There are different health care data that prove that nursing is one of the best career options for moms. This career offers flexibility, making it very easy for you to wear different hats at the same time – with a nursing career, you can still work for at least eight hours every day and still have time to look after your children and family. You can choose the hours you work, and whether you want to work weekends, nights, or standard business hours. You can be paid well for part-time nursing work and earn a premium for overtime or on an as-needed basis.
You also can find a job virtually anywhere, and you can choose where you want to work. That means you could work at the local nursing home as well as the hospital. Since healthcare is one of the most essential services in the world today, you can expect to find countless institutions near your location that will help you build a career in nursing. Working in an institution near your home will make it very easy for you to earn money and become a nurturing mother to your children.
However, you can also choose career paths within nursing based on your interests and needs. Here are six great nursing career paths for moms:
Pediatric Nursing
If you’re already working as a nurse, going into pediatrics would be a natural transition as a mom. If you have realized that you have a way with kids, and are good at getting them to open up and communicate, then you’re tailor-made for the job.
Aside from earning a stable income from this career, pediatric nursing can be an effective platform for you to learn more about how you can take better care of your kids. The experience you can gain from this career will surely help you understand your kids better and extend your patience whenever they get out of hand. Working as a pediatric nurse is a win-win for mothers like you!
And if you’re worried about juggling your work duties and getting your degree, know that there are plenty of bridge programs that could allow you to get your DNP faster. For example, you could go for one of these online BSN to DNP pediatric programs and skip the masters entirely. These programs are invaluable if you’re already working while raising children because it eliminates the need to drive to campus to attend class at a set time. You’ll also have the option of stretching out your studies if you want to make things easier.
Ambulatory Nursing
Ambulatory nursing has you working in an out-patient setting. This means you’re working day-shifts, and you typically aren’t asked to work on weekends or holidays. A number of organizations hire ambulatory nurses, including:
Doctor’s offices
Community health clinics
Home healthcare services
Schools
Large factories
Per-diem nursing through nursing placement services
Home healthcare nurses typically work from 9 am to 3 pm, though they can work evenings and weekends. This makes the job perfect for moms with kids in school. In the role, you’re asked to check patients’ vital signs, and you may run an IV or give medication.
School nurses by definition work during school hours. They provide first aid as required. They’ll evaluate sick kids and give medications. A side benefit of this role is that it is much more relaxed than the atmosphere in hospitals or nursing homes. Then there’s the fact you’ll get school holidays and the entire summer off with your kids.
Per-diem nursing goes one step further. You tell the nurse staffing service the days and hours you’re available, and they call you when they have a job that fits your schedule and needs. This gives you incredible flexibility, and you’ll earn a high pay rate per hour. It also means you could work evenings and holidays when you’re available.
Factory nurses are nurses hired by large manufacturers to provide medical care as required. You’ll manage a healthcare clinic in the facility. You’ll handle medical needs ranging from sick employees to industrial accidents. You may have to track employee health records and working conditions. Employers ask nurses in these clinics to provide advice on weight management and smoking cessation to reduce healthcare costs. Most of these jobs are during day shift hours. You’ll have a lot of autonomy and will probably receive benefits.
TIP: Looking to get out into the world while working? Make sure to check travel jobs around me.
Legal Nurse Consulting
Legal nurse consulting is a combination of nursing and legal consulting. Upsides of this job include being able to work from home and set your own schedule. Note that you may need special training for this career. It helps to become a paralegal, but it isn’t necessary, though understanding legal terminology is essential.
What do legal nurse consultants do?
Review medical records in personal injury cases
Provide advice on a patient’s treatment
Review medical bills for insurance fraud/billing errors
Assess the severity of someone’s injury for worker’s compensation
Give expert advice in medical malpractice cases
Legal nurse consultants may work for law firms, insurance companies, the Human Resources department of a large company, or a government agency.
Since this career already involves the law, education, training, and experience are highly necessary. You need to have adept knowledge of how the legal and healthcare industries work. For starters, you need to understand how personal injury cases work, what documents should a patient file in court, and how they can increase their chances of winning compensations from the case.
Acute Care Nursing
Acute care nursing is one of the traditional nursing jobs. You’re working in a hospital or other acute care setting. Most moms choose to work day shifts, but some mothers find that working the night shift is the perfect solution to parenting and working. You could work a night shift while your spouse watches the children during the evening or during the day.
Both of these working shifts come with pros and cons, which is why you should carefully weigh your options. If your kids attend school during the day, working during the day shift might be best. However, if they are still too young to be left all by themselves, working during the night might be appropriate. You can tuck the kids yourself and have another family member or sitter look after them the moment you leave for work.
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