It’s no secret that making a career change is a major decision. Moms face additional challenges when it’s time to pivot. That’s why I asked another mom what finally pushed her to turn that dream into a reality, plus how she did it.
Welcome to the second series of “Changing Careers – From Moms Who Successfully Did It.”
Mathematics Teacher to Family Nurse Practioner
Katherine Skurski, Aurora, US
“Never say it’s too late. Never say it’s too hard. Never say it’s too much to put on your family.”
Katherine, mom of two (7 and 2 years old), came from a traditional Polish family, the first generation to be born in the United States. Most of her childhood, however, was spent splitting her time between the U.S. and Poland. She met her husband at a young age and they have been high school sweethearts ever since. And they got married soon after high school while both attending college.
Katherine is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, currently pursuing her doctorate of nursing practice.
“Two kids, a dog, and a mortgage later we are still happily together and looking forward to what lies ahead in life.”
When was the “moment” you realized you want to change your career?
“At the age of 22, I completed a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, graduating with honors and the title of Vice President of The National Mathematics Honor Society, Iota Chapter. With that, I spent the next few years teaching at the middle school level before leaving the field to pursue nursing.”
“I ended my teaching career because it just wasn’t gratifying. I taught over 150 students each day. This meant innumerable lesson modifications, administrative work, and grading that piled so high I would need additional hands to help me carry everything to-and-from my car. I felt overworked, stressed, and underappreciated. Meanwhile, I had students that would share the most unimaginable stories about their home life. Some I wish I had never heard, because I cannot erase from memory. I still worry about those students. That’s when I realized that no matter how hard I worked, and how thin I stretched myself to accommodate each student, they would still leave my classroom with the feeling of not receiving the one-to-one care they crave. There just weren’t enough hours in the day to meet all the needs of my students.”
“During that time, I spent many weekends helping care for my elderly grandparents who were receiving home health and hospice care. I would often meet their home nurses and observe the level of care they provided. I was impressed by the time they took to check in on the primary caretakers as well as the patients. They often made recommendations for respite care and community resources that would help us with any grief or emotional distress we may be experiencing as caretakers. Many of the nurses became like family and made us feel like we could connect on a personal level. This was above and beyond the level of care, I could ever give a classroom full of 7th graders. I realized then that I needed to pursue nursing where I would have more contact with my patients and build personal relationships.
“I am often asked, ‘Why did you leave teaching to pursue a career in bedside nursing?‘ My answer is always, ‘I was never able to meet the needs of 150 students, but I can exceed the expectations of my five patients.“
What was the journey of attending nursing school and becoming a family nurse practitioner like?
“In order to be accepted into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, I needed to return to community college to complete a handful of biology and chemistry courses. Although it only took a few semesters, it helped prepare me for the rigor I was about to endure. I was accepted into an Evening-and-Weekend Accelerated-BSN program at Resurrection University in 2013 and graduated in 2015. The BSN program was quite challenging, or rather very challenging. Not only are the courses and clinical expectations rigorous, but I worked 50+ hours during the entire program and had a newborn at home.”
“Most months I worked five days a week, evening classes at least four out of those five evenings, and two 12-hour shifts as a clinical student on the weekends. I realized that I was working 10-to-12 hours shifts (plus 4-hour evening lectures) for 23 days straight before I would earn one day off, and then I would work another 17 days after that to earn another day off. There were some mornings I remember hearing my alarm go off and I would just sob all the way to work or the hospital. I even remember shaking from exhaustion because my newborn kept me up all night with teething pains.”
“Just recently a former classmate reminded me that they would often compare themselves to me. After a long day at work or school they would say, “Wow, I am so tired. I may not be ‘Katherine tired’ but I’m still tired.” I just kept pushing myself. I pushed every inch of the way. First to work, then to class, then home, feed/bathe/play with the baby, study, sleep, do it all over again-and-again.
