Your Sacrifices for nursing school?

jenrninmi, MSN, RN · Oct 18, 2003

Wow! I feel lucky! Even though I do take more than my Nursing classes, (I also have Pharmacology and a waste-of-my-time-Biology Class that I need to graduate), I feel like the time I spend with my children and dh are quality times. I don't feel nearly as stressed as I did last fall when I was taking BioChem, Micro Lab, Genetics, Cadaver lab, and Pathophysiology. No way! I don't work, my husband does very well as an engineer and has great benefits of course. I have a scholarship that pays for my school, so the only think I can think of that I'm sacraficing is just extra income that I'd be bringing in if I was working right now. If I was working instead of going to school, my kids would still be going to daycare (if they aren't in school), I do my studying usually when they are in bed, so... I feel really lucky!

Jen2 · Oct 18, 2003

Well let's see. I worked full time and went to school full time for 2 years during pre-reqs and rented my own house. When I got accepted into the nursing program, I sacrificed my home and put my tail between my legs and moved back in with mommy. I did this because I cut my hours from full time to part time and had to get a new car because mine had over 200 thousand miles on it and I had a horrible fear of breaking down on the way to clinical. Since I moved back home I still pay my own phone bill, the cable bill, buy groceries once a month and split the utilities with my mom. So it's not like I am being waited on hand and foot, but I have more sanity, not having the sole responsability of my own place. However, even though I'm 26, I still must live by my moms rules, and I'll respect them since I am in her house, but it was the ultimate sacrifice for me. Other than that, my friends and family can't understand why I never come around. My mom also thinks that the toilet being scrubbed should take precedence over my care plans. I think lack of understanding and support is the hardest thing for me. Good luck to you and I hope your health is O.K..

smk1, LPN · Oct 18, 2003

well im just in the prenursing program still but i have a 3 yr old who also doesn't get why mommy can't play right now and i have 3 religious meetings a week which are very important to our family and a lifestyle choice. it can be very stressflu but i try to take fridays off from homework (except when my 3 yr is napping) and spend the day with her and have a date night with my hubby. sometimes after the date i go home and do homework but its working out.

PilotJim68 · Oct 19, 2003

Time with family and loved ones, cut my income over half and took a credit hit or two...:imbar I USED to have perfect credit...not now. No more SCUBA, ATV racing or flying for awhile... :scrying:

LydiaGreen · Oct 26, 2003

I can identify... btw... was the shunt placed for pseudo tumor cerebri? Then, I can really identify... although I've been able to avoid the shunt.

My experience has been tough... but all worth it I think. Aside from the PTC (which is in remission, thank God), my father began having embollic CVA's secondary to a heart valve defect. That was before my first semester. Any time off was spent at my parents to give my mother a break from caring for him. He had grand mal seizures lasting greater than 15 minutes. In the last year he developed Alzheimer's type dementia. It was pretty hard, going to school, learning all of the patho related to his health problems, then caring for palliative patients with the same problems. Whenever he asked about school, I would tell him how tough it was. The last time, I told him it felt like I was banging my head against the wall and getting nowhere. He told me that I had a hard head, to keep banging it against the wall, eventually it would break and I would get through. He died a little over a year ago, only 58 years old. Then, there was caring for my mother, helping her with all of the legal and emotional stuff.

The hardest part was my children who had a tough time adjusting to mom going to school full-time - losing their grandfather was extremely hard on them - still is.

And in the midst of all of that... my husband works out of town, gets home Friday, leaves Sunday. If it wasn't for the world's best babysitter, I'd go insane - especially with eleven hour clinical days.

But, I have made it through the worst of it. I have five weeks of community placement, pregrad and then graduation in May. Can't wait to be done.

Whenever you feel like it's hopeless and you can't possibly do anymore... just keep banging your head against the wall... eventually it will break and you will get through.

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Oct 26, 2003

Originally posted by LydiaGreen
Yep -- all the above plus time for family.
Also quit the band I was playing with a couple of weekends a month. Rarely get out the guitar.