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?

[Duckyaryj]

I don't know if its heredity or what, But I am a 4th generation nurse(LPN working on my RN), as will be my cousin. My dad's grandmother, mother, aunts, and sister are all nurses or in the nursing field of some sort. My mother was the first in her family to even try to pursue a nursing career but due to unforeseen reasons she did not finish, and my dad was a EMT. Those in my family who are in the medical field are also attracted to those destined to be in the medical field. My dad married two women who were in the medical field. His aunt married a EMT/firefighter and I am going to marry a EMT/Firefighter soon to be paramedic. I guess its more of a birds of a feather stick together kind of thing.

[crunchymomx3]

I'm the only one in the medical field in my family. My dad is an architect, my mom is an artist, my sister is a graphic designer, most of my uncles are painters and carpenters. I'm the black sheep, in many many way. LOL

[Longie]

:twocents:I'm a third generation nurse, but I don't think it's hereditary necessarily. My grandmother was a nurse, I think by choice, but her daughter, my, mom, was forced into it by my grandmother (my mom wanted to be a Rockette of all things). In my 30s while my mom was still nursing I became a medical assistant and now in my 40s and mom is retired am an RN, but I never intended to be a nurse--my grandmother is probably rolling over in her grave--while she was alive my goal was to be a writer/work in language arts. NO interest in nursing when I was young, I referred to syringes as "shot thingys," etc.