5 Best Nursing Jobs for New Moms
Nothing can upset the organization of a household like a baby. But it’s fully worth it.
Your big challenge as a registered nurse, however, is how to get a work schedule that accommodates the new person in your life.
Some of the best nursing jobs for moms involve those with great flexibility. For example, jobs that allow you to coordinate your home availability with the work schedules of your significant other or other caregivers, but still generate the income you need.
What Are the Best Nursing Jobs for Moms?
1. Travel Nursing
Of course you don’t want to “travel” at this time in your life, but the beauty of travel nursing is that you can choose a job that works best for you.
Travel nursing gives you the ultimate flexibility. Choose shifts that are more compatible with your home schedule or the number of days or hours a week that will leave you with more baby time.
2. Acute Care Settings
While medical offices and outpatient clinics have more limited hours, acute care facilities must be staffed 24/7, including weekends and holidays.
Kristen N. Brown, DNP, an instructor and Advanced Practice Simulation Coordinator at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, had two children within 19 months while serving as a NP on a busy ICU. “I was able to work 2-3 days per week, which allowed me to be home a great deal,” she explains.
“I believe the profession itself facilitates flexibility that allows a working mother to feel that she can be both a mom and a professional nurse," she says.
3. At-Home Nursing Jobs
Technology has opened the door to remote nursing or telecommuting. This is the idea that you can care for patients or undertake related roles while working from home with little more than a computer and online access.
“Serving as a nurse consultant on topics involving legal, quality, or educational issues allows many nurses to work from home and set their own hours,” says Dr. Audra Rankin, also an instructor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.
“Telehealth nursing also provides significant flexibility, with many nurses working from their home while providing case management to patients they serve.”
Home healthcare nursing is another possible at-home assignment. While they must travel to meet with patients, home healthcare nurses can often use their homes as offices and schedule in-home visits during times when they have some mommy backup.
4. School Nurses
Your newborn certainly isn’t ready for school yet -- but will be sooner than you think. Start looking now to see if you can find a nursing position in the nursery school, daycare facility, or elementary school that will be your child’s destination in a few short years.
Not only will the little one be close at hand, but, according to Dr. Rankin, “in this setting, nurses often have hours that mimic school-age children’s schedules with evenings, holidays and weekends off.”
5. Per Diem Nurses
Per diem nursing assignments allow schedule flexibility since you’re only going to be paid when you’re scheduled, and you’ll only accept assignments that don’t conflict with your at-home needs.
The bottom line is that nursing is a great profession for new moms, but some assignments work even better than others. Decide which of the five option is right for you and your growing family.
Additional Nursing Resources:
- AMN Passport: Our all-in-one nursing app for booking nursing jobs.
- Nursing Salary & Benefits: AMN Healthcare offers our nurses some amazing salaries and benefits. Find out what's in store for your nursing career today.
- Travel Nurse Licensing: Find out about nursing requirements for all 50 states.
- Exclusive Facilities: AMN Healthcare has relationships with the most sought-after healthcare providers.
- Refer-a-Friend: Make up to $2,000 per referral.
