Why did I think I could do this???

[mommyjamieof2]

I decided to try and help our family situation and go back to school for nursing.  It's killing me I hate it! 

I hate being away my daughter is having a hard time all I do is study or sleep.

[mommyjamieof2]

3 years of this does not sound fun to me and I am already dreading going don't know I can stick it our for 3 years.

[mommyjamieof2]

I always just wanted to be a mommy so non of this I guess is my "dream"

[MovnMama]

If you really want to, get out while you can. It'll cost you financially, especially if you took out financial aid. But what it'll cost you if you stay, only you can tell.

Before making any big decisions, get into a safe space, do some yoga or something after taking a day OFF from school and spending time with your family. Then make a really CALM and HONEST pros and cons list. Prioritize and sort things out. Consider the future and long term plans.

The right decision is the one you make. Maybe you just need space to remember why you are doing it.

Believe me, I went back for my M.Ed. when DS was 6 months old. It was hard, REALLY hard, but I love what I do and I'm really passionate about it. I can't imagine doing all that work and missing my family for something that wasn't really a huge personal goal. The whole reason I went back to school was because my day job was unfulfilling, and it wasn't worth being away from my son all day to work a job I didn't care about. I actually decided to go to to grad school THE DAY we came home from the hospital. It took about six months for applications to get through, and whatnot.

Good luck!

[laurabfig]

I think you already got some good advice above.  I would think things could seem horrible now but get better further into the program, so you do need to make a wise, logical decision- which might be hard to do when you are really stressed.  Do you think you would like the job of being a nurse, once you are done with the program?  I think sometimes schooling is the worst part of getting into any profession.  The actual job after you get the degree might be really enjoyable.  If you don't think you'd like to be a nurse, I would say get out now, before you've spent a ton of money on a degree you won't really want to use.

[Drummer's Wife]

Do you really, really want to be a nurse?  Is your heart in it?  Will you feel the same way about having to work (including nights and weekends/holidays, most likely) and leaving your daughter, or will it be worth it to you once you are an RN?  I just ask, b/c if you aren't passionate about this and can't see yourself staying in the profession, then I would advise getting out now while you aren't as invested as you will be after another semester. 

If you know it will be worth it all in the end, then I'd say just remember that nursing school is only temporary.  I worried, myself, about putting myself and my family through the stress of it all, and decided not to attend the nursing program after all.  However, if you want this badly enough, you'll find a way to get through it.  I'm sorry you are hating it, though.  I've heard that the first semester is pretty crazy and often weeds out a lot of students. 

[pixiepunk]

i do agree that if you aren't pretty passionate about the future career, it's not worth it to put yourself and your family through the tribulations of school.

i will say, though, that my first semester back to school (last January) was so much harder in many ways on my family (especially my then 20 month old) and me simply because it was a total change from the way life had been.  DH had to pick up more responsibility at home, and the kids were upset about the disruption in what had been a very steady routine of life (i'd been a mostly SAHM for almost 7 years, since my oldest was born, except for teaching a few yoga classes a week when it worked well with our other scheduling committments).  but not that i'm really into the clinical material and getting to work in actual clinics (i'm in PTA school so i'm in outpatient rehabs, nursing homes, hospitals) i'm totally loving it!  it's a ton of studying and a surprising amount of stress, but we're all doing great now that we've had almost 2 semesters now to adjust. 

so i guess all i'm saying is that pre-requisite/general education type of courses are always grueling and stressful.  i had two anatomy classes last semester that i thought might truly be the death of me LOL  but i feel like everything i'm learning now is so crucial to my success as a practitioner, and we get a lot of hands-on practice in the lab and in the clinic which makes all the book work a lot more tolerable, not to mention a lot more meaningful!  so if you feel like you'd truly enjoy nursing, i'd stick it out.  if you just picked it because you know it's a good paying job and jobs are plentiful and aren't really passionate about the job itself, school is not going to be fun at all and I'd get out now before you invest any additional time or money.

[BunnySlippers]

The first semester is always the hardest.

Your school should offer support groups of other students in the same position- these groups are created, organized and run, by other students; and/or free counselling sessions. Our school has both.

You are not the only who has felt this way, sometimes it helps to know that.

I stuck it through and loved my time in school (Im in my third year). Sometimes I think I could make a career out of being a student- except I have to pay the loan back :(

[Latte Mama]

Nursing school is a PITA but it's survivable.  And FWIW, I don't work nights,weekends, or holidays.  I did once but even then it was 3 days a week, not bad at all.  I do agree that you should decide if you really WANT this though.

[Nitenites]

I've gone back to school to become an RN after several years of being a SAHM. The one thing that has helped me is having one 'sacred' time a week - one afternoon or evening, every week (changes per semester, depending on my schedule) that is for nothing but family time. I find that I'm more efficient if I just have that one bit of time that I KNOW I can count on, to recharge/reconnect. It's just a little nugget of time, but it really does help. 

[geekgolightly]

If you need a job, being a nurse is a good one while also being a mom. If you really just don't have a choice and need to work in order to keep your family afloat, I think that suffering through nursing school is wise. Nursing is HARD, nursing school is time consuming but not really hard. No matter how hard it is, it does have it's monetary benefits. I have been able to support my family doing this line of work.

All this is under the presumption that you landed on nursing because it appealed to you to work your butt off for sick people to help get them well. And that you like pathophysiology, blood and guts and don't mind being treated as a glorified waitress most of the time.