Going into nursing - is it a good time?

[JockTamsonsBairns]

I've been a carer in the community for elderly people for a number of years now. I enjoy my work, and the hours have been flexible to fit around my 3 Dc's and my Dh's working hours. However, I'm getting on a bit (38), and my youngest Dc is due to start school in Sept 2013 and I'd like to look for something with a bit more opportunity for career progression. If I stay in my current job, with an agency, I'd be a carer til I retire - and I want to achieve more than that.

I'm not particularly pay-motivated, but I currently earn NMW or thereabouts and I do think I could aim for a bit higher.

I've been considering starting a degree in nursing. Does anyone have any advice or thoughts? Is now a good time to enter nursing? How do people find the shift work fits in around childcare? We have no family support around, but obviously I could look at getting a childminder to help out.

Thanks in advance x

I wold not choose to start a nursing career with a young family in a million years, sorry. The demands of training and the constant shift changes in those years make training so difficult if you don't have very flexible childcare.

Even after training, the inevitable ward shift work and nights in the first years after being qualified is just exhausting and again arranging childcare to fit constantly changing shift patterns can be a nightmare. Plus the politics of nursing and the NHS are just awful at the moment. Sorry to be down on it but if my own daughter said she wanted to be a nurse I would tell her to do anything but.

im a health care asst at my hosp and i would advise that perhaps you try and get a job workin in the hosp env to start with so you can see how the shifts work out(i do same shifts as the nurses) or if you dont want to commit to that then perhaps try and get on your local hosp bank for bank work

I'm starting a nursing degree in sept, I work in the community at the moment with the district nurses as an auxiliary, and I am a single parent (albeit one with a lot of family support). I know it will be difficult (!), and no-one goes into nursing for the money, but I don't want to stay a low-paid care assistant for the rest of my working life, and I have been inspired by many of the nurses I work with, and I want to do what they do. Obviously you would have to work shifts in a hospital during your training, and after you qualified, but there is a big emphasis on care moving out of the hospital environment and into the community, so you wouldn't have to work in a hospital permanently if you didn't want to.

I've been considering nursing too. I've got 4 children ranging from 15 months to 13years old.

Many of the universities that offer the nursing degree offer regular open days throughout the year where you can go along and find out more about the course, placements, burseries etc. I found this very, very useful as there were plenty of current students on hand to tell you what it's really like as well as tutors and university staff. They also had examples of university lecture attendance requirments and example placement shift patterns - very useful when you're considering whether you can cover the childcare!

There are also several student nurse forums online where you can lurk and find out a bit more from the student nurse point of view!

Unfortunately, after attending an open day and chatting to current nurses and student nurses, I decided it wasn't for me...

I would still dearly love to be a nurse, but looking honestly at the training, study, placements, irregular shift patterns and childcare issues, for me it just wasn't going to work (I have no family help so all childcare would have to be formal)

So if I were you OP, go to an open day or two, talk to some current nurses and current student nurses and see what you think.

Good luck :)

I did it (though midwifery) when dd was the same age as your ds.

You really need to have someone (partner) who can pick your DCs up from the CM after they finish work. If you're on a late shift you won't finish till about 9:30pm.

Look into bursaries and see how much help you'll get. When I trained I couldn't get Child Tax Credit or whatever it is to help with childcare as in order to get it you both need to be working. Being a student doing 35 hours a week unpaid in the NHS doesn't count as working.

Nursing as a profession is very rewarding and stressful at the same time. Yes it will be tough going to school, studying, working, and managing kids at the same time, but once you complete your education, you would be earning more than your current job. If you have someone to look after the kids, then you should take up that option and pursue your dream of becoming a nurse. And you could also look at online nursing programs. Online classes give you the freedom of managing work and studies in a much better way. Bear in mind you must enroll in an accredited college only. Other schools are labeled as ?diploma mills? and most often their degrees are not accepted by hospitals and other employers. A safe bet is to apply to a college that has traditional classes as well as online nursing programs. My search for nursing programs in my area led me to Stevens-Henager reviews ? the college has online nursing program too. Look it up if you are interested. And as I see that your current job involves caring for elderly people, so I?m sure you will be a great nurse. Good luck! You might want to consider a degree in Healthcare Administration with an emphasis in Gerontology.

I think sarahconner might be based in the US where things are possibly different...you can't qualify as a nurse via online courses in the UK! (Though you can do online courses, e.g. with the OU, once you are qualified). And yes, I'm stating the obvious!! How can anybody think you can learn a practical profession through online study?

It's a rewarding career but low paid against other "professions" and possibly the most un-family friendly environment I have ever come across. Don't dismiss auxiliaries as under-paid - my DH is a band 3 and gets nearly £18 per hour on a Sunday!