I am feeling very conflicted about making a decision in the near future about this, and I would appreciate reliable and honest advice. I am finishing a very difficult 5 year degree, and have wanted a job in healthcare for a long time. I still want to pursue a career part time in what i am studying, which is to be a band and music teacher, and am considering going to nursing school part time during the year and taking summer courses while i teach. I think nursing would be a very rewarding profession, and I think that I would be very happy to be a nurse. I do feel a calling toward a job in the medical field, and I am still young, I am 23 years old, and I feel that if I am going to devote so much more energy, time, and money into a second career I need to decide now.
With everything going on in the United States ( I live in Canada), I am extremely concerned about whether I would actually be able to work as a nurse by the time I graduate or not. I am unapollogetically pro-life, and would never have anything to do with abortion whatsoever. This to me even includes post abortion care. How much trouble will I have? It seems that every hospital that is not a Catholic hospital runs into this situation. I have friends in nursing that tell me that you would jsut work in a different branch of the hospital but then I hear stories about nurses still having to walk away from certain situations having to do with abortion. I would actually really like to work in Cosmetic surgery, but I am not sure how the job market is out there for that. I feel something telling me I should go ahead with it because this is something that I feel I really may be meant to do in my life,, but I will NOT participate in anything to do with abortion ever. My husband has a good career here in Canada, so the chacnes of us moving to another country are slimto none until retirement,
I do not want to start up a debate, I am just an exhausted student who is trying to make a really big decision and is increadibly overwhelmed at what i should do. I really appreciate your responses!
I am a new nurse and definitely pro-life so I think I can offer you some advice on this. I have thought about this subject quite a bit while being in nursing. Currently I am looking for jobs and in order to avoid having to ever deal with an abortion situation I do NOT apply to jobs in the OR, PACU or OBGYN units. If you choose to work in these areas then make sure that it is a religious hospital. You can always call the hospital and ask them. You should be ok otherwise. I understand your concerns but hopefully you will pursue nursing school:) Good luck!!!
As a nursing student in a secular school and hospital system I never had any exposure to abortion or birth control in a clinical setting. Nor have I had the problem on med/surg or cardiology floors. As a pro-life person there may be some issues that come up in your nursing career regarding end-of-life care, but you could probably carve out a career in nursing that doesn't deal with those issues.
I think that music/band teacher sounds like the calling for you, imo.
Hon, nearly 40% of women will have had an abortion by the age of 45.
I honestly would like to say, from my own personal information, that it
is closer to 50%. At my young age, about half of all women that I know
have had an abortion (due to rape, incest, drug use, abuse, being way too
young, mental health, etc.) and those are JUST the ones that trust me enough to open up to me about something so personal in their lives. It just makes me wonder which ones have not yet. Of course statistical percentages like this cannot REALLY be proven on something some private. I am going off my own encounters...and believe me..I know a SOLID variety of women. Christian, black, white, quiet, loud, old, young...everything...the ones that you thought would NEVER have one ....etc. So the above numbers are nothing scientifically proven...just my "say-so" .
Anyhow, I refuse to put a label on myself. We are ALL technically "pro-life"
because we ALL wish that LIFE was ALWAYS the outcome, but unfortunately the world doesn't work perfectly like that, and I have learned it's just ignorant for me to judge others on something I haven't walked a mile in their shoes with.No one EVER said being a woman was easy hon! I'm 23 and I am still just becoming a woman and experiencing some of the suffering and ups and downs. My opinions, attitudes, and personal beliefs have changed a bit in the past few years due to this. For the better though honestly :).
When you get to that point, maybe you can reconsider nursing. Nobody is
saying that you have to perform the procedure or approve of it, but to deny a human being medical care because of your "unapologetic" beliefs, concerns me a LOT.
Inbox.. the op clearly stated she had no problem caring for someone who had an abortion. She just wants to know how she can work as a nurse without taking part in the actual abortion procedure.
I have it too...One of the reasons I like nursing is the task variety.....I made it through school but it was good that I was in an Accelerated BSN. I am afraid boredom would have killed my ability to finish a basic option program.
Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.
I respectfully add this to the above.
You must realize that to be a nurse you must always think of your patient. You can always have your own ideals, but you must rise above all that because you are not the focus when you are at work. It is a slippery slope when you begin to pick and choose who has the right to medical care. You will need to go on the journey we all do and find out a few things you might not have known about yourself, and your ability to care for others :heartbeat
There are many hospitals who promote and support people's beliefs. It's doable. I've had an occasion or two where a patient required an abortion, for the PATIENT'S SAKE....I switched assignments. I cannot participate in the abortive process. So to take better care of this patient, I gave her to another nurse who would be able to facilitate her care without any impediments.
It can be done. You must also make sure a policy is in place to support that so that no one will be confused about YOUR CHOICE.
We have one in my hospital system and no one gave me a hard time...believe me, they tried to...until I pulled up policy. Then they promptly kept quiet.
Inbox.. the op clearly stated she had no problem caring for someone who had an abortion. She just wants to know how she can work as a nurse without taking part in the actual abortion procedure.
She also "clearly" stated this as well:
I am unapollogetically pro-life, and would never have anything to do with abortion whatsoever. This to me even includes post abortion care.
So what's your point? If you are referring to later in the thread, I cannot be bothered with 10+ pages of reading at the moment because I have a lot of studying to do lol.
And for the record, I am pro-life-choice-etc. But even I, do not think I would opt to participate in an elective abortion. So I understand where the OP is coming from.
There are many hospitals who promote and support people's beliefs. It's doable. I've had an occasion or two where a patient required an abortion, for the PATIENT'S SAKE....I switched assignments. I cannot participate in the abortive process. So to take better care of this patient, I gave her to another nurse who would be able to facilitate her care without any impediments.
So it's a non-elective procedure that you imply is to save the pt's life and your belief set won't allow you to care for her. Interesting. Seems incredibly hypocritical to me.
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nurse901
120 Posts
I am a new nurse and definitely pro-life so I think I can offer you some advice on this. I have thought about this subject quite a bit while being in nursing. Currently I am looking for jobs and in order to avoid having to ever deal with an abortion situation I do NOT apply to jobs in the OR, PACU or OBGYN units. If you choose to work in these areas then make sure that it is a religious hospital. You can always call the hospital and ask them. You should be ok otherwise. I understand your concerns but hopefully you will pursue nursing school:) Good luck!!!