As a mom, your primary responsibilities are caring for your children, ensuring they are being brought up well, and that they are well-prepared for life outside the family home. Raising children is known for being a difficult but rewarding challenge, and you will find that many mothers are also balancing full-time jobs. But you will find that not all mothers are lucky enough to be in a career they love, and the thought of returning to study while being a parent can be a daunting prospect. Luckily, there are many ways to ensure that moms can return to school and gain the qualifications they need so that they can land their dream job.
One favorable job that suits mothers well is that of a nurse. This is because nurses are caring individuals whose main responsibilities include looking after their patients. As a nurse, you will typically be tending to patients with illnesses and ailments, as well as ensuring that their needs and the needs of their family members are met. You will be tasked with helping out doctors and surgeons (when required) as well as weighing in on diagnoses and filling in and filing paperwork. There are many different pathways you can take as a nurse. For instance, you may wish to specialize as an ER nurse, geriatric nurse, or a clinical nurse specialist.
How can you balance being a parent with going back to study as a nurse, though? Of course, there will be many challenges, such as ensuring your children are being cared for and still feeling looked after and loved. You will also have to meet the course deadlines and requirements, but it isn’t impossible; in fact, there are many new ways of study that have full-time parents and working professionals in mind so that they can strike up a balance between study and their life outside of the classroom. One of these options is UTA’s online nursing programs.
If you are a full-time mom looking to train to become a nurse but are unsure as to where to start, the following guide may help.
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Speak to Your Family
Heading back to school to study will not only impact you; it will impact your whole family. Therefore, it is your responsibility to speak to your family members so that you can all discuss the prospect of you heading back to school and how it will change the family dynamics for the time being. You’ll find that your family will most likely be supportive and offer additional help so that you can balance your schedule better.
By speaking to your family, they will be kept in the loop and you can help create a plan of action. For instance, your partner may need to cook dinner a couple times a week or help with the children’s homework from now on. Your parents may also offer to pick up the children from school. All these little changes in your routine can greatly help your studies as it allows you more time to prepare for tests and brush up on your knowledge.
When it comes to explaining the changes to your children, however, you may want to prepare yourself for them not being too happy about the shift in family dynamics.
Children thrive when there is stability, and a change like this can be enough for them to falter. Be patient, though, and explain to them that this new normal is not all bad. If you have teenagers, they may be more understanding. However, they may also struggle as you will not be at their beck and call at any given moment anymore.
Look Up Online Degrees and Programs
Traditional university is no longer the only means of furthering your education and earning a degree. Rather, you can now head online and study from the comfort of your own home and stick to a schedule that you have created due to your commitments outside of study. This is favorable and useful for mothers who also have to care for their children and may need to study late at night rather than during the morning rush of getting your kids to school.
If you are looking for an online nursing program that you can tailor to your needs, then Marymount University has FNP programs online that can help you balance your work-life schedule. Their programs focus on advanced clinical education so that all their nurses in training feel empowered to make a difference. What’s more, the added flexibility of their programs allows part-time study and a group of knowledgeable mentors who can help you complete your coursework while you are also tending to the needs of your children.
Create a Calendar
Never underestimate the power of a calendar. Not only can a calendar help you stick to your study schedule and help you pinpoint crucial milestones such as coursework deadlines and examinations, but it can also help you care for your children and remind you of any big events happening outside of the classroom.
Be sure to share your calendar with your loved ones. Hang a physical copy of the calendar in the kitchen so that everyone can see it and take a look at the events of the day each morning. However, also share your digital calendar if you have one stored on your phone or laptop. If you make any changes to your calendar, then you should be sure tell your loved ones and family so that they can also mark the changes in theirs – you want everyone to be working off the same page.
Care for Yourself
Caring for yourself is a top priority. Not doing so can cause you to feel sick and unwell. Plus, you won’t be able to perform to the best of your ability while tending to the children or studying. Make sure to take multi-vitamins as well as eat a healthy and balanced diet. You should also ensure to exercise regularly so that you can build your strength.
Being a mom does not mean you cannot return to school and train to be a nurse. All you have to do is be well-organized and ensure everyone is on the same page while you are juggling motherhood with your studies. There are many online programs to help you, but by speaking to your family and working with them, you can become a trained nurse with half the stress.
