Starlight Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Just wanting feedback here. OK, so here's (could be...) the deal: young, single mom, 10-month-old child (adopted!), medic school, and at least part-time job. I wouldn't let someone else raise my little boy. This is important to me. Do you see any way to make this work? I've come close to deciding that, if I go through with this, I also kiss my dream of a career goodbye. Yet something in me still wants to shoot for the stars. Could hard work still make this a reality? Thinking possibly if I found a way to keep my kid with me while at my job, and only had a sitter for clinicals...? Brainstorming here. "Sometimes we miss opportunity because it shows up in overalls and looks like work." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamaith Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Maybe enroll in an online medic program? Is your dream career not being a medic? I could be reading this wrong but it sounds like you re saying if you go to medic school you kiss your part time job( dream job) goodbye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireMedic65 Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Paramedic school takes A LOT of dedication. You have to devote a lot of time not only for class and clinical, but a whole lot more for studying. That being said, it could still be possible to do it. You would, however, need help from others to watch your child. My sister has a 2yr old daughter now, and when I watch her, you have to keep your eye on her pretty much at all times. Depending on your job, you may be able to take your child with you, but in most cases you will not be allowed to. This does not mean your hopes and dreams of a paramedic career are over though. With hard work, lots of coffee (because you will never sleep), dedication to the studies and with help and support from friends and family... you can do it. Having someone watch your baby while you are at school/clinical does not mean you aren't raising them. You WILL have time to yourself and your son. Good luck, we are all here to help with you with anything we can help with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenac Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Maybe enroll in an online medic program? Is your dream career not being a medic? I could be reading this wrong but it sounds like you re saying if you go to medic school you kiss your part time job( dream job) goodbye. Speaking from experience online you still will be doing long clinical hours. So if a person wants to be a Paramedic sadly family time will suffer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emtannie Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Just wanting feedback here. OK, so here's (could be...) the deal: young, single mom, 10-month-old child (adopted!), medic school, and at least part-time job. I wouldn't let someone else raise my little boy. This is important to me. Do you see any way to make this work? I've come close to deciding that, if I go through with this, I also kiss my dream of a career goodbye. Yet something in me still wants to shoot for the stars. Could hard work still make this a reality? Thinking possibly if I found a way to keep my kid with me while at my job, and only had a sitter for clinicals...? Brainstorming here. "Sometimes we miss opportunity because it shows up in overalls and looks like work." If you are going to make this work, you will need an incredible amount of family and friends support to be raising your child while you are in classes and on clinicals. Do not kid yourself that you can do this on your own - with a 10 month old, you cannot. Paramedic school is not easy, and it shouldn't be - people's well-being and lives are in our hands. Ask yourself - if you or your son were in an accident, and needed life-saving care, do you want the medic who put the bare minimum in to pass, or do you want the medic who excelled? My guess is you want the medic who excelled. You have a number of issues to juggle - who is going to take care of your child while you are at work? Who will take care of your child while you are in class? Who will take care of your child while you are doing homework and studying? Who will take care of your child while you are on clinicals? How are you going to finance child care and medic school? All are tough questions. Also, remember - you cannot come home from a clinical shift and expect to be able to properly care for your child for the next 12 hours, and then go back on shift. Clinicals are stressful learning times, and you will need to have some downtime to absorb what you are learning. You said "I wouldn't let someone else to raise my little boy." The reality is, someone else will have to be involved a great deal in raising your little boy, so you will have the time to devote to classes and studies. Hard work could make this a reality, but there are going to be sacrifices. Maybe you can do your medic classes over an extended term - take 1 or 2 years more than a regular program, so you can fit in raising your son and working. Maybe you can consider delaying school until your boy is a little older and you can find quality care for him while you are in classes. I'm not saying "no, it can't be done." I am saying "please look at all the options, and all the obstacles, before you jump in." You want to be the best medic you can be, not a bare minimum medic, so you have to make sure you have solved the obstacles before you start. I'm not sure what you meant by "kiss my dream of a career goodbye." I don't know your age, but I suspect you are under 30 (correct me if I am wrong). Relax on the not having a career thing. For some reason, we all think we need to be established in a career by the time we are 24, and have the house, the picket fence, and the car by then. The reality is that the average person changes careers 3 or more times over a lifetime, and many return to school later in their careers to change careers. If it doesn't happen this year, it doesn't mean it can't happen at all. Take a deep breath, and review all your options. Good to see you are asking for advice! You can take what people say, or leave it - remember, advice is what you pay for it... but at least it gives you more things to think about, and a more educated way to make a decision. Wish you the best! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Anything is possible I suppose. But, as another said, it is going to take so much time and energy that your family and friends will need to be almost as involved as you. I have a 10 yr old and a 12 yr old. They are at the age where I can trust them to do the basics. The next door neighbors are like family, and I have family down the street. All will be involved in my school with me on different levels ranging from moral support to helping with kids. I accept the fact that even after Paramedic school, things will not "calm down". We will all have to adopt a new way of our living, and our household. The only thing we can do is take it daily, and adjust as life happens. I am taking the longer route which you may want to consider. Go to a community college, get your general education down, and find a program that will allow you to combine those credits with their Paramedic program. It takes longer, but you will be educated and trained, a win win for everyone. Plus, as it takes longer, it does give your family / friends, and most importantly, yourself, time to adjust to the changes. Good luck in whatever you decide. And DON'T ever give up. Postpone if you must, but do NOT give up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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