Hi lovely ladies,
So I used to work in the advertising industry (studied B. of Business) BEFORE kids and tried to go back after my first kidlet but its pretty much all or nothing (50+ hours a week, lots of stress, not great money).
So I'm thinking of studying nursing (grad entry - 2 years full time) because i've always like science/biology (high distinction in anatomy and physiology etc) and I really like helping people and am hoping it will be a better career to achieve some work/life balance with regards to family.
Is there anyone out there who works as a nurse and has young kids and can give me the low down whether positive or negative about their experiences.
Is it family friendly?
What are the hours/rosters like (nightshift etc)?
Do you feel like your constantly choosing between work or family?
Do you feel like your missing out, or feel like your there more for your family (sports days, homework etc)?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated ;)
TIA
3 Replies
Don't do it! Shift work is hard on everyone. You never really catch up on your sleep. Child care at nights is very limited unless you have a partner who doesn't ever travel for work.
as a RN myself I never recommend nursing to anyone, yes it's a very rewarding and satisfying job, BUT it's working conditions are poor, you rarely get a break often I get home n realise I haven't been to the toilet all day, work hard every shift, no recognition no thank you (from clients yes sometimes but never from management) HUGE and I means HIGE responsibility and stressful, the pay is crap for what you do. Then there is shift work hate it. So many nights, Christmas Easters and birthdays, I have missed out on with my family, whilst caring for others, working weekends when I should be enjoying my time with my kids sports. I found it extremely difficult to organise care for my children, nothing really (in my area) opened early enough and was open long enough, it never suited. The people who do the roster might take into consideration your family needs but at the end of the day they want the shift covered and roster you wherever they like. Which makes childcare difficult as you don't have regular days.
So if you are prepared to give away your social life and a "normal" life and be happy with that then go for it. Or alternatively you can still do nursing just not on the wards ie, community health, I personally have to wait for someone to retire before that position will come up where I am.
I wish you luck, there is other areas of nursing that you could look into.
I have an 8 month old son and returning to nursing this week, I work in a private hospital and they have been very good with my shifts, my partner works FIFO so ive asked them I can only work weekends so my mother in law can watch my son on the weeks he isnt home and they have been happy to do this for me. They were fantastic before I had a baby anyway and pretty much gave me the shifts I wanted but it would depend on where you work.
I have worked in a public hospital and personally I hated it! they are VERY strict on their rosters and some refuse to give you shifts you want/need and put pressure on you to do double shifts and booking any time off was like pulling teeth! I know fellow nurses who have requested christmas/holidays off months ahead to be denied! Ive been much happier in the private sector, I have found them to be much more flexible.
During your training you should gets lots of opportunities to work in different hospitals and departments so definitely take note on how they treat you as a student. If its not for you you can try another hospital/department.
I dont feel like i'm missing out on too much at this stage as i'm only working 2 shifts a week but when i return full time I wouldn't like to work afternoons or weekends all the time especially when my little one gets older i don't want to miss out on sports, family days, homework etc so I would prefer to work morning shifts which comes back to finding a workplace who could accommodate this otherwise I would not do it.