Being a mom is a full-time job, and for many, so is being a nurse. Both roles are demanding and require lots of attentiveness and emotional labor.
Nursing is one of the most stressful jobs. Around 30% of registered nurses (RNs) report suffering from intense burnout, and others suffer from stress-related illnesses like gastrointestinal problems. It’s a job in which you put your heart and soul (and back muscles) into helping others, and in that way, it’s a lot like motherhood.
As much as you want to avoid overdoing it, you end up expending a lot of your energy. However, there are times when you only want peace of mind. This may either be spending time with your family or taking a spa weekend or sometimes both.
Things to consider when choosing a nursing career
Before we dive into some of the best roles for working moms, there’s something you should know. There are over 100 nursing specialties and multiple advanced careers and jobs outside the traditional healthcare environment. So, if the nursing position you have your heart set on isn’t on our list of careers below, just consider the following factors:
- Shift types: Are the working hours flexible? Can you work from home? Can you work part-time? How often will you and your children’s schedules overlap?
- Working environment: Is the work highly stressful? What about the physical demands of the job? How many hours will you be on your feet? Will it involve lots of walking? The easiest floor to work on as a nurse is the one that aligns with your strengths and physical/emotional limits.
- Job satisfaction: Is the role considered one of the happiest nursing jobs? How do other nurses view the work-life balance? What are the stress levels like in this role? What about the burnout rate? Will the salary cover your living expenses, including childcare?
5 nursing jobs that help you have more quality time
As a mom, you’ll need a flexible nursing job or one with reasonable hours, so that you can spend more quality time with your family. Here are career paths that are known to have manageable hours and/or less stressful conditions than other roles:
- School nurse: If your children are also in school, you and your kids would have the same hours. This means you’ll be home to help with homework, share stories at dinner, have the same holidays off, and even enjoy summertime with your little ones. You may be able to say “goodbye” to daycare altogether.
Now the question is, what responsibilities will you have as a school nurse daily? School nurses treat individual students and assess risks to the study body from a public health point of view.
- Acute care nurse: Having the same schedule as your children is great, but having a different one also has its perks. Acute care nurses monitor the condition of pre-and post-operative patients, and these nurses can pick up just a few shifts a week (but, likely, at night). This means you’ll have more days off and, even on days you work, you’ll have the following day free to help get the kids ready for school or when they get home. This type of schedule works well if your family or partner supports you, which is why it may not be the best nursing job for single moms.
- Home healthcare nurse: Home healthcare nurses help patients with daily tasks like bathing and eating and perform basic medical services like administering medications and tracking vital signs. Since these nurses work in patients’ homes, they enjoy a more flexible schedule and may even be able to set their own hours.
- Research nurse: Using your skills to perform a role outside a traditional patient care environment can mean less stress and better hours. Research nurses can work in multiple non-clinical settings like educational institutions, research organizations, and even pharmaceutical companies.
- Remote nursing jobs: In this era of telemedicine or telehealth, nurses can work from home, providing basic consultations to patients via videoconferencing. This means that you can spend more time with your children during the day, especially if you have help from someone who can look after them when you’re with patients. Plus, you cut back on your commute (from your coffee maker to the home office!) and get that time back to spend with the family.
Tips for managing work-life balance as a healthcare professional
As a parent, you’re always on the hunt for the best job, especially something you’re passionate about and comfortable in, keeping in mind your busy schedule. And our recommendations are nurse practitioners, curse consultants, clinic nurses, or even pediatric nurses (new mom alert!). You could work from a doctor’s office, emergency room, healthcare facility, or even at an insurance company. While it can be taxing, it’s fulfilling at the same time.
We have an indicative list prepared for you that’ll help you make the most of your time at home, improving your mental health and reducing stress. Here’s what we’ve got:
- Make friends with other nurse moms
- Share chores equally in your household (a chore chart can’t hurt!)
- Start a family calendar
- Make time for yourself to recharge (have a family member or partner give you a helping hand)
- Say “no” to additional, optional work if it’s too stressful
Keep your energy high
Finding balance as a working mom may be easier said than done, but if you respect your limits and choose a role that suits your time and energy boundaries, you can do it all.
Whatever you do, don’t leave self-care for last. You can only care for others well (both your children and patients) when you take care of yourself. Make time for a relaxing foot bath at the end of a long day, bring nutritious meals to work to keep your energy high, and accept help from others.
We hope to make working mothers’ lives easier by taking the guesswork out of ordering great scrubs. You choose your chores, and we empower you with our quality workwear, which will keep you comfortable and looking great. You’ll feel confident picking the kids up from school in your fashionable scrubs!