Being A Mom And Nurse: Fellow Nurse Moms Offer Advice

Balancing motherhood and nursing is hard, especially on long shifts instead of a 9-to-5 week. Most child care is built for 9-to-5 workers, few offer drop-in care for an unexpected shift, and school schedules assume a parent is free for evening or weekend events. You and your employer can still make it work. Here is advice from nurses who are raising young children.

Balancing a Nursing Career and Parenthood

Monica L. Diehl, MSN, RN, a chief nursing officer and mother of three boys, found regular shifts worked well when her children were very young. She worked nights, three days a week, and was home the rest of the time. That stopped working as they grew.

She says, "As my children got older, I was missing holidays, missing events, I was exhausted from my work schedule and not able to take care of myself." She worked with her employer to change it. "I was able to go back to school. I found a position with no holidays, no weekends, and no night shifts. This is why nursing is such a great career choice. There are so many ways to adapt within the umbrella of a nursing career, so many avenues."

With the ongoing nurse shortage, employers are often willing to accommodate valued staff: a role with a standard schedule, flexible scheduling, onsite child care, or partnerships with local providers.

Challenges of Being a Mom and Nurse

Jeinny Garcia, RN, a clinical systems manager and mother of two, puts it plainly: "It's challenging, especially since healthcare doesn't have normal hours." The main pressures:

Maintaining nurse-patient ratios. In most jobs, one person out sick does not endanger anyone. In nursing, being understaffed for a day can have serious consequences.

Working with people vulnerable to infection. Office workers exposed to a pathogen can work from home until they are clear. Bedside nurses cannot, and their patients are at higher risk if exposed.

Cold and flu season. Child care settings and schools spread germs easily, and demand for nurses peaks during the same season. Nurses take extra measures to avoid bringing the latest infection to work or home.

Unexpected emergencies. A workplace accident, mass casualty event, or natural disaster pulls nurses in on short notice, exactly when parents most want to be home reassuring their kids. During COVID-19, that lasted months, not days.

Draining work. Nurses often come home physically and emotionally spent. Young children only notice that mom is not fully present, which adds guilt to an already hard day.

Benefits of Being a Mom and Nurse

The job also offers real advantages. Diehl says, "Nursing is a career that will grow with you. Healthcare is nimble. It adapts. Other careers will not offer that flexibility or opportunities for growth."

Garcia points to a supportive employer: "The culture is very supportive. We are here to meet goals as an organization, but there's flexibility and understanding for emergencies."

A wide range of roles. Some nursing jobs need no evening or weekend hours, or offer predictable ones. Dermatology, nurse education, and nursing research often run on standard office hours. Diehl explains, "Healthcare is unique as different avenues of nursing have different schedule demands. You can advance academically and professionally to meet all your needs."

Being a role model. Nursing is a caring profession that makes a difference, and your children see it. Diehl says her kids did not get it when they were young, but it mattered to them as they matured: "Now that they are a little older, my kids understand my role and my heart for the community. It sets them up to have a community-focus."

Financial security. Nurses are in demand and nursing salaries run above most national and local median salaries, which generally means stable income.

Employer-backed growth. Many employers fund time, money, or both for nurses pursuing a higher degree or new certification.

Career Advancement for Working Nurse Moms

Both Diehl and Garcia credit employers who invested in their careers. Diehl adds, "We look at current employees and we invest in them. We want to see them advance."

Beyond bedside care, nurses have many options, including roles that rarely require overtime, evening, or weekend work. Seniority usually brings more choice over shifts and scheduling. Nurses can also work with their employer to help all parents in the organization, whether informally through a shared babysitter list or formally through onsite child care.

Garcia says, "Being a mom, I want to pursue greater opportunities for my kids." A nursing career can provide exactly that, especially with an employer who invests in you.

Meet Our Contributors

Monica L. Diehl, MSN, RN

Jeinny Garcia, RN