Survey: Would you encourage your child to become a nurse?

Nurses General Nursing

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If one of my sons wanted to enter nursing school, I would not try to prevent it. My boys know what kind of hours I put in and how tired I can be at the end of the day. But they also know that I get great satisfication from seeing patients get better. I love to see what medicine and nursing can do for people. Plus, there are so many avenues of nursing you can choose today. I agree with the poster who said that better things are coming for nurses due to the nursing shortage we are experiencing. Nurses are going to be in great demand, and we will have the bargaining power for once. We just need to stick with it a little longer. As the part for no respect, I really sense the opposite. Sure I get the "I could never be a nurse because of all the disgusting things you see, do" but I also the the opposite response. I have had more people tell me they admire me for being a nurse because they know they couldn't deal with what comes with nursing. My own husband has told me that and he operates a dairy farm in which he treats a lot of the cows himself!! There are pros and cons to every job. Some teachers now are afraid to go to school because the kids are toting guns and knives. I think policemen and firefighters are self explainatory. So, it just depends on how you look at the situation. :) :) :)

Hi everyone,

I will encourage my children(4 of them)to be whatever they want to be. So far, none of them have expressed a desire to become a nurse. If one of them does, I will encourage them. I love what I do, and have always wanted to be a nurse. My thoughts are that you could made a great deal of money, but if you don't like what you do, then why bother? While I would like more money, who wouldn't, I lvoe what I do. And while some nights suck, this happens at every job. I rather be paid what I'm paid and enjoy what I'm doing, and that's what I try to instill in my children. Enjoy what you do cause you gotta do for a long time.

Have a good one,

Sue

:)

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

Yes, I would encourage my children, as well as others, to become nurses. Nursing is a very noble profession, but if all you "see" in nursing is "negativity", then nursing is not for you just like any other profession. I went through college to become a nurse while raising three daughters, and today one of them is a nurse. Two out of three of my daughters became medics in the military, got out, and continue to work in the medical field (the one of the two is the nurse I mentioned). My third daughter is in college now, still contemplating med school as she goes along. I've worked many different hours, shifts, and days as a single mom, but enjoyed them all. For the past four years, I've been on somewhat of a "medical sabbatical", have written two books, and am looking to submit morificecripts and articles to different editors of nursing magazines for publication. I am also activating my nursing license to return to school, possibly become a nursing instructor (I taught nursing assistant students before and loved it). Nursing is wonderful! It's not the caring of patients that becomes tedious (to me), but the glob of red tape, hospital policies and regulations, JACHO, "paper pushers" on staff constantly pushing paperwork at nurses to have filled out by a certain deadline (usually to "protect the hospital and not the nurses who are actually caring for all the patients), and a few of the doctors nurses have to work with who think they created heaven and earth, so have the right to "dehumanize" nurses. I have granddaugthers now who are very little now, but if they wanted to become nurses one day, they will have my blessings, but I will fill them in on the hard work required. If your number one asset as a person is to "help others", then you have the type of character to work with people. If your number one asset is based on "$$$$", then nursing is not the business for you. In nursing, "people compassion" must rank above "love for money". Just my opinion, and let me now say, I certainly respect each opinion posted here, and can readily see why each person perceives nursing the way they do. The same experience may affect people in many different ways, that's what's so nice about being who we are. No one else can duplicate each individual "you". A "copy" is never the same as the "true original" in anything, so just teach your children to do what they love, and to love what they do based on "their own inner feelings" about their chosen path in life. :)

I don't have any kids right now. When I do I would not encourage them to be nurses but I would support them in whatever they desired to do. I have only been a RN for about 6 months and I am already thinking twice about whether this is really what I want to do. My college life has been nothing but stress and books. And now that I am working part-time while I go on work is just as stressful. My mom used to work as an LPN and I've been around the medical field a lot growing up but I never thought it would be this hard and stressful. For the responsibiltiy we have and the work we do, we deserve a lot more money. But money isn't the only thing, respect is lacking also. People don't realize what all nurses do. Becuase of all this nursing would not be the top profession I would want my kids to choose.

