Working on weekends!

[PubSub]

Hi, I will be graduating ASN school this year and long story short, I do not want to work weekends... Now before you jump down my throat I didn't say I will not work weekends. I am in the Navy reserves and average 1-2 weekends gone per month. I have a 3 year old and a 5 year old and do not want to miss out on everything, I know I will miss out on somethings though! (I have been on three 8 month deployments in the last 8 years). Here is the tricky part, I want to pursue my BSN and my dream is to become a Nurse Practitioner one day. I know I need valuable working experience to be the best Nurse I can be. My wife and I have already talked about it and worst case, we understand I may be gone on every weekend for a couple years! What type of unit do I apply to work to get the best experience without working weekends? Thanks in advance!

[Ddestiny, BSN, RN]

There may be some hospital options depending upon your area. I was looking into some hospitals in different states as my husband and I were not sure where we would be moving. He was interviewing for PhD programs and I'd come with him to some of the interviews and check out the nearby hospitals. There was a hospital in Saint Louis where they told me they had a "very robust" weekend option program so those that worked a regular full time shift only had a weekend every 2-3 months. This is definitely not the case where I work now and in the city I now know where my husband has accepted his PhD offer, but it does exist. If you don't live around such hospitals or have the ability to move, then you may find yourself pretty limited in options.

Good luck with your decision.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

3 hours ago, Horseshoe said:

Why are you advising someone who specifically states that they don't want to work weekends to get a job where she works every weekend????

Valuable information for others possibly reading this thread?

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

You are going to have to give up something...give up the military, give up becoming a nurse practitioner, because you sure as heck can't give up being a wife and mother. That trumps everything else.

Remember, as cold as it sounds, just because someone has children doesn't mean their weekends are more important than those that DON'T have kids. I felt that way when I was single, and I feel that way being married with two children.

If you want to work as a nurse, you are going to have to pull your share of weekends. It is a CHOICE for you to do the military along with nursing. While the law requires they allow you to have off for active duty, it doesn't mean your employer has to give you a free pass otherwise.

I would take a break from the military, get your NP, then go back in if that is what you desire. But you can't do all of it.

[NeducMM, MSN, RN]

If you can find a position that would be of significant benefit to your long-term goals like clinical experience that would help you get in to NP programs, then that may make it easier for you to accept working weekends. After a year or two, then perhaps you can apply and work float pool without weekend requirements or be an agency/registry nurse. More options would open up for you as you gain clinical experience.

[cleback]

If you're interested in primary care as an np, work as a clinic rn in family or internal medicine. Acute care experience isn't necessary for a primary care np... however, it's harder to go to school while working MF 8-5. You'd likely have to be part time once you get to graduate school.