Saturday, May 25, 2013

Bye to a possible nursing career

After much dilemma, I have decided against a second career in nursing. Although I do not doubt I could have excelled in the field both academically and professionally (actually received an A in my first pre-requisite class), I do not believe, at least not at this time, that nursing would be a good career for me. Nursing is a great field and perhaps if my circumstances were different I would have still went along with my plans but they are not and that is OK. Although I am still relatively young, I am not in my 20s and I have a lot of responsibilities at this time that would make pursuing a career like nursing not very practical. A great deal of sacrifice would be needed for me to pursue a nursing career at this point in my life and although the salary potential would have been good, I could possible lose others benefits that are not based on salary, including stable childcare, predictable work schedule, and a pension. These are not things that I can take likely and being home with my children every weekend and on every major holiday is something no money can replace. The job market right now is tough and the nursing field is extremely competitive right now. I like the idea of being a nurse but I cannot say for sure if I have a passion for it (and passion is needed to get through nursing school!).

My plans now are to go back to my original career goal of getting my MSW (Masters of Social Work) degree and possible work in the areas of health and mental health. Despite the relative low salary of a LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) initially, my salary should increase after a few years. I may even pair my MSW with an MPA (Masters of Public Administration) degree but that may be a bit ambitious at this time. Regardless of what I decide to do, I have to do what is comfortable for me and my family and not just something that everyone else is doing or for the sake of money. I already made that mistake with my first degree so now its time to try something different.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

No nights or weekends please

It may be premature but I began looking at job postings for registered nurses. Would you believe that roughly 50% of the jobs on Indeed and on various hospital websites show job openings for evening and/or night shifts? There are also quite a view openings with variable shifts. Almost all hospital jobs or staff nurses requires some working on the weekends. This would be problematic. My husband already works a variable shift in his line of work and could either work day or night at any given moment (not to mention he usually works on Saturdays and does the occasional double shift). How does that work with 3 young children? Working full-time with children is never easy for a mother but at least its helpful when there is relatively stable childcare in place. My husband tells me not to worry about it but I feel he is being unrealistic about our future childcare issues and is only thinking about the potential income I could make as an RN (registered nurse). More money is good and all but what good is it if my children rarely sees either of their parents because they are always working crazy schedules? I looked into nannies but I am not comfortable with the idea of someone sleeping in my home overnight that I am not familiar with. No one can "force" me to work nights or weekends but pursuing a 24 hour occupation and not being flexible with the shifts could make the job searching process extremely difficult once the time comes. There are definitely nurse positions which do not require nights or weekends but many require a certain amount of experience, in addition to a BSN (Bachelors of Science in Nursing) degree and certifications. The job market for nurses, like most occupations, is very difficult and although my goal is to be as flexible as I can, I know that my limitations may be a hindrance to finding employment. Whatever happens I need to make sure I am able to maintain the work and life balance I so desperately need.