Nurse bringing child to work

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Currently working at a hospital that seems to run by some odd rules and one that I am having an issue with is that there is a nurse that is bringing her 11 year old son to work (6p-6a) and he is staying the whole shift. He is staying in a patient room but is in and out the whole night at the nurses station, break room, etc. and she is also back and forth from his room. Am I being too old school by having a problem with this? What happens when we have a code and he is wandering around? Just thought I would reach out and see if anyone has any thoughts on this. Thanks

Specializes in NICU.

Although it is not the best way to handle the lack of a sitter but having worked with many Rns who had small children at home under dire circumstances.I am sure there is a reason for this,but offering help rather than being bothered by it.

I for one do not like employees who bring children to work with them and place them at the desk to hang out or spare room just for fun ,not necessity.

Finding a sitter with the crazy hours we work was always one of the most stressful situations ever.

Hope this mother finds a solution soon.

4
Up Vote Up Vote ×

While I don't agree with bringing your children to work, however; I do understand not having someone to watch your kid when you need to work. Hopefully this will not be a long-term thing with this nurse. I do understand your concern and rightfully so.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.
On 9/27/2019 at 1:24 AM, twinmommy+2 said:

I am compassionate towards my coworkers. That being said...the child should not be at work. If something happens like a fire, she is going to be going to her child instead of her patients who need her. Infectious disease? I remember when one of the floors was infected with norovirus it was disgusting. Would have been easily picked up and traveled about by a child. Then think about a violent patient finding them. Not all of our patients are without criminal records. We care for more sexual offenders than we realize. Just not a safe place at all for a child.

THIS. SO MUCH THIS. ^^^ I've seen one person in 30+ years do this and it was only once or twice for a couple hours (emergency situation), and her child stayed put in one place. It's hard to believe in this time of litigation that any hospital/charge nurse would be ok with this. I would be reporting it, I'm sure the hospital lawyers would be appalled.

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

I have only seen on-site day care at the fantasy hospital that is Grey/Sloan. With so many major characters having children now they are always taking them to day care. The day care is always full and well staffed. Most if not all hospitals have adequate unused room to build out a day care, why don't more actually do it?

It's not an easy task finding day care providers that offer hours that work with a nurses schedule. Most around here start taking kids at 7 am and stop at 5 or 6 pm and if something happens where you need to be late for a pick-up they charge ridiculous fees. Finding day care overnights is a whole other beast. If you don't have family, friends or helpful neighbors you're pretty much screwed.

With how difficult it can be to find child care options that work with health care hours any hospital that invested in offering on-site day care would definitely have it turn a profit in a pretty short time time span. Appeal to their pocketbooks! Day care is expensive, they could definitely turn a profit by either offering it themselves or leasing the space to an already licensed provider. Plus fewer call offs by staff who can't find somebody to sit with their kids. Heck, having on site child care available might just contribute to them being the best staffed facility around.

5
Up Vote Up Vote ×

I disagree that it's a 'disaster waiting to happen', an 11 year old is perfectly capable of understanding to behave while mom has to work... Being 'in and out' during downtime isn't exactly the same as 'running rampant during a code'.

But I do agree that it shouldn't be a long term solution. Anyone who has been a single mom has been in a position at one point or another where dad got a new job and new hours and the babysitter for the night fell through, or something. ...or where Dad wasn't paying attention to mom's schedule... however consistent it may be.. and oops ended up signing up to work until 2 hours past mom's time to clock in.. grr. Smh.

But with that said, I'd definitely look the other way for a time or two, or 4 or 5, of a nurse in a bind occasionally having to set a kid up at work with her for a couple of hours. BUT. If it's becoming an every day or night thing, yes, a supervisor would probably want to intervene there. A good supervisor would help her find some kind of arrangement, but then a good mom would have done so before it got to an everyday kind of point. There is a super wide range of resources to find childcare as opposed to preinternet days. She gotta find somebody sometime.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Adult Primary Care.
4 hours ago, LPNpaired said:

I disagree that it's a 'disaster waiting to happen', an 11 year old is perfectly capable of understanding to behave while mom has to work... Being 'in and out' during downtime isn't exactly the same as 'running rampant during a code'.

But I do agree that it shouldn't be a long term solution. Anyone who has been a single mom has been in a position at one point or another where dad got a new job and new hours and the babysitter for the night fell through, or something. ...or where Dad wasn't paying attention to mom's schedule... however consistent it may be.. and oops ended up signing up to work until 2 hours past mom's time to clock in.. grr. Smh.

