The answer to that question is: yes you can! Nursing is an excellent career choice for mothers (or fathers) who wish to find that balance between their parental and professional roles. A nursing job pays well and can provide busy women with the flexibility they need to flourish at work and at home. In this way, you don’t need to choose between your family and your career, you can have it both ways. Inevitably, being a good nurse sets you up to be a great mom and vice versa. It can be challenging to honor your calling, but it is not impossible.
Nursing is a broad term that refers to a variety of professions. This is beneficial since it allows mothers to choose the option that best meets their interests and schedule.
Crossover Traits from Mom to Nurse and Back
One word sums up the crucial attribute shared by successful nurses and mothers all across the world: empathy. You have dedicated yourself to your studies and work as a nurse so that you can give the finest possible care for your patients. Similarly, you have dedicated your time, patience, and compassion as a mother to make a difference in your child’s life.
Communication is vital in both these areas of your life. Listening and recognizing nonverbal clues are just as important as other forms of communication in both nursing and childcare.
Prioritizing is another important attribute that stretches across both your private and professional life. In order to prioritize duties and maintain order and efficiency on the job, nurses must be competent planners. This goes for being a mom as well. Time management skills are essential. Another important tip is to always stay in the moment, with your patients and your children. For moms, it is also vital that you not only invest in your children’s education but also schedule quality time with them
Being able to work as a team player is vital for moms and nurses alike. Most nurses work in groups and must be capable of compromise, communicating, being stern when necessary, and knowing when to exhibit a softer side. This happens at home too when dealing with family challenges.
For both nurses and mothers, logic, reasoning and critical thinking are routine processes. Both “jobs” require you to be detail-orientated and totally committed. Nurses and mothers need a good sense of judgment and should be able to trust their gut instincts. Follow through and sticking to responsibilities are further important traits in these areas of expertise.
Computer skills are another important aspect in today’s world of nursing and mothering alike. Nurses need to be precise in the recording of patient details and data just as mothers need to be when filling in forms or assisting with homework.
All these skills have the added advantage of being developed in one or both environments and can therefore assist you in becoming the best mom and the best nurse you can be. Life reflects art: nursing is a calling that takes dedication, care, and balance. These are just as important when you are a parent.
Specialties within Nursing
As a nurse practitioner (NP), specializations allow you to focus on certain areas of interest. In addition to a gratifying profession, each specialization offers a diverse range of clinical settings and patient populations to deal with. While most nurses are not in it for the money, there is still money to be made in the extensive field.
There are currently six branches of nurse practitioner specialties. These are Family Practice, Adult-Gerontology Care, Pediatrics Primary Care, Women’s Health, Mental Health Care, and Palliative Care.
If you choose the correct environment after you complete your studies, nursing becomes one of the most family-friendly jobs in any business. There are so many options available that provide the flexibility you may require.
Becoming a school nurse is an excellent choice for mothers and fathers, particularly those who have children in school. You’ll not only work similar hours as your kids, but you’ll also get those coveted weekends and holidays off. The pace and responsibilities of a school nurse’s job can be similar to those at home so you should have no trouble transitioning. It’s possible that your child may attend the school where you work, depending on your school district. This may allow you to become more involved in their education and get to know their teachers and coaches. They may, however, resent not being able to get away with anything, especially once they become teenagers!
Workers in home healthcare are constantly in demand, and that demand is only increasing as the population ages. These nurses work with patients in their homes. These individuals frequently have severe medical issues that necessitate the assistance of a trained nurse. Nurses may assist patients with medication management, wound care, or IV therapy. The job is flexible, depending on your patient’s needs, and it’s ideal for nurses who are also parents. Because you’re in charge of making your own appointments with your patients, you may plan your breaks and errands around them.
Per diem nursing has numerous advantages, including freedom, new working environments, and somewhat greater compensation, but the flexibility is one of the most appealing to moms. You have complete control over your working hours and terms. Perhaps you’d prefer to work only on weekends. Alternatively, you may only be able to work on Wednesdays and Fridays. Per diem nursing is a terrific way to tailor your working hours around your needs and those of your family, rather than the other way around. Because you’ll only be paid when you’re scheduled, per diem nursing assignments allow you to be more flexible with your schedule, and you’ll only take assignments that don’t interfere with your at-home demands.
Travel nursing allows you to be as flexible as you wish. You can select shifts that are more appropriate with your home schedule, as well as the number of days or hours per week that will allow you to spend more time with your children.
Many nurses work from home while providing case management to the patients they serve, making telehealth nursing a very flexible option. Nurses can also consultant on legal, quality, or educational issues allowing them to work from home and set their own hours.
Some nurse-mothers prefer to work in acute care settings where they may work longer shifts but then are entitled to more time off to spend with family. The choice is totally up to what you want from your career and lifestyle.
Work Settings and Shifts
Nurse practitioners have a broad range of knowledge and clinical skills and can therefore work in a variety of settings. These include Primary care, Acute Care, and long-term healthcare settings.
You might choose from the variety of sub-fields within nursing that provide appropriate hours for parents. You can give personal care and acute care while working longer shifts at nursing homes, health clinics, and even particular sections inside hospitals, allowing you to take more time off.
If working typical office hours is your primary issue, you can do so by working for a traditional physician’s office. You will not only work a standard nine-to-five schedule, but you will also have weekends and holidays off to spend with your children. One thing to remember is that a medical office is less stressful than clinics, urgent care centers, and hospitals, so if you are looking for a more adrenaline-charged career then maybe this one is not for you.
Working in hospitals, most shifts are between ten and thirteen hours, depending on your area of specialty. Night shifts are preferred by some nurses while others dislike doing the night shift. Working overnight shifts is physically demanding since you are constantly fighting your body’s natural circadian cycle. This can lead to or exacerbate nursing burnout over time. However, some mothers prefer this routine of going to work just after dinner time and then seeing the children in the morning before school. When the children are at school, the mom-nurse gets to sleep and then still has a few hours in the afternoon with the children after school. However, you may be required to rotate shifts, which means that all nurses alternate between night and day shifts. There is usually some compromise and flexibility available to make it efficient for all involved.
A big advantage is that nursing does not necessitate the use of a home office. Nurses are not usually required to bring work home with them. Being able to leave your work at work is a wonderful feeling for moms. Most importantly, you are not constantly concerned with quotas, reports that must be submitted, or managing other employees, as many parents who work in business or other professions do. This means that when you are home you can concentrate on being a mom. Of course, mentally you may still be thinking of things that happened at work, but you will not be required to take it further than your thoughts.
As women, we are slowly beginning to embrace our dual position and letting go of the guilt we’ve been taught to feel by choosing to celebrate our accomplishments and capacity to do it all and be good at it!
