Couples who both have health care jobs face special challenges when raising a family. For Suzanne and Ron Mabini, their success lies in the ability to manage their work schedules and cover for each other.

"One of the biggest things that's helped us was my job change from working in a hospital setting," Suzanne said. "I knew I needed weekends and holidays, so I took a job in an OB/GYN practice 15 years ago. Now I work four days a week so that I have time to do family errands and take the kids to their events."

The couple met at Northside Hospital in the mid- 1980s, began dating in 1989 and married in 1990. At the time, Suzanne worked in labor and delivery; Ron was, and still is, a nurse anesthetist.

"Right after we married, I got the job offer to work with Peachtree Women's OB/GYN," she said. "It worked out perfectly for me to work in an of?ce and have weekends and holidays off."

Today, Suzanne, a registered nurse, is a triage nurse for several physicians and spends much of her time on the telephone and in patient care. She works Mondays through Thursdays. Ron now works a full-call schedule Mondays through Fridays at Northside Hospital.

"It's great that he's off on the weekends because we can both spend time with the kids," she said. The couple has two sons, ages 11 and 14, who are involved in sports, school activities and church events. Ron coaches baseball and is involved with the boys' sports and activities.

When the boys were younger, the Mabinis took advantage of day care services provided by Northside Hospital on site.

"It was so convenient to have the children right here," she said. "If Ron finished work early, he'd pick up the babies and take them home."

Other factors play into their success in juggling the boys' activities. "Right now, the boys' schools are close by and that makes it easier," she said. "However, next year, they'll be at different schools, so we'll have to see how that works out."

Suzanne said that she keeps a schedule of where everyone needs to be. The couple works together to complete household chores.

Also important is making time for each other. "Now that the boys are getting older and can stay home by themselves a bit, we make sure to have some time for ourselves," she said. "We even have a date night every so often."

So, what's the secret to balancing family and work demands? "You need to realize the challenges and differences in work schedules," she said. "The real key is good communication."