But with that said, I'd definitely look the other way for a time or two, or 4 or 5, of a nurse in a bind occasionally having to set a kid up at work with her for a couple of hours. BUT. If it's becoming an every day or night thing, yes, a supervisor would probably want to intervene there. A good supervisor would help her find some kind of arrangement, but then a good mom would have done so before it got to an everyday kind of point. There is a super wide range of resources to find childcare as opposed to preinternet days. She gotta find somebody sometime.

"but then a good mom would have done so before it got to an everyday kind of point"

Any mom may still have trouble given unforseen circumstances.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice Home Care and Inpatient.

Totally being devil's advocate here- how many of you are single moms/ work with single moms? Why is the idea of paid for ( mostly paid for)childcare by an employer such a strange idea???

I was really lucky in that my child's dad ( now my hubby) was always ready and able to look after him. Many people aren't so fortunate. If you have no options, as I didn't and still don't..... and need an income... what are you suppose to do? My family is roughly 3 hrs awar and my hubby's family about 10 hrs. We need employers who actually give 2 cents about employees and their needs.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

personally I wouldn't have an issue with it if it wasn't a typical thing and she got stuck one night, etc. provided the patient room was empty and he was well behaved but i'm gathering this isn't the case since you're posting.

If the house supervisor is aware of it I'm not sure what you can really do besides wait for the chips to fall, what specific concerns do you have?

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 9/23/2019 at 9:49 PM, Sour Lemon said:

I wouldn't even know what to think of that. I've seen a doctor or nurse "stop by" with their child on occasion, and it's very uncomfortable to have children wandering around in employee areas- even for half an hour.

We had a doc who would bring his grandkids while he was Rounding. He actually told a nurse to keep an eye on these kids. She told him nicely, apologetically but firmly that she did not have time, she sort of got in trouble for being truthful. The bosses did tell the doc that he had to leave the kids in the doc's lounge after that.

Doc was absolutely wrong, presumptive.

Too dangerous for kids.

That said, i used to work with a nurse who brought her infant to work on 11 - 7, kept him in a basket under the desk. She was desperate for money and had to work. I guess she had no sitter. Staff were resentful. nurse got promoted and went to Days. She found day care. Some people just don't have family or friends to help, but it is not really right to bring kids to work.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 10/2/2019 at 9:27 PM, MSO4foru said:

Totally being devil's advocate here- how many of you are single moms/ work with single moms? Why is the idea of paid for ( mostly paid for)childcare by an employer such a strange idea???

I was really lucky in that my child's dad ( now my hubby) was always ready and able to look after him. Many people aren't so fortunate. If you have no options, as I didn't and still don't..... and need an income... what are you suppose to do? My family is roughly 3 hrs away and my hubby's family about 10 hrs. We need employers who actually give 2 cents about employees and their needs.

OP wasn't talking about employer-paid child care. She said her coworker brings her child to work on Nights, puts him in a patient room. That doesn't sound like employer-paid child care to me. I apologize if I am wrong.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 9/26/2019 at 11:48 PM, MSO4foru said:

Just wondering - why are people having children before figuring out a few alternatives for child care?

I know plans can fall through, but it really isn't safe or appropriate to bring kids to work when you are a nurse working with patients or are a Sup who has to go to Codes, etc. on the wards.

4
Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 9/26/2019 at 3:36 PM, beachynurse said:

It troubles me to see that in a profession that is supposed to be caring and compassionate for others, we have no compassion for our colleagues. I was fortunate to have had a good support system of friends when my ex-husband went on Navy deployments when my daughter was little, and we had a network of emergency sitters that would back each other up. But what if I didn't have such support? I have seen mothers that have had to bring their children to work with them and make do with what they could creatively come up with for them to have places to sleep and play quietly. I had no problem helping and supporting these single parents with what I could. I helped set up "tents" with blankets, shared meals, played games on my breaks to help with supervision. I would rather help these parents out, and work with a full shift, rather than them call in and work short. The patients on the unit were delighted to see the children and would help read bedtime stories. It was easier to develop a sense of lets help each other out rather than complain about is it fair, or does so and so know about it. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

You were very nice. But what if you didn't have time to play with them? Or what if you worked in a setting where patients were potentially violent? It's just not, IMHO, a good solution. I can see having kids at work in a rare, extreme emergency, but not routinely.

Facilities really need to provide day or night care for kids of employees onsite. not necessarily free, but easy to use. And not just for healthy kids. Sick kids, too, must be accommodated.

This is another reason nurses need to unionize and stand together in solidarity.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment