MY sister "wants" to be a nurse? I don't think she should!

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Oct 16, 2009

maybe she feels defensive since you already are a nurse. Everyone has to find their own way. I say let her figure it out on her own.

CrunchyMama, ASN, RN · Oct 16, 2009

I was a CNA and I don't blame her for not wanting to be one, it's tough work for little pay. Having worked with different nurses, I personally feel that the better nurses were ones that started out as a CNA. However...you can be a good nurse without being a CNA first.

allnurses Guide · Oct 16, 2009

CrunchyMama - in my experience it doesn't make a difference what a person's background was. The deciding factor is what kind of a person are you? A hard worker who pitches in to help the whole team? An honest person with integrity?

One of the laziest nurses I've ever met went the CNA, LVN, RN route and would not answer call bells or help our CNA's at all unless pushed by the supervisor.

Not that THAT means previous CNA experiences = lazy. Just that she was lazy to start with.

I had NO medical experience when I went back to school at 37. In nursing school, everyone starts out with direct patient care lessons like bathing and toileting and bed making so we all end up on the same educational page.

The OP needs to realize there are many ways people come to nursing - and you do not have to be a CNA first and you do not have to love CNA duties. You just have to learn them.

There are so many threads on this issue - the debate continues.

steph

JennNJ83 · Oct 16, 2009

Let your sister do it her way and discover what she does and dosn't want to do on her own. If she's not meant to be a nurse, nursing school will weed her out and she'll have made the decision on her own.

Vito Andolini · Oct 16, 2009

I sense some sisterly rivalry/jealousy, right?

Let her do what she wants and you do what you want. Best of luck to you both. And I hope you treasure each other, no matter what. Life is so short to waste time on discord and disharmony, especially siblings.

lunglover · Oct 16, 2009

I think you are letting your emotions get the best of you. It sounds like everything was fine with your sister wanting to go to nursing school UNTIL she insulted what you do for a living, and gave you the impression that she is above doing the dirty work. No one likes to be made to feel inferior, and if you throw in some healthy sibling rivalry and jealousy, you end up in a similar situation. I think you need to be a little more mature about this entire thing (and probably your sister, too). Just take a deep breath, encourage your sister to do well in nursing school if that is what she wants, and continue to do what you want to do with your life.

I believe you are attempting to change your sister's perspective, which is not going to happen. By posting on this forum, you are looking for validation that you are in the right, and your sister is not - but in reality, this is not a right/wrong issue. It is a personal preferance, and each answer is right for every individual person. Your sister will eventually learn that being in the nursing profession means that sometimes you have to do the yucky jobs (if not always, haha), and hopefully you will come to see that this entire issue is just a drop in the bucket, and to not waste your energies worrying about it.

jjjoy, LPN · Oct 16, 2009

It's her life and that's the bottom line.

This is her choice (and the school's for accepting her) and not yours (you're not paying for it, right?), no matter whether or not you think it's a good idea, no matter whether or not she's ultimately successful in this pursuit.

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I imagine that you know what you want and are willing to do what it takes to get there (such as working as a CNA while LPN plans are on hold). It can seem so unfair if someone else doesn't seem as dedicated and is able to go where you want to go with so little effort and sacrafice. I hate that sometimes and it can really make me angry. But ultimately, dwelling on the unfairness and trying to force one's view on another often only makes oneself more miserable, especially between adult family members.

Perhaps you might consider avoiding talking with your sis about her nursing plans and step back from helping her in ways that make you uncomfortable. I don't mean spitefully withholding important information from her or blocking opportunities, but just letting her take the initiative in directing her own course. And save your energy for directing your own course.

Blackheartednurse · Oct 16, 2009

I never wanted to be a CNA and thanks God my program never required us to be one,we just had a basic nursing skills review that lasted couple of weeks before we were able to take a "real" nursing classes. Trust me it wasnt fun at all to learn how to make beds,wash pt or understand a concept of output and input but necessary to know for people planning to become a RN however I dont think that one must enjoy the CNA course or be a CNA in order to be a good nurse.Really what is to enjoy expect the little though in your head that constantly remind you that you are serving good to others? But no ones enjoy the backbreaking,physical,demanding task that the CNA job definitely entitles. As for your sister let her learn from her own mistakes,after all the choice belongs to her and she will be the main person deciding for herself what she want to do with her life,good luck!

allnurses Guide · Oct 16, 2009

I'm not convinced that going straight for RN is a mistake. I did that and don't regret it.

Being a CNA first can help or not. It isn't written in stone here.

People come by their nursing degree in many different ways - that doesn't mean anyone is better than another one.

To each their own.

I really think the OP is making too big a deal of this.

steph

forthebirds · Oct 16, 2009

well since i have been a cna and will eventually be an lvn, my lil sister got it in her head that she should be a nurse also. well at first i was very excited for her and encouraged her to continue. she took the nurse exam and passed and was accepted to the program. Problem is, now i dont beleive that she wants to be a nurse or that she is even capable of being one. i want to get my plebotomy cert and now she wants to do that while she is waiting to go to school. i told her why not just take the cna course, it costs the same in time and money. she started getting mad and saying "NO no no, i'm not gonna be a cna!!" i said you have to learn all that basic stuff anyway, and she was adiment about NOT being a cna! i was very angry with her because i then told her "you dont want to really be a nurse then, you think that you will never have to change someone? or help them to the restroom?" she just getting angrier and angrier, i dont understand, why she would think that she didnt have to do what cna's do! REDICULOUS! Now i am resenting her because i dont think that she would make it, that she would waste time and alot of money for nothing, and that she wouldnt make a good nurse, also because i dont have the time and money right now to get my lvn and she has all the time and money to go, idk, also i told her she should try to get some kind of expierence and got her an application for home health, she didnt even bother with it! what do ya'll think? am i getting upset over nothing?

All of us have taken different paths to get into this gig, there is no one set standard (other than the education itself) on how to approach becoming a nurse. You are doing what seems right for *you* on your road to nursing. When you become a nurse you are going to encounter similar situations in which people are making decisions that you may not totally agree with or would not do yourself. I don't mean this harshly, but the person who needs to learn something here may really be yourself.

systoly · Oct 16, 2009

Suppose you were right in every aspect. It's like the motorist who insisted on his right of way. Yes, legally he was right, but at the end of the day, his car was damaged and his day was ruined. Please don't argue with each other in anger. Present your sister with your knowledge and suggestions, but be prepared to support ANY avenue she chooses.

nyteshade, BSN · Oct 16, 2009

Back in school, one of my instructors decided to "lay it on thick". She took nutty peanut butter and rubbed it all over the training dummy's bottom, and the side rails too!!! She told us there would come a time that you walk in a room, and that's what you'll find. Then she made us clean the dummy (with good bedside manner of course) before we even touched a real person. Maybe your sister needs an instructor like I had! That will weed people out!