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Nursing am a nurse in OZ

Jacqueline - posted on 12/11/2009 ( 5 moms have responded )

WOW what a fantastic group of women ! I have been a nurse for 14 years am a single mum to , Nursing is HARD , but for mums it can pull you out of the deepest hole , it makes you strong tough , adaptable , flexible , orgainised and usually the dishes never get done as you triage them as secondary to any current problem ! you need good support ! it is shift work , and with a world wide shortage of nurses can be very demanding , so plan ahead network and stay focused , plan for the exceptional circumstance and just enjoy time with your kids as some milestones may be missed due to your roster ! nurses are the most under rated professon in the history of man yet we are the ones who keep the wheels from falling off any health system . All health systems in all countries are failing , so be prepared to be working your arse off , what all government forget is an old saying " if you control the health of a country you control the wealth " this is a global statement with implications in all levels and adjustments made ,
This week one of the Drs I work with suggested that if you removed all the Drs who rort the system there would only be 30 % left , so think long and hard about the fact that we are enabling a crumbling ethos of capitalism in health , this is evidenced by the long cues , and inability to seek help without cash , Healthcare within an appropriate time frame should be a democratic right ! not an obligatory payment to some insurance fund ,
But on a personal level for women , it will enable you to pay those child care fees /bills / and extras with some money over to keep your heads above water ! so yeh , nursing will keep you and maintain your life and your kids well being so I say do it and do well , as you gain so much from it
jackie

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Charlotte - posted on 01/09/2010

im a learning disability nursing student (RNLD), single mother and i work part time nights in a care home. dont even worry about your children and studying because everything will fall into place even if you cant see it now. what i will reccommend is that you use a local nursery because even if your campus nursery seems like a good option it wont be convenient when youre on placement! i do feel like my relationship with my son is suffering but thats more to do with the fact i work nights on a weekend and am currently trying to reduce my contracted hours so i have more time with him. although its hard sending him to nursery everyday its a necessary evil. at the end of my nurse training i intend to revert back to part time work so i can be there for him every day after school and make up for lost time :)
good luck x

Jacqueline - posted on 01/08/2010

don't stress , nursing is a good job just plan , be orgainised and plan time to have fun, each year, know your rights and above all, remember that at the end of a shft when you know you could not get everything done hand it over to the next nurse , the systems of health are poor all over the world , if she gets the shits , just smile and know "we work to live not live to work " and she just doesn't get that ! night
got to go jacks

Jacqueline - posted on 01/08/2010

Hey , Just jackie sorry so late a reply , I am an RN and have been since "98" have worked in theatre , surg ,medical , icu ,day surg , agency , nursing homes ,community and other ,now in general practice .I do not recommend general practice , great job though the pay is subsistence only ,
You will be fine , your kids are of an age, where if they know mum is studying then lets get to it and do it for our selves, if they were between the early school years i would say plan everything. don't be nervous nursing is great but the shift work makes all nurses with families , aware of what it is to be orgainised, and to be flexible , as the system for which we work is not flexible to us .my last comment may be controversial, but have just been in all areas medical and nursing plus complementory
nursing gives you the capacity to think, as a mum who has just started studying again after all these years go for it , the world need more nurses like you and may i say, nearing the end of my career after this(a short ) 12 years , have loved bits hated bits but overall the job is what you make it, the more you know about the IR situations and your rights at work you will be able to utilise these tools to be flexible to a point ! when you are on your first prac ask the hard questions , like " what is it really like ?" , how is the system going to change ?( it won't) or whatever is relevant to you ? just ask, nurses are very honest and upfront people, but i do suggest doing first year and getting a credit average .
anyway don't stress , just go with the flow , that is the non scientific term for nursing , it is both an art and a science !
good luck jackie

Kirsty - posted on 01/03/2010

Hi, I am currently waiting to hear if have accepted into a Bachelor of Midwifery or Nursing as a back up. I have a 2 year old and a 7 month old. I;m nervous about making a commitment with the children so young however I have thought about it for a few years. I really hope it all works out, do you have any advice about studying with young ones?

Lisa - posted on 12/13/2009

I hope you do not mind me asking,but are you an RN? I have just been accepted to the RN program and was excited,now I am getting nervous. The program starts in January,but that is just aroubd the corner.I have 4 boys and 1 girl from 8-16. Whoever said it gets easier when the kids get older well, it's not. Any advise.