Nurses follow Christ’s call to care for one another. While it is possible to demonstrate God’s love in a wide variety of professions, there are few career paths that demonstrate this concept as much as nursing. Nurses will live out their religion and faith on a day-to-day basis, as they provide spiritual, physical and emotional care to their patients. Some people will be drawn to this profession from a young age, whereas others may commit to their mission later in life.
If you are a parent and you want to become a nurse or enhance your qualifications, then you may have considered attending nursing school. Without the right preparation, all of these commitments can be extremely difficult to maintain. To help you survive nursing school as a Christian and a parent, here are 9 tips you should follow.
Look After Yourself
During your study, you will focus on how to look after patients. During life at home, you will focus on taking care of your family. In order to stay healthy enough to do so, you will need to take some of your own advice and look after yourself mentally, physically and spiritually. Nursing school should be treated like a marathon, not a sprint. Short periods of exhaustion are to be expected, but if you don’t look after yourself in the long-term, then your performance will plummet.
Get Enough Exercise
Another important part of looking after yourself is to get enough exercise. It can be easy for studying and family life to take up most of your day, but you should always make some time to get active. Exercise has been proven to reduce stress and improve your mental health. Exercise is also key to maintaining a good standard of physical health, which will make your organs healthier and your immune system stronger, making you fit to be a parent, practice your religion and study.
Consider Home Study
There are pros and cons of home study, but it is something you should strongly consider if you are a parent. An online course will give you plenty of time to take care of your family and practice your faith, while bettering your nursing qualifications. Studying with a reputable nursing school will open up a number of job opportunities for you and researching the institution is crucial. To help you learn more about online nursing and the best places to work as a nurse practitioner, follow this link.
Don’t Forget Church
Being a parent is a full-time job. When other responsibilities are thrown into the mix, it can be difficult to attend every meeting. However, to keep you strong and determined, you should do your best to commit yourself to go to one local church. Building relationships with people and forming a church family will become a vital component of your support network, especially if you have to relocate to study. Daily devotions are also key, so you should make an effort to uphold your intimacy and pray each day.
Use Available Support
Your nursing school will have support available to their students. You should make an effort to keep in touch with your personal tutor, even if every aspect of your life is doing well. This will help you to form a relationship, so you will be able to approach this person if anything becomes hard and you begin to struggle. If your spouse has a lot of obligations, but you have family and friends nearby, you should never be afraid to ask them for help if you need childcare or just an extra pair of hands at home.
Utilize Every Opportunity
Utilizing every opportunity will benefit you during your study. You will meet a lot of unique people that will come from different backgrounds and have an interesting story. You should enjoy these people, especially if they are on your course and in a similar position to yourself. Even the people who are completely opposite to you will have their own outlook on life that may help you get through nursing school. You should also make the most out of clubs and other student opportunities.
Practice Time Management
Time management is one of the most important skills that you will need to develop in nursing school as a Christian parent. Learning how to prioritize and plan important daily tasks is crucial and will get you far during your time as a student nurse. It will allow you to make the most out of your qualification, take care of yourself and your family, while following your religion. Time management skills need to be practiced, as they will save you from a number of bad days as a nursing student and in the future.
Keep a Journal
Keeping a journal will help to reduce sleepless nights where you can’t stop reviewing everything you need to do the following day. It will allow you to keep your life more organized and keep track of your day to day life. You will be able to monitor everything you have learned and use this to work out a routine that is perfect for you and your lifestyle. All it takes is a few minutes of writing before bed, jotting down your experiences, concerns and thoughts. This can really help reduce stress and anxiety.
Connect with Others
Connecting with other Christian nursing students can be very uplifting and helpful. You will be able to create a support network, ask for advice and prayerfully care for each other. Social media makes it easier than ever to connect with people in a way that suits you. For example, you can join relevant Facebook groups and online forums. It’s also a great idea to unite in public to promote the Christian values associated with nursing and cooperatively look at ethical issues from a religious perspective.
By following the above advice, you will be able to make the most out of your home and study life and become the best Christian nurse and parent you can be. Remember, taking care of yourself is just as important as looking after others.
