NursingLink

I do not know about you all but I feel that there is a quite a bit amount of sacrifice given/needed to study and practice in this profession.

When I graduated nursing school, it was hard for nurses to find day jobs here, so I worked nights for 4 years.  I thought it would work out so that I'd have time with my family, but then you just end up sleeping whenever you have the chance.  The up side of it was that I could make it to school performances etc.  albeit, dazed and confused from lack of sleep.  Yep, sacrifice is the name of the game.  My kids 7 and 5 at the time learned to iron their own clothes and make their own lunches and get their own breakfast, until I got home.  Good for them really, but I still feel guilty.

Anything worth having requires sacrifice and hard work.  Take it 1 day at a time.  I sacrificed a lot of time for myself in order to take care of my family.  I have NEVER been on vacation,  shopping and all that was out of the question other than the bare essentials.  In the end it will all pay off.

You basically put your life on hold while you are in nursing school.Life is all about sacrifices, but nursing takes it a bit farther, so you have to have a true "nurses" heart to help and be there for others.

I agree with all of you but I am very happy to say that at the age of 55 and being a nurse for 22 years it has all worked out and is well worth the time and effort I put into it.  When I started nursing school my 2 boys were 13 and 17 and it was hard. My husband and boys helped a great deal plus I worked full time ( we were poor). I worked every shift known to man and worked my way from staff nurse to nurse manager and a director of nursing. Almost four years ago I got the LPN instructors position at a technical school (I waited 7 years for) I am the happiest person alive. It has been the best thing I have ever done. I work for and with a very dear friend of mine. Its only her and I and its alot of work but its heavenly. My pay is good and my benefits are exceptional. WHO KNEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am also working PRN as a nursing supervisor at a local hospital and as a staff nurse in a nursing home. Its unreal. Its everything we dream of as young nurses.

My boys are well on their own. I get to see my grandson alot and I am waiting for the next one in Jan.

I work less hours now and make more money than before. I get all the snow days and holidays off and the winter and spring break, We teach classroom and clinicals for 11 1/2 months get 3 weeks off and start again. So if anyone is thinking of leaving nursing think twice, it can work out and the family doesn't like talking about our days, so come on here and lets all share in our experiences. This is great! Thanks for inviting me. Sally

I am enjoying this very much. I am in nursing school now. I have 2 semester to go for my ADN. I have been working all along because I have to. I worked less this summer and used vacation hours to get my full pay. I will probably work 32 hours a week most of this semester. School consumes all my time and energy. My daughters are 21 and soon to be 19. The soon to be 19 yr old still lives at home. My husband has been helpful off and on. It is all a sacrifice to me. I don't do anyhting much but work or school. My husband and I went to the beach for our anniversary and are going back in October for the fall bike rally. We won't be doing a whole lot until I finish school and get settled. I will have a job at my current work place but I don't know if I want to stay. I know I want to go some place else at least in a year if I stay.

I feel I am only just begining on this long road to nursing, I am currently a CMA, but it took my 2 yrs to accomplish that (along with a diploma in Pharmacy Tech, a certificate in billlng and coding, wasn't sure what I wanted to be when I grew up ;) ) 

I worked nights doing seasonal work at K-B toys distributing sometimes til 3 am, and then went to day classes from 8- 3.  I managed to get straight A's and a gpa of 4.0.  I was able to do this because I had help from my  mom who  lived with us. My husband worked out of town and only came home on weekends.  I have 3 wonderful boys (now aged 17, 13 and 11)  My boys were all  dx with ADHD, the oldest most recently with Bi-Polar with episodes of Psychosis.  He was periodically delusional, emotional, angry and abusive to his younger brothers.  He was being treated by physcian and a physciatrist but not correctly.  My middle son has ADHD and Tourettes, when he is stressed his tics are worse.  It w as like he constantly was being poked and twiched all the time.   He is my hug buddy, all he wants to do is hug and be loved.  Even now at 13 he constantly has to touch and hug me when I get home.  My youngest was diagnosed with ADHD and sensory intergration disorder/ Aspergers.  Fancy names for not being able to be touched or hugged. Not being able to stand certain sounds or feelings.  ( clothes, foods in his mouth, ect.)  He did not like me being gone all the time after I had been with him everyday of his life from birth until 5 yrs of age when I started working and going to school.  He would have episodes of destroying things, verbal outbursts at my mom, trying to hurt our cats.  I knew all this was going on at home while I was in school and at work and it broke my heart and hurt my heart at the same time because my mom had to deal and I felt like I abandoned my boys.   My mom had to go to Las Vegas for surgery on her spine and was supposed to be gone 3 months ( she ended up being gone almost a year.), I was working days in an office by then, I was a case manager for over 500 pts assisting them in getting meds from various programs.  I was still in school nights, and I cared for my mom's 3 dogs that I really did not like.  I hired 2 different babysitters plus a summer program at a local daycare.  None of these  were comforting because the first sitter rode all over the country side with my kids and I would come home to find her 2 brothers and her own 7 month old baby being cared for while she was  responsible for my kids.  the next sitter was worse when I found out she took my kids to a drug dealers house so she could visit his wife whom she was friends with ( all this after she was no longer working for me.)  This was in Va, we now live in Pa.

