Would you want your child to become a Nurse???

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I received an email notice from allnurses saying that I haven't logged onto the site for a long time which is true because I've been busy working a full-time job at one hospital and per diem at another. It was then I decided to take the opportunity to start a discussion that reflected a recent conversation I had with co-workers one night: would we want our children to become nurses? The response was a unanymous 'Hell NO!!' We generally were hoping that our hard work would allow our children to something 'better' and less stressful. Don't get me wrong; we enjoy our jobs and are grateful to be able to work with patients etc, but more and more, it seems like it is becoming more about saving money and charting 'correctly' to prevent law suits. At one hospital where I work, they fired the CNA's and the RN's have to do everything; that is, in addition to RN duties, we have to do I/O's, turning, cleaning post-poop, VS, EVERYTHING!!! At the other facility, as soon as humanly possible, they flex CNA's so that we end up having to do CNA-type stuff, in addition to the fingersticks, etc. Then they wonder why they have so much trouble getting people to come in when other nurses call off for 'sickness'. Also, it seems like management comes up with more and more ways to make charting more time consuming to protect the hospital from 'frivalous claims' from patients and family, etc. Of course they have staff who are paid to sit on their butts for 8 hrs/day and look for nurse charting errors, etc. They are now threatening write-ups for 'improper' charting. I told my co-workers to expect to be counseled sooner or later because we are human and dealing with 4-5 patients (in CA) AND their families. Nursing does not seem to be about patient care anymore; it seems to be about how to get the patient in and out as quickly as possible (unless they have good insurance), before they get a UTI, fall, or skin breakdown. So I ask each of you: Would you want your child to become a nurse as nursing stands now (at least in the med/surg/tele settings)????

Miss.LeoRN

234 Posts

Specializes in Cardiac Stepdown, PCU.

I want my children to do anything that they enjoy, makes them happy, or that they have a passion for. That happens to be racing and car mechanics for one, anthropology and geology for another, and film and journalism for the third. If one developed an interest in nursing I wouldn't blink an eye. All careers can be difficult and stressful. Who am I to say my job is more stressful or channeling than someone else's? Who am I to say that because something is applicable to me (being overwhelmed by the stress of a nursing job) is applicable to my child, who might be able to cope better and thus be far happier in the same position?

My approval or my likeness of what they wanted to do is irrelevant, IMO. I raise them with the hopes that the guidance and opportunities I can present to them allows them to make open choices in their own best interest once they are adults, or at least of age when choosing a career path. And because someone is bound to make a reference of it: If my daughter ended up wanting to move to 'Vegas and become a show girl or a stripper she'd get nothing but my support. Of course, I am hoping she makes better choices with her life and understands the outcomes such a desire could alter for her later in life, and yes I would be disappointed, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't support her respect her choices. Same with my sons.

klone, MSN, RN

14,786 Posts

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

I have been happy in every nursing job I've had. I think it's a well-paid profession in comparison to the level of education required for licensure, compared to most other careers.

I would like my children to do what makes them happy and financially stable, and if that's nursing, I would wholeheartedly encourage them.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

No, in fact I tell them to be anything other than a nurse if they decide to go into health care. The nurse is the person standing at the bottom of the hill with arms wide open.....and we all know what rolls down hill. I personally believe nurses are worked harder and disrespected more than many other types of healthcare employees.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide

VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN

22 Articles; 9,987 Posts

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

My youngest son is a medication aide who is in the middle of his pre-nursing classes. His aim is to become a nurse practitioner, and I salute him for it. He is a very practical young man who is able to maintain professional boundaries and leave work AT work. He may very well survive and thrive in nursing if he can retain this ability. :)

Editorial Team / Admin

Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN

6 Articles; 11,658 Posts

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I don't currently have children, but when I do I will encourage them to find a profession that interests them and research it before trying to attend a college program for it. Would I tell them that nursing is a good choice and go for it just because? Probably not, because the amount of abuse I've seen nurses take from management, patients, and everyone else doesn't really make me want to do that. However, if asked I would be honest. Kids need to learn to make (minor) decisions for themselves at an early age so they can make the big decisions when they need to, such as choosing a college major or even whether or not to go to college. No helicopter parent to be here!

allnurses Guide

Nurse SMS, MSN, RN

6,843 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

If they wanted to be, yes I would. But then, I would support pretty much anything my kids are willing to devote constructive, motivated time and effort to. I am too busy chasing my own dreams to dictate theirs to them. I have not seen one career yet that didn't have its downside. No matter what they do, like most things in life, they will have moments of exhilaration and disillusion,from love to sex to marriage to religion to work to hobbies to friends. Finding out the good, the bad and the ugly is all part of life. I personally have found nursing to have many many many more highs than lows, especially compared to my previous career. Their life is theirs. Not mine.

Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

I have had a very positive experience in my 6 years in nursing and it has given me opportunities that otherwise wouldn't have been possible. I will fully support my future kids if they want to be nurses, but I will also support any other aspirations of theirs.

My big thing is I don't think we should expect people to know what they want to do with their lives when they are 18. I also don't like the idea of kids going to college at 18 because that is what you are supposed to do. I would rather my kids take a few years off, research options, and be happy. I will also present non-traditional career paths such as community college, trade school, or the military as good options to also consider.

Specializes in Medical-Surgial, Cardiac, Pediatrics.

My child attends the learning center provided by my facility for employees. She gets to trick or treat at the hospital, play on the grass on the grounds, and spend time with me when my charting runs over and she needs to hang out and eat Jello while I finish.

I grew up in a similar environment, with a chaplain grandfather and my mother putting in long shifts on a cardiac floor. It was hard back then, and it's hard now, but I knew all that when I chose nursing as a profession.

I picked my four year-old up the other day, and she asked me "Mommy, can I take care of sick people with you when I grow up?" She wasn't prompted; she asked me that all on her own, and it made me so proud that she is proud of me and the work that I do.

As the child of a nurse, the great-granddaughter of a nurse, and the god - daughter of a nurse, I can emphatically say yes, if she wants to be a nurse, she would have my support and more. My great grandmother went from the time before penicillin to my mother's era, before AIDS, when hours of charting meant hand writing and carpal tunnel syndrome, and being forced to clock out to prevent overtime pay. I entered into nursing with huge changes in technology, litigation, and focus. I still go to work and want to be a nurse, because the work is built into who I am.

Things change, especially in nursing, and they can be harder, more challenging, and scarier. But that's not new. And not all changes are bad or to be avoided. Changes are not a reason for me to tell my child to avoid this profession at all, and I would fully support her if she takes her four year-old question and makes it reality some day.

pookyp, LPN

1,074 Posts

Nope! I would tell her to find something else to do. Anything but this.

caliotter3

38,333 Posts

Unfortunately my daughter has been observing my "career" in nursing. She very pointedly makes it clear that with children to support, she does not have the option to be unemployed for great lengths of time like I am. For that, I have no answer.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
I want my children to do anything that they enjoy, makes them happy, or that they have a passion for. That happens to be racing and car mechanics for one, anthropology and geology for another, and film and journalism for the third. If one developed an interest in nursing I wouldn't blink an eye. All careers can be difficult and stressful. Who am I to say my job is more stressful or channeling than someone else's? Who am I to say that because something is applicable to me (being overwhelmed by the stress of a nursing job) is applicable to my child, who might be able to cope better and thus be far happier in the same position?

My approval or my likeness of what they wanted to do is irrelevant, IMO. I raise them with the hopes that the guidance and opportunities I can present to them allows them to make open choices in their own best interest once they are adults, or at least of age when choosing a career path. And because someone is bound to make a reference of it: If my daughter ended up wanting to move to 'Vegas and become a show girl or a stripper she'd get nothing but my support. Of course, I am hoping she makes better choices with her life and understands the outcomes such a desire could alter for her later in life, and yes I would be disappointed, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't support her respect her choices. Same with my sons.

THIS.

Well said. :yes:

Maybe because I have thoroughly enjoyed this career despite it's challenges (what career doesn't?) I will not steer anyone away from this business; however, I will be reality based in terms of making sure that one is aware of any challenges in the workforce and in LIFE, and how we respond to it; we can learn to find some form of empowerment in any and every area of our lives, harness it, and turn it into success. :yes:

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