The Best Nursing Jobs for Parents and Guardians
Juggling the roles of a nurse and a parent might appear challenging, but it’s achievable. This comprehensive guide provides expert advice on viable options for nurses who are also parents. Similar to nursing and parenting, the amalgamation of these responsibilities presents both trials and rewards. However, managing both roles simultaneously doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.
Sarah Johnson, RN, highlights, “I think many nurses, especially new ones, envision the ER nurse working an 11-hour shift, leaving the hospital at 2:30 a.m.”
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However, this isn’t always the reality. The nursing profession encompasses various roles, some of which offer working parents flexibility in hours, less strenuous shifts, or consistent schedules, based on their preferences.
This guide presents insights into positions suitable for parents and guardians, as shared by nursing professionals. Explore the diverse options below.
Key Considerations for Nursing Parents and Guardians
Different Shift Types
Regular Office Hours:
Standard 9-5 hours often align with school or daycare schedules, enabling parents to work while their children attend. Johnson notes, “Depending on the office’s hours, [parents] can often be off work in time to pick up the kids.” However, working full-time could mean providing patient care all day and childcare all evening, potentially leading to exhaustion.
Flexible Hours:
Roles allowing self-scheduled hours suit parents with kids in various schools and requiring transportation for extracurricular activities. Some prefer night shifts to sleep while their children are in school. Weekend work can also be advantageous, particularly if spouses or relatives can supervise the children.
Work-From-Home Opportunities:
Home-based roles might be suitable for parents, depending on their children’s ages and needs. If kids require minimal supervision, nursing from home can coexist with parenting.
Part-Time vs. Full-Time
Part-Time:
While part-time hours are optimal for parents, finding part-time nursing positions can be challenging. Traditional settings like hospitals and clinics often demand extended hours, and benefits tied to full-time roles might not extend to part-time positions.
Flexibility can be limited in part-time roles. Travel nursing could suit parents with young or homeschooled children. Sandra Crawley, BSN, RN, a charge nurse, suggests, “You can travel to different parts of the country with your family and work 2-3 days per week while exploring on your off days.”
Full-Time:
Not all parents can work part-time, and full-time nursing can align with parenting if working hours match school or daycare schedules and after-school commitments. Some parents concentrate on weekend shifts, granting weekdays off. Nursing careers with adaptable or home-based full-time hours enable a balance between work and parenting.
Physical Demands
Nursing often entails prolonged walking, standing, handling medical supplies, aiding patients in bed transfers, and even running. Settings like surgery, emergency rooms, long-term care, and healthcare clinics generally involve physically demanding roles.
A full day’s work can leave parents fatigued, potentially limiting interactions with their children or participation in family activities. Moreover, nurses who are parents often struggle to attain adequate sleep, exercise, and nutritious meals—essential for addressing the physical demands of nursing and parenting.
Certain roles, however, entail fewer physical demands. Positions like legal medical consulting, telephonic nursing, and telemedicine minimize time spent on feet. Many of these roles can be conducted from home, focusing primarily on computer or telephone tasks.
Prominent Nursing Roles for Parents and Guardians
Doctor’s Office Nurse
Nurses in doctors’ offices aid physicians in physical examinations, updating patient records, ordering lab tests, phone triage, and routine procedures like injections and vital sign checks. The role can be physically demanding, involving prolonged standing and lifting heavy items.
Sarah Johnson asserts, “In a private practice, a nurse in a doctor’s office essentially works a 9-5 like any other working person.” This presents a viable option for single mothers.
The consistent weekday schedule makes doctor’s office nursing appealing to working parents.
According to Payscale, nurses in doctors’ offices earn an average base salary of $57,330, with specialized areas such as pediatrics or obstetrics/gynecology fetching 4-7% more. The highest salaries are found in Indianapolis and Chicago.
Homecare Nurse
Homecare nurses visit patients’ homes to deliver personalized care, often using their own vehicles. The patients they attend to are often elderly and/or dealing with chronic illnesses. These professionals administer medications, monitor health, drive patients to appointments, aid with personal tasks, and provide companionship.
This role can be physically demanding, involving patient lifting and assistance with mobility. Pushing patients in wheelchairs and aiding bed-to-chair transfers are also part of the job.
Johnson explains, “You are generally provided with a list of patients you have to see in a given week and the autonomy and flexibility to work through that list however you see fit.”
Homecare nurses earn an average base annual salary of $65,460, according to Payscale.
Johnson adds that “homecare nursing offers predictable and consistent scheduling,” making it a favorable option for nursing parents.
Medical Consultant
Medical consultants primarily work from home, allowing them to be present for their children. The availability of set hours may vary depending on the employer, and some shifts can be accommodated after children’s bedtime.
Sandra Crawley exemplifies positions like “medical consultants for lawyers and insurance companies, or even as an after-hours triage phone nurse.”
Legal nurse consultants assist law firms and insurance companies with claims by reviewing health and billing records, analyzing cases, and organizing evidence. They must conform to standards of care and offer case assessments. Payscale reports a salary of $78,070 for legal nurse consultants.
Phone triage nurses provide patient guidance over the phone, advising whether to visit the emergency room or schedule a doctor’s appointment. They earn an average base hourly rate of $23.07.
MDS (Minimum Data Set) Coordinator
Rosa Crumpton, RN, BSN, BS, MBA/HCM, states that an MDS coordinator role is ideal for parents needing predictable hours and flexibility.
“MDS coordinators operate in long-term and skilled nursing care facilities,” Crumpton explains. Their responsibilities include assessments, care planning, and compliance with regulations and insurance.
MDS coordinators compile data, maintain records, generate reports, and ensure care plans yield desired outcomes. Expertise in Medicare and Medicaid billing methods is essential.
Payscale cites an average base annual salary of $66,430 for MDS coordinators, with Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles offering higher salaries.
Clinical Research Nurse
Crumpton suggests clinical research nursing as a suitable career for parents.
“Clinical research nurses enjoy autonomy and schedule flexibility,” Crumpton notes. These professionals assist patients participating in clinical trials, managing medication studies, documentation, patient schedules, and data collection. Their role extends to advising trial sponsors and patient recruitment, education, and management.
Crumpton highlights the diverse opportunities available, including working with new drugs, devices, and technologies.
Clinical research nurses require skills in case management, data collection, patient education, and regulatory compliance. With an average annual base salary of $72,180, wages increase with experience, as indicated by Payscale.
Lactation Nurse
Lactation nurses specialize in addressing breastfeeding concerns, offering guidance on latch difficulties, low milk supply, and breast pain. They also counsel on breast pump usage and the transition back to work. Working across hospitals, birthing centers, and clients’ homes
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