When is the right time to go to nursing school?

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 26, 2012

Is the first year of nursing school stressful? I'm guessing you haven't spent much time reading these forums.

It's going to be extremely time-consuming, you will be studying all the time. Giving the toddler enough attention will be a battle, but anything is possible if you are prepared well enough. You stress easily? This is going to be a tough run for you, so be aware. Balancing a newborn and nursing school is going to be trying enough, believe me. But considering pregnancy while having a toddler and newborn AND a new nursing student too? Are you a bit of a masochist?

I suppose if you have LOTS of home-based support, your chances of doing all this is much better, naturally. You can't miss clinicals for a sick baby or toddler; do you have an excellent network of care providers/family?

Scenario #1, in which you get pregnant during school and take a year off, makes it fairly likely that you will take more time off than you plan on OR likely that you won't have a placement to return to when you feel ready. Babies have a way of re-prioritizing your life, after all. There's no guarantee of getting back in at the time you want once you leave.

Scenario #2 is unrealistic as well; once you finish school the priority is finding and securing employment. The time you take off while focusing on a new infant is time you aren't keeping up skills and networking the way your classmates will be. Finding a job is plenty hard enough in these times; finding one when you're a year or more post-graduation but haven't been in the nursing loop will make it very difficult indeed.

Scenario #3 is your most likely option. Just please don't do what too many new nurses do in that they land the job and within months--WHAM! New Fertility!--they're pregnant. Nothing puts a shine on a nurse manager's heart like the nurse that's a couple of months off orientation and announces she's taking maternity leave within the year. If you at least have a good year or so under your belt, you can more readily secure a spot (and interest in them KEEPING a spot for you) when you're ready to return.

Part-time work for a new grad is possible, but also unlikely. It takes a considerable amount of time to get a new grad up and running; orientation programs are several weeks to several months of full-time employment. And once you've completed orientation, they will expect you to work a full schedule to make all that worthwhile. If you say up front that you want part-time, you aren't terribly likely to get hired. If you don't, and then later ask to drop hours, you might find yourself replaced with someone who does want those hours.

These, of course, are the same choices you'd be making when undertaking any career, it's not unique to nursing. What IS somewhat unique to nursing is that long shifts, oddball shifts, and working holidays/nights/weekends are just part of the picture of your new life. Working a newborn into that plan is going to be trying, to be sure....and, of course, your co-workers won't be too excited at covering the extra shifts that will occur because of the time off you'll be expected to take (that goes with babies). No one really seems to mind when the mom-to-be has been working there for quite awhile (and we do love baby showers!), but there's often a considerable resentment when the expectant mother has only been there a matter of months before announcing that there's going to be more work for everyone else in short order. I guess I'm just saying that while it will be a very happy time for you when/if that third baby comes, don't be surprised that your brand-new coworkers aren't as thrilled.

manskette · May 26, 2012

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my question. I appreciate it. You made some really good points!