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[roseability]

Hi

I am a nurse and I have just reduced my hours to one shift a week. I was doing six shifts a month but found the two shift week and night shift tough. Although I enjoy being at home with my DS and supporting my DH, who has a very demanding job and earns a lot more than I do, I do feel like I am sacraficing my career. I work in quite a specialised area i.e. intensive care/high dependency and it is hard to keep ahead when you are part-time. Any other nurses juggling motherhood and career? What are your thoughts? How do you manage it? Also just found out that I am working Christmas day and Hogmanay day shift

Hi rose - not a nurse but do work in the NHS. You are not sacrificing your career - but you are going a bit slower on it for a few years. You and the vast majority of nurses actually from what I can see. As you dc get older what you want to work will change just say to yourself that none of this is forever. Re keeping up - your manager(s) have a responsibility to make sure you have the training/development you need. Make sure you talk about work/life balance at your reviews - come to that make sure you get the reviews etc you're due. Working Christmas etc just sucks though - what hours are you doing - will you be there in the morning or might it be an idea to do some presnts after tea on Christmas Eve for example?

Not a nurse (they're obv. all in bed ready for an 8 am start ) but should be fine like that. Is it 12 hrs?
I found I was really rusty when I returned from maternity leave but a few months in and it's fine

Hi, I'm a critical care nurse too, starting a new post 30 hours a week after doing bank for the last 9 months and to be honest i'm dreading it! I can identify with you in that it seems a lot of ITU nurses tend to be more career oriented and I've definitely picked up on the feeling that if you're part time you're not there enough to know what's going on. It sounds like your manager is supportive at least in letting you cut your hours. I'd hang in there, in a few years time you can pick up your shifts again and it's good to keep up your superann contributions. Is it 12 hour shifts you do? I loved 12 hours before having my dd, but can't tell you how much I hate them now. Sadly they make the off duty very easy for manangers so they're here to stay...

Hi
Yes it is 12 hour shifts. It does mean that on Christmas Day, I won't see my DS much at all. However he is still too young to really understand, so we will have a second Christmas on Boxing Day!