Jana Villanueva Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Hi, I've been accepted to JCHS's pa program starting in August. I am really excited, but my son will be 10 months old and my husband will be in his 4th yr of medical school when I start. We have no family nearby, but a good friend of mine is willing to receive pay as our nanny. I was wondering if anyone has advice about how to balance it all. Any wisdom is appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Just make sure to have a back up for the nanny....thats my true advice. I mean if you guys end up needing a weekend to study and it falls on the same weekend, it would be nice to have someone there for extended hours. Oh and have a back up for the back up....:;;D: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted December 25, 2012 Administrator Share Posted December 25, 2012 So let me get this straight... next year, assuming you survive this one, you're going to be in clinical rotations, he's going to be doing his Intern year, and you're going to have a two year old son? Good luck with that. I have no idea how that could work without a live-in nanny. Got a cousin who you can pay or something? For all of PA school, my wife did the vast majority of household management, upkeep, shopping, etc. For your first year, your husband can mostly do that--4th year of med school is the easiest, yet subtly the most important, as he preps for the match. The second year of your PA school will be the most brutal year of his life, and you'll both be tapped out surviving your own schooling, such that you probably need to find outside help for the entire time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jana Villanueva Posted December 25, 2012 Author Share Posted December 25, 2012 The having a backup...and a backup : ) is great advice. We are working on setting that up. What about if my husband took a year to do a MPH before starting his intern year? It's something he's really interested in doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 Another thing you could do (although you may not like it) is during your clinical year (provided your hubby doesnt take time off for his MPH) is maybe have your son stay with grandma. Trust me, as a mom I know that option is rough, but as a single mom I have no choice. The only solace I have is that my daughter would be around family, she is would be with people I trust with my life and I know she would be well taken care of. Him getting the MPH would be the optimal choice, but would taking the year off affect his matching at all (obviously I know nothing about med school set up lol)? A live in (or an all day till the baby is sleep) nanny may work as well. I looked into it and it can be expensive. One plus is that you can usually get a budget increase to cover childcare but the specifics of it are dictated by your fin aid department. The downside is that this will increase your debt, the plus is that your child is there with you, taken care of daily and nobody has to make take a detour in school. If you chose to do this, research real established services. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted December 25, 2012 Administrator Share Posted December 25, 2012 What about if my husband took a year to do a MPH before starting his intern year? It's something he's really interested in doing. I don't have any personal experience with how intense a one year MPH program could be, but I'm betting it's not as intense as an intern year. He should really talk that over with other people who have tried it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jana Villanueva Posted December 25, 2012 Author Share Posted December 25, 2012 Yeah, I'd really love to utilize grandparents if we could, but they all live hours away : ( the nanny sounds like the only way we could make it work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Yeah my mom is in another state, so I wont see my daughter often during clinicals but again....she's a teen and much easier to explain everything to Yeah, I'd really love to utilize grandparents if we could, but they all live hours away : ( the nanny sounds like the only way we could make it work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreasmo Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Growing up I always had a live in au pair. The companies did extensive background on each of au pair I had and truly it was wonderful growing up and learning from people from all over the world. Not sure what the expense is, but most are college students who want to explore the US. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraumawannabPAs Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 If you have no family support and your husband cant pick up where you are about to leave off, I’d say someone like a live in au pair (if you can afford it) is probably going to be necessary. I am about to start my third semester of didactic year of PA school. Most days of the week, I leave my house at 6:45am and I don’t get home until at least 10 or 11 pm, then on weekends I’m tucked away in my office studying all weekend. My husband does just about every aspect of the household management now, including everything with our 10 year old daughter (school drop off and pick up, teacher meetings, doctor apts, soccer practice ect..), he does the grocery shopping every week, laundry, he pays the bills and I hired a cleaning lady to comeonce a week right before I started school. This was a tough adjustment because prior to PA school I usually did most of those things and we split the rest50/50. There are plenty of days where I come home and feel like a stranger in my own home because I suddenly don’t know where something is in the kitchen or I have no idea what my daughters’ next school project is, when it’s due or what she got on her last math test. <o:p></o:p> Overall, being married with children while in PA school in a true test of your family structure and it has to be solid before you start. All that being said, if you can afford the live in au pair,and cleaning lady, have FULL support from your husband and both of you are totally committed- it can work. If you cant afford the extra expenses of someone else running your family for 2 years then I agree with the idea of having your child go stay with family while you and your husband finish your education. That may provide a stable environment for your child and make it possible to be successful in school. And remember, these things are only temporary and life will be much more normal when you are done with PA school and your husband finishes medical school. <o:p></o:p> Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Most days of the week, I leave my house at 6:45am and I don’t get home until at least 10 or 11 pm, Blech....that sucks. Are you on campus so late because of study groups or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted December 27, 2012 Administrator Share Posted December 27, 2012 Overall, being married with children while in PA school in a true test of your family structure and it has to be solid before you start. This. Pay attention... