How Single Parents Can Manage a Nursing Career?

How Single Parents Can Manage a Nursing Career?

Balancing Act: Solo Parenting & Nursing

The difficulty of being a single parent cannot be understated. Even with a dedicated partner by your side to help with cooking, cleaning, and earning the money necessary to keep your children’s growing feet in shoes, parenting is challenging. It is much more admirable to do this and so much more when you are working alone.

Are you thinking about how to manage a Nursing Career while supporting as a single working parent? It is challenging to balance work with small children at any age, but it is especially challenging if you are a single working parent. 1.1 million of the 7.2 million Australian families consist of single parents. The great majority (83%) of these households are headed by single mothers. Why would a single parent who is already overburdened want to add a Nursing career to their list of responsibilities? (Source: https://www.abs.gov.au)

Even while it is a fulfilling profession, nursing requires long hours, which can make it challenging for single parents to find time for their kids outside of shifts. But that does not make it impossible. Here are some ideas for balancing being a single parent and your dream job.

  • Be Organised and Disciplined
  • Always maintain order. This covers your intentions to spend time with family and friends, as well as your work and kids’ commitments, as well as your appointments with the doctor and clinical shifts. Organize your week well; list everything and make sure you do not forget anything. In ahead, make a list of all your assignments in your planner or calendar. This in the long run saves a lot of time and you can concentrate on your work in a peaceful manner.

  • Regularly Set Goals for Your Children’s Education and Career
  • When you prepare for your family and profession, you can also set short-term and long-term objectives. In addition to your career, this should also apply to your social life. Setting goals can help you stay on track and track your development over time with better career opportunities.

  • Find a Job with a Flexible Schedule
  • Being a single parent and working profession that allows you to choose your own hours may be advantageous. Because clinics are usually unexpected and their timetables change regularly, having a variety of plans based on your job schedule will help you avoid conflicts and save extra stress.

  • Follow a Healthy Way of Living
  • When planning your week, think about scheduling time for relaxation and taking care of your body and mind. This is essential. Do not disregard it; give it importance! If you are in a peaceful state of mind, you can give equal attention to work as well as your kid.

    In addition to this finding a hobby or self-care activities, such as taking cooking lessons, meditation classes, or joining a reading group, requires taking some time to rest. The best way to follow such hobbies is to take a music lesson or attend an Art class with your kid – this way you can spend time with your child as well as burn your stress with such activities.

  • If Possible, Avoid Working in Emergency Care
  • The nurses that work in emergency rooms and emergency care are vital components of our healthcare system, and they deserve praise. Emergency room nursing is less suited to the demands of single parents than other nursing specialities due to its long hours and inherent unpredictability. If ten minutes before your shift ends, seriously hurt victims arrive, You cannot leave early to pick up your children from the daycare centre. So, these are the situations in an emergency ward and if you are a single parent then make it point to avoid or arrange your friend or relative for the task.

    The emergency department is not a place where flexibility rules, yet single parents are aware of the necessity for flexibility in their schedules.

  • Time Management
  • It takes genuine talent to manage a household and complete task at home on time. It needs proper time management to be able to coordinate school pick-ups and drop-offs, after-school activities, dinner preparation, etc. So, managing household tasks with a full-time nursing duty and a kid to manage all the activities – a Proper Schedule must be followed.

  • Problem-Solving Attitude
  • Solvers are needed in every business. You will run into issues as a parent that you had no idea even existed. In fact, you will encounter issues that need to be resolved virtually daily. You will discover when to step in to assist kids with solving problems and how to provide them the resources they need to do it on their own. The foundations of managing are tough.

Nursing may be challenging. A single parent’s situation can make things more difficult. But with the appropriate strategy, a single parent may be able to pursue and can manage a Nursing Career they have always desired while still leading the fulfilling family life they need and deserve.

Related Blog: Three Short Healthcare Courses That Can Change Your Future

Feedback

Share your feedback

Acknowledgement

HCI acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Know More

Legal entity: HCI Australia | ACN: 106 800 944 | ABN 59 106 800 944 | RTO ID: 21985 | CRICOS Provider Code: 03386G© 2023 Institute of Health and Nursing Australia. All Rights Reserved.