we are stationed 3,000 miles away from are families who leave on the east coast. 5 months into my program he left for Iraq and is still over there. My advice is to find a good childcare provider who will be flexible eith your hours, especially for your clinicals. I am in day classes but sometimes my clinicals end as late as 7:30 pm and start as early as 6:45 am. It's tough but it's definatley doable. I do still have a few hours a day to spend with my 2 year old daughter, but definatley need to spend a few hours each day hitting the books. So, just try to build up a good support system: husband, child care provider and friends and neighbors who would be willing to help you out in a jam with your kids. Good luck with everything!

Qwiigley, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, CRNA · Jun 6, 2004

This debate is about CRNA school not really nursing school. Very different animal!

iliket3 · Jun 6, 2004

Qwigley, your opinion made my the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I agree with the optimal situation - highschool, college, grad school, family, blah, blah, blah. But this is the real world. And for many of us - life dosn't flow on that perfect little continuum. But you are right - you are entitled to your opinion. Other than this, I really enjoy your comments.

FLCRNA2B · Jun 6, 2004

Approx. how many hours a week do you SRNA's spend studying? How many hours a week in class/clinicals?

SproutRN · Jun 6, 2004

Approx. how many hours a week do you SRNA's spend studying? How many hours a week in class/clinicals?

It really depends on the classes I'm taking. I generally have classes in the morning time until lunch and usually one day without class. After lunch, I stay on campus and study until 5 or 6pm. I have a 40 minute commute. Sometimes I make up note cards with lists of things that I can review in the car. After a little time with the family at home and the kids are in bed, I study a little longer. Everyone is different but the typical 3 hours per hour of lecture. On the weekends I go to the local library and put in several hours each day too. One of my classmates gets up each morning at 0430 to study before class and goes to bed early each evening. I do take Saturday evenings off for a little bit of family time and Sunday mornings for church activities. You just have to do whatever suits your needs.

Sprout :nurse:

MelissaRN · Jun 6, 2004

I graduated school in May 2003. I started the program in fall of 1999. I had an 8 year old, 6 year-old, 5 year-old, and a 2 year-old. I actually feel like I had a lot of quality time at home. I didn't attend classes 8 or 12 hours a day like working, I had summers off and worked per diem as a tech on weekends and sometimes during vacations. I actually miss the summers off now that I'm working. At the hospital you can only get a certain amount of time off during the summers!

Organization is the key. Study an hour or two a night rather than cramming and start research papers early so that you aren't cramming during finals week to get it all done. Keep an "assignment" notebook and write down what you are going to do each night. It really worked for me and I got a lot of people in my class doing the same thing.

allnurses Guide · Jun 6, 2004

I think the argument that, choosing to advance ones career is selling out on your family, is ridiculous. To insinuate that a person has less love for their children because they strive for a better career and lifestyle is ludicrous. I am going to CRNA school not only for me, but for my family. There are things in life that you must sacrifice for the greater good.
If you are happy in your career and have no desire for advancement, then it is easy to say that you would never take any time away from your family again. However, not everyone has that luxury, and sometimes you must make sacrifices in order to improve things for yourself and your family. Does the willingness to make sacrifices mean that you have less love for your family...NO.
I will agree with you that it would have been a lot easier to do this pre-children, but life is not that easy.

I didn't say that choosing to advance one's career is selling out on your family as a blanket statement. I was merely writing about my experience in nursing school as an older mom with kids and it was very hard and looking back I'm not sure I can say it was worth it. That is strictly my experience and my own opinion, which the OP asked for. Granted, this was nursing school and not CRNA school however I've heard that CRNA school is harder.

I don't want to be a pollyanna and pretend that it is easy. I also don't believe in the "quality vs. quantity" idea . . . . my own experience tells me that I missed out. My kids missed out. My husband missed out.

Please accept each of our own experiences as valid for us. And the OP can take what she wishes from each of our experiences and maybe be stronger for it.

Thanks,

steph