Should I start work?

[coefficientquery]

I need opinions on a situation causing me worry please!

I am a mature student just finishing my 2nd year of a healthcare degree in the allied health professions. I have been withdrawn from clinical placement now due to Corona, mainly that there is no resource to accommodate student learning at this time, understandably. This will change when we start 3rd year and will go back in to the hospitals.

I have been offered a job in my area of training (at a hospital I want to work at once fully qualified), bank work, minimal days per month, until I qualify next year, which will provide invaluable experience, help me get a job there when qualified and earn me a little money too.

The problem... I live with 12yo DD, WFH husband (all healthy) and in an adjoined self contained house, MIL 87yo, mild COPD, not shielding but vulnerable. We have free access to each other's houses and at the moment are following normal social distancing and good hygiene practice to protect MIL.

I need to start work in the next couple of weeks and DH is really worried about MIL and how we can work around my new work and her keeping safe. We can completely shut the properties off by closing a door, but MIL would really miss us all.

I feel very guilty as this is my decision to retrain and work, but I want to do it for my future. How would you handle this going forward?

I was going to ensure I kept away from MIL for 72 hrs after each shift and retained excellent hygiene, but obviously am in close contact with DH and DD. Do we all have to completely isolate ourselves from MIL?

This will still present a problem in Sept when I resume clinical placement too...

To be honest, I think you'd be silly not to go for it, you can gain experience and hopefully a connection with the hospital you want to work at. It's going to be hard to get a job in other sectors in the next year or so, so hopefully it'll help give you more job security over someone else.

I know it could be hard for your MIL, but you can still food shop and being next door can easily have a distance chat every day, far more than other elderly people have been getting.

I too would absolutely go for the opportunity to get that work experience.

What precautions can you take to minimise the risk of bringing anything hone? Where could you shower and change clothes between work and home ?

All the best

I think you should take the job, you cant put your life on hold for an undetermined amount of time.

Could you make plans to move into the adjoined house temporarily and your Mil move into yours?

What's 72 hours distance going to do?

I agree you need to start work. This virus isn't going away, you can't hold off your plans forever. However I understand your husband's concerns and why you're in a tight spot!

I would start the job, you never know if the opportunity will arise again. Separate the households and try to convince your DH that rather than looking at this as a negative change, you've all had the benefit of seeing each other for all these weeks which most people haven't. If you can all access some outside space without going through the others property then you can all still have a chat or sit in the garden at social distance.

Yes Spied, thinking logically it won't make any difference.

We do have a good sized garden (shared) which MIL rarely goes out in to. I don't think moving MIL will be an option DH would go for, he would rather I didn't work.

Thank you for the replies, it makes me think I am not being completely unreasonable. I think I'm finding it harder because it took a long time to actually get to this point of training for a career, with everyone on board, and I have already had so many obstacles to overcome this feels like the last straw telling me to just give up!

Definitely do give up. No one that succeeds gave up!

DONT**