Is nursing hereditary?

Nurses General Nursing

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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?

Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice.

Grandmother was an RN (she didn't want to be a nurse, but my GGM told her she had to be one).

Mom was a Peds CNA before she got married.

2 Great Aunts on my Dad's side were RN's.

Me... the prodigal... going for LPN.

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Specializes in Surgical Nursing.

It could be! Like some other professions.

My grandma was a nurse, my mom is a nurse, and I'm a nursing student :D

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Specializes in LDRP.

Yup, moms a nurse and she tried to talk me out of it!!! Haha!

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Specializes in Surgical Nursing.
Yup, moms a nurse and she tried to talk me out of it!!! Haha!

MINE TOOO!!!!!!!!! :eek::rolleyes:

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My mom was an LPN and my sister is an RN. My first cousin is a NP (started as CNA, then LPN, then RN, then NP)...

I tried to avoid it... I went to school for something totally different, but here I am... plugging away at my ADN...

I guess it was inevitable....LOL

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Yup, moms a nurse and she tried to talk me out of it!!! Haha!

My Mom talked me into nursing! :D

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:nuke: Hi.

I am only nurse in my family and my generation.

I think individual.:bugeyes:

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In response to "Is nursing hereditary?"......

My family is well populated with nurses, including my two daughters. Don't you think it is partly due to some common personality and analytical thinking traits AND the influence of relatives that make it a tendency for relatives to choose the nursing profession?

As you can tell by my name (pollyanna) I tend to think positively about things and all I can say is "come on you guys that are badmouthing our noble profession" ........ I've been a nurse for a very long time and if you get "stuff on your clothes . . so what?" Nursing is a wonderful job ... when you leave work at the end of your shift you can know that your extra effort may have made a difference for your patients.

If you want a "clean" job that is not challenging and pays more money, then DO IT. Personally, I'd rather work short staffed with nurses who are dedicated than be well-staffed with bitter, jaded ones. Nursing isn't for everyone and if you hate it - get out!

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Because nursing is a field of "caring" as well as dealing with extremely graphic personal details (i.e. nakedness, poop, blood) and feelings (grieving, pain, fear, etc.), I would say that those who choose to be nurses via "feeling the call" are more likely to be "touchy-feely" people in that they are in tune with their own emotions and feelings, or at least open to dealing with those things from others. They are nurturers or at least protectors (thus the gruff nurse). In this manner, I would say they can certainly breed other nurses. (I have seen teachers breed teachers, and community volunteers breed community volunteers, as well.) A caring compassionate mom or dad nurse might certainly raise children who are caring and compassionate or have nieces and nephews and grandchildren who see them as role models of "caring people who make a difference" -- indeed nursing is considered the "most trusted" of professions in the U.S.

All that is to say, it appears nurturers and protectors and act-ers (ones who act on what they feel) may certainly raise and support these traits in others. And the opposite may be true: those who are not comfortable talking about poop and blood and emotions may raise people who are not.

I have one aunt (not by blood) who is a nurse. She (wonderful, though she is) has not in any manner influenced my becoming a nurse - to my knowledge. A good friend about 15 years my senior is a nurse, and to my knowledge she did not influence me, either. Maybe she did. I prayed about direction in my life (no, I'm actually NOT a Bible thumper, but I was kind of wallowing in directionlessness with a degree under my belt), and I put together the pieces of who I am: caring, love people, patient, don't mind things other people see as disgusting, love science. Many of my friends are this way and have gone one by one into various aspects of the medical field in direct contact with patients (nurses, pt's, pa's, etc).

Also, since studies have shown that depression is caused by both by genes and environment and tends to run in families...and from this one might say being in touch with emotion runs in families or is supported in particular environments, who knows? Maybe being open to another's emotions and physical needs runs in families and is nurtured in these family environments, too?

Who knows? :rolleyes:

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I have thought so myself.

I have at least 6 relatives on both sides of my family who are nurses. They did not have a very active role to play in my life so my decision to be come a nurse was not influenced by them.

i tried other fields - nursing worked for me. Have doctors on the male side though...

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Oncology.

It could be that a great deal of our personalities stems from relatives. My mother was disgusted when I told her years ago in college that I had decided to become a nurse. These days she doesn't ask me much about my work, but I do have several cousins on my fathers side (who I am told I very much take after) that are all nurses and doctors.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

I have a couple of first cousins who are nurses. One was a nurse before me, the other after (they are brother and sister, she's quite a bit older than I am and he's younger).

Now I have a niece in nursing school, but I don't think I had much to do with that. Another niece is married to a nurse. He, however, is a paramedic at heart and only went to nursing school because it pays much better. She is a SAHM now but has a degree in health education. Again, I don't think that I had anything to do with that, either.

At the moment, neither of my sons is the least interested in nursing nor any other medically-related profession. Then again, neither was I at their ages (22 and 18).

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