Today I drive an hour one way to go to work just so my boys can go to a good school and have the kind of counseling I wish we had years ago, I'm still not home as much as I would like to be ( I work 9-5:30 but since I never know how traffic will be I leave an hour early to go to work and since I am the last clinical staff person in the office usually if the providers are running late with pts I stay late. )  I usually get home around 7 pm.  The only time I have with my kids is weekends and usually I am trying to do household jobs.  My husband has been laid off ( he lost his job because he has one eye and crashed equipment, but that is another story. He has health issues also) and stays home with the boys so they get to bond with their dad like they never did before.  But I still feel guilty because I'm not here,  and now I am going back to college for RN, 4 nights a week. 

I guess I gave my short version of my life story because with guilt and sacrifice there does come some goodness.  Because of my schooling I was able to find a job here in Pa where my boys are now getting counseling services and medical treatment like they never would have in Va.  My husband is now able to take care of the boys and be with them, yes we are broke most of the time, but it will hopfully get better.  And I will obtain my RN and hopefully finances will get better.  I don't know how well I balance everything,  but I do the best I can.  We take it in small steps, some weekends we blow off everything (laundry, grocery shopping ect.) and just go have fun.  Yes I do hate the driving and sometimes I hate my job and there are days when I really don't want to go home because of episodes with the boys, but they are worth everything I do. Just believe in what you are doing and those that you do it for even if it is just for yourself.

Sacrifice, yes, yes, yes.  At 45 I began taking my prerequisities for nursing.  One term with 4.0 and I had to stop because my four granddaughters were placed in my home.  It's all a sacrifice but in the end things will work out.  I will be returning in the Spring term whether I still have my grandbabies or not.  You just pray and take one day at a time.  I'm glad to know that there are others who are going through similar situations that I can converse with.  Thanks to whoever decided to start this group forum, it is much needed.

When I became a nurse, I knew that it would be a long road with endless hours and many people to please.. I didn't realize how much it would affect my life.  I don't have any children, but I do have a boyfriend, whom I never see.  I work 3-11 and 11-7.  Sometimes, I get overwhelmed at the fact that we never have time together.

When I am off he is working and likewise on his part.  Nursing school was ahrd enough and our relationship suffered for it.  When I started working, things were okay for awhile but again the sacrifice is at home.  I have built a very good reputation at my job. They joke and tell me I deserve the "super star" award.  My attendence is never an issue and if they need help I am there. 

But at the same time, that leaves my home life on the back burner.  I don't have many at home dinners and I feel like I am always on the run.  Right now we are short of nurses' in our facility so overtime is a must for all of us.  The patients need someone there.  I have heard every argument in the book. From " you love your job more than me" to " can't you get a day off" 

Most of the time we can deflect an argument over my time spent at work.  But I have found that I am very lonely.  The only time I see my boyfriend is when he is sleeping.  and even though he is adorable asleep.  I crave the companionship and conversation.  On my days off I sleep to recover enough to get back to another 50+ hour work week..

Sometimes I think that it isn't fair.  But I love my profession.  I guess I just need to find a balance.  The scale is more on work than home.  How do you change that?

I'm so bad at the whole sacrificing thing. I want to be a nurse more then anything in the world. But I got sucked into the medical field when I was 19 (which I don't regret at all!) and I feel like I'm missing out on a lot for some one my age. I like to hang out with my friends and go out and do things. Go clubbing and on one night trips to where ever we fel like going. But I tend to have to pass up everything when it comes to work and school. I just need to find time for me and it's impossible between work and school, so what am I supposed to sacrifice......life its self?

The word sacrifice is very negative.  Take it away and insert "choices". 

It is very difficult, I had been taking a few pre-requisites for the RN program before I met my husband.  He new I would be finishing my RN and at this late age, more time studying is needed.  Although, I warned him there would be days and days I would be so focused on school he would be left on my back burner.  Even though he fully understands and "says" he supports me, I can  see  " I feel rejected syndrome".

He fully knows what it's like to go to school, although completed  his Masters in his late 20's, it's still not easy!!!!!!!!!!

I've been terrible at sacrifice!  I worked alot for the first 2 months, and then I had a VERY bad day at one of my jobs (I had two) and I quit.  I didn't plan it that way, it just happened.  Now, I know I need to get back out there and find another job, but to be honest, it was alot to work 2 jobs, go to school, study, and run a family and household.  I'm living off my Pell for the moment and maybe that will carry me through the end of the semester in December.  I have a couple things on the horizen for jobs, but nothing definite.  Honestly, I really like just working the one job.  It gives me more time with my son and more time to study.  I feel like this is pretty much my last chance to get a degree-my husband probably would not support another go 'round if I started getting failing grades, so if we can make it financially on what we have now and skimp by for the next little while, I feel like it will work out for the best in the end.