“For two years, I worked harder than I ever had before. I felt that I had to prove that you can change careers, you can go back to school, you can start all over again and be happy this time. But who was I proving this to? Myself? My family? Everyone who has ever contemplated restarting their life? I was going above-and-beyond for everyone that could benefit from seeing me do it because that’s what nurses do.”
“I even remember walking into class one day, head down, heavy bag, just getting to my seat and setting out my things. My classmate turned to me and said, “You look like hell, pale and sleep-deprived, and we are all pretty sure you’re going to die by the end of the lecture.” I looked up at her and a handful of students who were unanimously nodding their heads. My response was, “I’ll be fine, just a few more months until graduation.” That was true, we graduated in April of 2015, and I was offered my first nursing position in June of that year. By August, however, I returned to Resurrection University to pursue a Master of Science in Nurse (MSN), specifically to become a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP).”
The MSN program was even more difficult than the bachelor’s. The expectations were higher, academic demands even more rigorous. Somehow, I knew that if I could survive those last two years, why not another two years.
“My husband and I both agreed that if having a master’s degree was going to be my end goal, I better do it while our son is small and won’t remember Mommy being at work or school all the time.” With that in mind, I just had to keep the mentality of having ‘two years down, two more to go.’
“I can do it, I’m going to do it, nothing is going to stop me.“
What are some of the challenges you faced as you returned to studying?
“Three of the most important words in my life come to mind, “Work. School. Family.” The biggest obstacle I faced was trying to balance all three of those major components of my life each day.“
“I did everything in my power to not let any of the components in my life (work, school, family) suffer because of me, but no matter how hard I tried, I realized I could only do two things well at any given time, on any given day, and the third would have to suffer. I could go to work and spend time with family, but I would neglect schoolwork or residency hours that day. The next day I would refocus myself on school demands and work, but I wouldn’t spend much time with family that day.”
I felt so guilty for having to split my time so thinly and neglecting family time. It was difficult emotionally, but my husband and I knew what we were getting into and he was immeasurably supportive throughout the program. Although frustrated at times, he never said ‘no’ when I said, ‘I have to go.’ I had to go study, I had to work, I had to do hours. All those demands that kept me from my family at the time would soon come to an end, and they did.
Just before my very last semester of school, I took a short few weeks off (from school) to spend more time at home with my husband, kindergartner, and our newborn baby boy. It was short, but it helped us reconnect as a family. I returned to work and school after six-week maternity leave and completed my last residency at a primary care clinic called Elemental Care Health & Wellness. Little did I know at the time but being there would soon become a turning point in my life. I graduated in December of 2018, became a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, and found myself back in front of the classroom once again.
What helped you the most to get there?
“Perseverance and drive for a better life for my children kept me motivated to continue despite being overwhelmed, exhausted, or mentally drained.”
“My goal was never to make more money and spoil them with material things. I don’t want to buy their love. I want to be there for them more than anything.”
“Knowing that I can work from home full-time will give me the freedom to attend soccer games, travel with the team, help my children with homework or projects, and take them on family vacations. The money is a bonus 
Additionally, I want to be a role model for my kids. I want them to exceed my expectations and strive to become a respected member of their community.”
What difference changing your career made in your life?
“Flexibility and balance of work and home life have drastically improved since changing careers. I am able to enjoy evenings, weekends, and summers with my family.”
“Also, the respect for my profession is very very different today. As a middle-class school teacher, I made a bare minimum salary and was always a subordinate to somebody. Today, I drive a car that’s more expensive than my annual teaching salary and have a title that gets more respect (professor and nurse practitioner).“
What would you tell Mamas who feel stuck and are thinking about changing careers?
“As mothers, we have gone through all the pain and joy that comes with parenting. We’ve been through the “ring of fire,” (aka crowning) and the bliss of all our children’s milestones. It’s ok to do the same for yourself.“
“By changing your careers, you are showing your children that they should not ever feel stuck in a life that makes them unhappy, they can persevere and strive for more because you did.”
Do you want to be more inspired and see how others Moms changed their careers? Check out first series here.
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