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 My wife and I utilized aupairs for five years as I worked a crazy schedule, she traveled for work, and it was cheaper than daycare with extended hours for three kids. We went with Culture Care agency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraumawannabPAs Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Nope, most days we are in class 12-14 hours/day! We do occasionally get an hour in the middle of the day, but besides that its all classroom time and endless power points.. Blech....that sucks. Are you on campus so late because of study groups or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 That is incredibly insane :O_O: Typically classes for us start around 9 and I think the latest I have been scheduled was 5 Nope, most days we are in class 12-14 hours/day! We do occasionally get an hour in the middle of the day, but besides that its all classroom time and endless power points.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraumawannabPAs Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I would love a schedule like that! My program is defiantly an overload program. The first semester was a little more typical 8am-5 or 6pm. Second semester was INSANE 12-14 hours/day class time every day, 2-3 exam everyweek and the last two weeks of the semester we were slammed with 13 exams! The third semester is somewhere in-between with classes from 7am-7pm or 8pm and an all-day lab/skills day. Tough andi nsane no doubt, but I remind myself its temporary and I was fully aware ofwhat I signed up for (there are defiantly times I have to repeat this to myselfa few times/day just to get through to the next day- lol!) But we are assured that the hard work inmy program is well worth it- ....and its temporary so I think I can, I think Ican, I think I can….. hehehe. <o:p></o> It cant last forever, right? We will be done, working and earning a paycheck again someday... [QUOTE=just_me;371273]That is incredibly insane :O_O: Typically classes for us start around 9 and I think the latest I have been scheduled was 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Definitely appreciate my program more, and more everyday! Our first semester was a little crazy but starting with the second semester we go into modules that are system based. Each modules length depends on the system (i.e. derm is about 2-3 wks while cardio is 7). Typically we cover everything through all day lectures (anat/phys, patho, tx, dx etc) of diseases common to that system and then have a written exam and a simulated patient experience (modules over 4 weeks have a test q2wks then a cumulative final with a patient encounter). Sometimes if we are lucky we get a free day off before the exam to study.....sometimes:heheh: We will also have outside patient encounters that relate to the module and like the tests, for longer modules we have multiple encounters. I would love a schedule like that! My program is defiantly an overload program. The first semester was a little more typical 8am-5 or 6pm. Second semester was INSANE 12-14 hours/day class time every day, 2-3 exam everyweek and the last two weeks of the semester we were slammed with 13 exams! The third semester is somewhere in-between with classes from 7am-7pm or 8pm and an all-day lab/skills day. Tough andi nsane no doubt, but I remind myself its temporary and I was fully aware ofwhat I signed up for (there are defiantly times I have to repeat this to myselfa few times/day just to get through to the next day- lol!) But we are assured that the hard work inmy program is well worth it- ....and its temporary so I think I can, I think Ican, I think I can….. hehehe. <o:p> It cant last forever, right? We will be done, working and earning a paycheck again someday...</o[QUOTE=just_me;371273]That is incredibly insane :O_O: Typically classes for us start around 9 and I think the latest I have been scheduled was 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraumawannabPAs Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 To the OP;<o:p></o> As you can see, PA programs vary a lot. Another important thing to consider are the requirements of your specific program. It may be helpful to talk to current PA students to find out what the time requirements really are. And maybe if your lucky you can find a current student that is married with children and ask them how they have managed to make it work. In the end,my advice is to be proactive and figure out what will work for you and yourfamily. Best of luck. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackjacks Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Definitely talk to the school and find out what your schedule will be like. At my school we are really never in class more than 20 hours a week and I spend most of my time at home studying so didactic year wouldn't be too bad with a kid. Also everything is a set schedule for the year so it would be easy to set up childcare. Clinical year will be totally different. Our schedule changes every 4 or 6 weeks with different rotations and then within each rotation your hours are not necessarily pre-determined. You can be at the hospital up to 42 hours straight. I think you'd definitely need live-in child care to manage that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackjacks Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Honestly I'd suggest you think of yourself as a single parent during your husband's intern year. I have a few MD friends who did MPHs and they have a lot of travel photos from that year so I assume it's not too intense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jana Villanueva Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 This has all been really helpful! Thank you all. My program director said M-Th we are in class around 8-5, and Friday is a half day. And we get a whole month off for Christmas, a spring break week, and 3 wks between semesters 2 & 3. Not bad at all! My nanny said she'd be willing to do the household chores and shopping. Thinking I'm going to go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCMA79 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 This has all been really helpful! Thank you all. My program director said M-Th we are in class around 8-5, and Friday is a half day. And we get a whole month off for Christmas, a spring break week, and 3 wks between semesters 2 & 3. Not bad at all! My nanny said she'd be willing to do the household chores and shopping. Thinking I'm going to go for it! Is that the schedule for the whole program, didactic and clinical, or just the didactic portion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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