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Balancing Children and Your Travel Nurse Career

Jennie Rawls and granddaughter

A career in travel nursing can be an exciting way to learn and see things in the nursing world that you never dreamed of. However, a travel nurse with children may face some hurdles their peers without children won’t.

RNnetwork is more than happy to accommodate nurses with children. The bigger concern is how you are able to juggle your work and family lives and make travel nursing work for both you and your family. Below are some tips and ideas on how to successfully manage your life as a travel nurse as well as your children’s education.

Changing Schools        

The biggest concern among travel nurse parents revolves around schooling and whether changing schools is the best option. Switching and moving schools every school year can have some adverse effects on kids if not handled carefully. To help your children adjust to a new school and ensure that things are going smoothly, simply pay attention to them. It’s easy to get carried away with work and other duties, but it’s important to watch for warning signs such as withdrawal or depression.

Never let your children feel like they are dealing with these potential problems alone. Keep an open dialogue running about their feelings and emotions about moving. Let them know that you are all in this together and any problems that come up can be handled as a family.

Homeschooling

If switching schools just isn’t an option, many travel nurses opt to take advantage of some of the great homeschooling programs available. Implementing homeschooling can be a great choice for a travel nurse with a spouse or second adult who can stay at home and assist the children as needed.

Travel nursing families who homeschool their children avoid the dilemma of changing schools as their assignments change from one place to another. While this can initially be very appealing, there are quite a few things to consider when thinking about making the switch over to this method of instruction. Books, instruction material and testing will all need to be implemented in a homeschooling program so your child’s education doesn’t suffer.

If you’re interested in the benefits of homeschooling, check out http://www.k12.com/ for information on how to get the ball rolling and answers to your questions.

Working Around School Schedules

While some travel nursing assignments last about 13 weeks, it is not uncommon to find assignments as short as four or eight weeks. These shorter stays can be the perfect opportunity for a travel nurse who wants to keep his or her children in school and have another way to supplement his or her income during the school year.

Our recruiters will work with you to accommodate whichever schedule you have in mind. Just let us know up front what your situation is so we can find that perfect opportunity for you.

Successfully raising children as a travel nurse can come with a lot of challenges, but anticipating these challenges and coming up with solutions will turn that potentially clumsy juggling act into a smooth experience for both you and your family.

About the author

Lindsay Wilcox

Lindsay Wilcox is a communication professional with experience writing for the healthcare and entertainment industries as well as local government. When she's not circling typos, she's enjoying fish tacos and hanging out with her family.

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