I would,

#1) if they were the type of person/character to make a good nurse.

#2) let them know the good, bad and ugly about the profession... no fairy tales.

#3) make sure they could learn about any profession/trade they are interested in to make an informed choice.

Originally posted by nur20

My 2 daughters want nothing to do with nursing, however i would not discourage anyone from going into the profession.I would say that if they are going into it for the money or recognition "forget about it" If you are not self confident,a people person and get a good feeling through helping others, and if you don't know if nursing is for you, you'll find out soon enough. We had people that couldn't even make it through the course

When I went into nursing 24 years ago I had high ideas of helping people. I had been in the Army as a medic and felt that I could make a difference in the health care a saw being delivered. After 24 years as a nurse I have come to the conclusion that If the Administration has set low standards for care, that is what will altimently be delivered. A good nurse soon gets worn down and has to take short cuts or suffer the scorn and riticule of fellow nurses on the ward. The administation writes you up as not being a Team Player and fellow nurse will not work with you becouse "You take to long and spend to much time comforting you patients, just give them the meds and let someone else deal with their problems". I did not want my daughter to have her enthusiasm dampened by some of the Head Nurses I have had to deal with.

I've been an Lpn for 18 years. I have two daughters that are Lpns, and one in Lpn school now. I have worked at a small hospital for 17 years.(138beds)I have worked all over the place,except OR.

In our hospital,Lpns do almost everything.There are a few forms that Rns are required to sign,after we fill them out.

I have encouraged my daughters to go to school for nursing.So far they haven't voiced regrets.

With all the stress,agravation,heartache I've been through over the years, I still love what I do!!

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I did vote no.... why am I embarrassed... because I love the profession and couldn't imagine doing anything different.

Do I want my daughters doing this? MMM... My eldest daughter is completing grade 13 and for the past 3 years has expressed her intention to go into medicine to become - eventually an E.R. physician..... Privately, I'm not convinced she'll continue... at one point, recently she expressed a desire to switch to nursing instead. Disappointed - absolutely! There is so much to know and medicine is changing so rapidly... nurses are still more limited in their capabilities than doctors... we're getting there but have a long way to go. Guess I want her to have more options.

honestly...i can't answer that...it depends on my child probably...:confused:

As a mother of 5, I would encourage any of my brood to go into nsg. So far no one is a taker!!! (we do have a budding vet and physical therapist)I know after 26yrs all the pitfalls, the poor wages, lousey hrs. etc. However, I feel that I have had the best career possible. Most of my years have been spent in a PICU. I know only to well the long, long days and nights with no breaks. The kids and husband have seen me dead tired both emotionally and physically. I have missed more than one ball game. But they also shared in my success stories. When we moved from the West Coast to the South I took off about 3 months. First time in my whole adult life that I was not working full time. I was a wreck.(Cooking every night was to hard!!!!)

We need to encourage new blood in our field. They will make the big differecne in our profession. Twenty-six years ago as a new grad in Oregon, I made $6.25/hr. It took a few years but that changed. Now we are ready for a major change again. It will happen but we need some youth to supply some new energy.

Right now almost 50% of the people taking the survey say they would not encourage their children to become nurses. I find that to be ineffitably sad. Have we really come to this? I cannot imagine my life without my nursing career. And if my daughter wanted to be a nurse, I would do everything I could to help her. What we do is important, and we make a difference, and in the end that's what matters to me.

My daughter has wanted to be a nurse from the age of 3. now at the age of 23 she is still completelyl sold out to the idea. with excellent grades and 4 years out of school, she has done interior design, beauty work and is still waiting to get into nursing college. unfortunately with affirmative action in our country, she has little chance. the next course starts in 8 weeks time and she has still not been notified as to whether she is in or not. very sad!! we are supporting her. Does anyone know how one can study nursing in North Carolina? she would like to go there as we have family that have just moved there - but they have too much on their plate to find out about nursing schools and all the ins and outs of an international student situation. can anyone help? thanks

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