I have a question and PLEASE dont anybody blast me for typecasting, this was not MY statement, it was a LCSW I was friends with. She claims that a huge % of nurses are first born females of alcoholic fathers. Something to do with the fact that as the first born in dysfunction family of origin you are a caregiver from the get-go. Now my father was not an alcoholic, but I am a first born. I was wondering how many of us are first-borns. (Also, she said this to me a long time ago, and I have lost touch with her, so I cannot ask her where the heck she got her information was) I was just starting school at the time and didnt really fight with her about it, just kind of gave her one of the Hmmm, thats an interesting opinion.... answers. Also, she meant it as a compliment, that we take a difficult beginning and build on our strengths and turn them into a career.
I'm a middle, but there was such a gap between my older sibs and myself that I did play the elder sib growing up. I was encouraged to be responsible for anything younger, weaker, more helpless, sicker, or unable. Catholicism only reinforced that philosophy.
Although there was a lot of dysfunction in our family, it wasn't due to alcoholism, it was due to mental illness.
#6 (3rd female) in a family of 8. Dad is a prominent pediatrician. Parents are still happily married, no ETOH or mental illness. I'm the only sibling in healthcare.
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feisty_lpn, LPN
106 Posts
Not an RN yet but I'm first born and father is a recovering alcoholic.