How do you adapt your plans for a nursing career when the unexpected occurs?

Abstract

I graduated nursing school seven months pregnant in November 2015. My plans were to take the NCLEX immediately, give birth, take three months to adjust, and begin my nursing career in a glamorous emergency department position by the spring.? Fast forward to January 2016. My family lost three members in a car accident and my daughter was born high-needs, requiring multiple hospitalizations. Although she and my family needed me, I was anxious about taking too much time off after nursing school, which could delay my career advancement.