Is nursing hereditary?

[racing-mom4]

This post has no medical value, just a simple curiosity.

I work with so many nurses whose mothers/aunts/sisters/brothers are nurses. I am the 1st nurse in my family. Grandpas brother was a Dr, till he died at an early age. I have 1 uncle who is a psychiatrist-but besides that no one in the medical field.

Now that I am a nurse, my 17 year old daughter is looking into nursing school and a nephew of mine wants to become a nurse too.

So what do you think? Is nursing hereditary? Once someone in the family becomes a nurse do others follow?

[Dalzac, LPN, LVN, RN]

I came from a very long line of teachers. I was going to be one too. I wanted to teach jr. high english. But I fell in love with nursing and disappointed a bunch of old ladies. However I think it might be hereditary. My daughter is going to nusing school.

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

I come from a family of nurses, my grandmother and grandfather were both nurses. My mum and 2 sisters are also both nurses.

I never wanted to be a nurse, couldn't think of anything worse but fell into nurse training after a friend of the family phoned to say that she was 2 students short for her nursing group and did I want to do nurse training. I was working in a telecom exchange at the time so said yes

[aeauooo]

My Mom is a nurse.

In my mid 20's I dropped out of music school and spent 10 months hitch hiking around Africa. I came back to the States after winding up in a hospital in eastern Zaire with severe malaria. I came back with no idea what I wanted to do with my life, other than go back to Africa.

I drove up to the community college where my Mom had received her ADN to look at program brochures. I came back to my parents' house with the ADN brochure in my hand and said, "I think I want to be a nurse." I don't think I ever saw my parents so happy - something along the lines of, "Finally, he's not going to be a bum the rest of his life!"

There was a picture of my Mom's graduating class in the nursing lab at the college.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

Studies have been done on this topic and it is interesting to note that some people, me included, believe that certain personalities are nurse material and that personality may have some DNA attachment - or at least stimulated in common environments. One study by a colleague showed that many nurses discourage their children from the profession, but the kids do it anyway for various reasons. In my small Texas town the best paid jobs are MD, nurse and oilfield hands. Not necessarily in that order.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

GGM LPN

GM CRNA/RN

Great Aunt RN

Mother Nurse educator

Aunt Nurse

Me brand spanking new GN

Daughter student nurse

I definitely think that there is a hereditary nature to nursing...Definitely it represents a nature/nurture conundrum.

[jessiern, BSN, RN]

One study by a colleague showed that many nurses discourage their children from the profession, but the kids do it anyway for various reasons. .

*Raises hand* Momma cried when I told her I was applying to nursing school. Begged and begged me not too. If I ever complian about work she say "didnt' momma tell ya?"

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Is nursing hereditary?

Definitely not in my family. A large portion of my family members are either high school dropouts, or attained no education beyond their high school diplomas or GEDs. With the low educational attainment that characterizes my relatives, there are only 2 nurses in the family. I'm an LVN, and my cousin is an RN.

My grandma loved to tell everyone that she was a "private duty nurse," but she was really a CNA that worked in peoples' homes.

[not now, RN]

My Momma hates stepping foot in a hospital, the smell, the atmosphere, everything.

My great-grandmother was a faith healer but that probably doesn't count.

[bluesnurse]

*Raises hand* Momma cried when I told her I was applying to nursing school. Begged and begged me not too. If I ever complian about work she say "didnt' momma tell ya?"

So true! My mom and her sister are both RNs. I always admired them and what they did. I first expressed a desire to be a nurse at age 19 (started out premed, but I was way too immature for the drive and tunnel vision needed to make it (not to mention the debt.))

Long story short, it took me another 12 years (most spent in allied health as an EKG and echo tech) to apply to nursing school. From day one it was a no-brainer, I *had* to do this and was finally in my element.

I didn't even tell my parents I was working on my BSN until the end of my junior year (by then I was 31, married, and lived 2000 miles away. I just avoided mentioning it and told them work was going fine.) They were still not thrilled at the prospect when I broke the news and didn't come to my graduation. That's OK, I will always have the satisfaction of having heard "summa cum laude" after my name. (was never a "brainiac" before, but I was driven to put everything I had into succeeding.)

Four years later, I'm happy. Nursing school was incredibly tough and the demands almost broke me, but it was worth it. Even on the roughest of days, I just can't imagine being happy doing anything else.

Of my closest circle of five friends in school, all had parents who were nurses or veterinarians (not MD's, interestingly!). We were all 25-35 and had tried other careers without satisfaction. I do think there is a "caring" gene.

And yes, my mom has had a few "told ya so" moments. I'm not deterred. No one said it would be easy, and it's not, but it's where I belong. :loveya:

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Myself and my sister are nurses, the only two in our immediate family.

My relatives tend to be science and math oriented. Math and science come very easy to me, but language arts are a weak point. My sister had a degree in Biology prior to switching to nursing. My uncle is a phD in mathematics. I have one cousin whose major was chemistry, another is computer programer and one an advanced electrician.

[karenG]

my grandmother was matron of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary back in who knows when! my mum and sister are nurses and my sister is married to a paramedic.. guess what topic my dad has banned from the dining room?!

[eccentricRN]

I had a distant cousin who was a nurse... but I NEVER thought I'd follow in her footsteps... other than that everyone I know says I don't know how you can do that... I could never do it... it takes a "special" person to do that job... gee... where/when did I become "special?"

So nope hardly a medical professional in the bunch...oops take that back, my brother's a chiropractor/who now teaches anatomy to nursing students... maybe I blocked it out cuz he's involved in nursing school... I just graduated in Dec... so I'm still a little beat up...So maybe it does run in families... my hubby & son, think it's "icky" & we have the unspoken rule of don't touch mommy until she's changed & showered... LOL...