[GilaRN]

I think you have misunderstood my point. Kids are not monkeys; however, you can pretty much train anybody to do any skill. It is not that hard to perform skills that are medical in nature. However, integrating these skills into the complex medical environment where everything runs on a dynamic continuum is the difficult part of medicine.

[CRNI-ICU20]

I agree with Pageantnurse. Age discrimination can happen at both ends of the spectrum. This 15 year old is no ordinary "monkey" as you would describe. I find that analogy quite offensive, and rude. People are not monkeys....and last time I checked, most, including chimps are one genome strand shy of being human....maybe you could re-phrase your position a little kinder.
It is rare that a young mind that is brilliant is nurtured and allowed to 'grow' as it were....and it is often that because this rare mind comes along so infrequently it is looked upon with suspicion and disregard.
What a shame to be discounted based only on age, and not on skill or knowledge, which, by the way, is how we peer review supposedly in our professional practice....duh. crni

[carlarn]

Well, I don't think the poster who said monkeys could be trained to do certain medical procedures was intending to insult children by comparing them to monkeys nor insult monkeys by comparing them to anything for that matter. Monkeys are highly evolved and intelligent creatures. In my humble opinion, I think that monkeys could do a lot worse than work in the medical field. We do need to be a bit more careful in our comparisons. Look what happened when Gieco said something about cavemen...

[crissrn27]

Originally Posted by carlarn

Well, I don't think the poster who said monkeys could be trained to do certain medical procedures was intending to insult children by comparing them to monkeys nor insult monkeys by comparing them to anything for that matter. Monkeys are highly evolved and intelligent creatures. In my humble opinion, I think that monkeys could do a lot worse than work in the medical field. We do need to be a bit more careful in our comparisons. Look what happened when Gieco said something about cavemen...

Personally, I know some 15 y/os that I would trust more than some of the docs I know. But I really think we should let kids be kids, even if they are smart. Come on, only the dumb kids get to ride bikes and play outside?, thats not fair. Not that you shouldn't push your kids to do their best, but I think doing surgery at 15 might be some what traumatic, and that kid should be at the mall or something.

[GilaRN]

Age discrimination, this is getting good. People still do not understand my position. I am simply stating you can teach anybody to cut a person open and pull out a neonate. With that said, do we really want 15 year olds doing this regardless of how intelligent or mature they seem?

Can anybody remember being a teenager? Please go back and try to appreciate your younger years if this is possible. What happens in your teens? You learn about life, yourself, the world, and you learn how to make the difficult transition from a kid to an adult. In addition, this is a crucial time for interpersonal development, conflict management, and many psychological and physiological changes. As Nurses, we should know and appreciate this important aspect of development. We live in a country where kids still have a chance to enjoy their younger years. (Small chance, I admit.) Why are we insisting that kids be exposed to these adult situations?

Does anybody remember their first horrid medical experiene? Was it a trauma arrest, a brutal rape, child abuse, or perhaps a person who decided to shoot his face off. What did this first experience do to your mind and soul? I can tell you that when you cross the line into these adult situations, you loose a part of yourself forever. You loose the innocence and wonder that can only be experienced through a child's eyes and mind. You cannot tell me cutting another person's belly open and pulling an unborn child from them is a healthy experience for a teenager. ( No matter how old, smart, or mature they may seem.)
I know many adults who have problems dealing with this animal we call medicine. Why not allow or kids a few extra years to enjoy their childhood before tossing them to the wolves? Allowing a 15year old to take on this role is not healthy for the child nor will it allow this child the chance to enjoy a normal healthy development and mature into a well rounded person and thus ensure a well rounded health care provider.

I understand that people will attack this argument by stating I am burned out, negative, or spiteful. So be it. somebody has to try to look out for the next generation of adults.

[kizzykatlove]

glad it wasn't me the youngster did surgery on... i wonder if he went and played with his X box after.. maybe had a tea party with his little sister.. crazy kooks in this world... next we'll hearing paris hilton is doing surgery...

[DesertRain]

If it was a life or death situation and for some reason the kid was able to perform surgery...fine. But for the guiness book of world records? That's dumb. Even Doogie Howser (sp?) went to Med School!

[acetabulum]

he he he....nice try!!!i hope the patient is still alive after the surgery!

[btodion68]

This is startling. I wonder if the patient was aware at all!

[IMustBeCrazy]

Originally Posted by GilaRN

Age discrimination, this is getting good. People still do not understand my position. I am simply stating you can teach anybody to cut a person open and pull out a neonate. With that said, do we really want 15 year olds doing this regardless of how intelligent or mature they seem?

Can anybody remember being a teenager? Please go back and try to appreciate your younger years if this is possible. What happens in your teens? You learn about life, yourself, the world, and you learn how to make the difficult transition from a kid to an adult. In addition, this is a crucial time for interpersonal development, conflict management, and many psychological and physiological changes. As Nurses, we should know and appreciate this important aspect of development. We live in a country where kids still have a chance to enjoy their younger years. (Small chance, I admit.) Why are we insisting that kids be exposed to these adult situations?

Does anybody remember their first horrid medical experiene? Was it a trauma arrest, a brutal rape, child abuse, or perhaps a person who decided to shoot his face off. What did this first experience do to your mind and soul? I can tell you that when you cross the line into these adult situations, you loose a part of yourself forever. You loose the innocence and wonder that can only be experienced through a child's eyes and mind. You cannot tell me cutting another person's belly open and pulling an unborn child from them is a healthy experience for a teenager. ( No matter how old, smart, or mature they may seem.)
I know many adults who have problems dealing with this animal we call medicine. Why not allow or kids a few extra years to enjoy their childhood before tossing them to the wolves? Allowing a 15year old to take on this role is not healthy for the child nor will it allow this child the chance to enjoy a normal healthy development and mature into a well rounded person and thus ensure a well rounded health care provider.

I understand that people will attack this argument by stating I am burned out, negative, or spiteful. So be it. somebody has to try to look out for the next generation of adults.

This is not about discrimination. There are many exceptional children that are nurtured and have amazing careers. Other than this boy, I know of no other 15-year-old performing surgery on a human being.

This boy is not an adult. His brain is still forming, his hormones are kicking in. This is a sad cry for attention for the parents it would seem more than the boy. Sometimes you just need to tell your kids "NO." I wonder who the parent is in that situation.