Would you want your children to go into nursing?

[2rntish]

I have a child that will soon graduate from HS. The topic of carrer choices came up at work...most of my co-workers were suprised that I would not encourage nursing for my child. I will support them 100% if that is what they really want to do. What will you do?

[sallee13]

even on bad days, my cup is over half full. i obviously lucked out in the hospital and unit i work in. come to think of it, before i took this job i worked for several years in a ltc facility that was understaffed and overworked. the building was old and ugly, the food sucked, and the cna's didn't like me half the time. and i still would have recommended the field of nursing. i hope i get a nurse like that if i'm ever in need of care.:)

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

even on bad days, my cup is over half full....

Yes, but my bedpan is over half full! :rotfl:

[weetziebat]

Yes, but my bedpan is over half full! :rotfl:

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

Don't have any kids, but in the state nursing is currently in - combined with the direction health care continues to go - I wouldn't recommend nursing to anyone I cared about.

[xmaxiex]

Yes I would encourage my children to go into nursing . I have learned a great many "life lessons " at work . I have learned :

1. There will always be diffucult people you must learn to master your reaction to them

2. Sometimes the smallest gesture brings the greatest rewards

3. by learning to deal with the unknown , you become better equipped to deal with the changes life will hurdle at you

4. Sometimes you cannot fix everything that is wrong but you can make a moment better for someone else

[hypnotic_nurse]

My daughter decided on her own to go into nursing. And yes, I am supportive.

Her reasons? Her fiancee is in the military and will be moving frequently. She wants to be able to work wherever they go, for a decent wage, and maybe even work only part time after they have a family. Plus she has worked nursing homes and childcare and loved the residents and caretaking in both. And she doesn't take any crap off anyone. So she has the right attitude, the right personality and some very good reasons for her choice.

I've worked in other areas (publishing and teaching) and really, they are all about the same -- you will be overworked and abused if you allow yourself to be. I am neither -- I love my job and am appreciated by the different professionals I work with. When your employer doesn't treat you right, you have to complain where you can be heard (and have suggestions for remedies), or vote with your feet and work somewhere else.

[renerian, BSN, RN]

I am an RN, hubby is and my son and dtr in law are both in nursing school. They know well our troubles.

renerian

[nightingale, RN]

Yes, flexibility, there is always a new field to discover, working with people and having the intense intimacy I have with my patients gives me great joy.

[RNKPCE]

Yes. The flexibility I have been afforded with working part time has been great for our family. I have been very fortunate to have worked at a wonderful hospital ever since I got out of nursing school. There have been bad days but way more good days.

I also have the comfort knowing I will always have a career which is in demand.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Yes........but I'd make sure they knew what they were getting into before putting out MY hard-earned money for nursing school :chuckle

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

If that is what my kids wanted to do, of course I'd support them.

My eldest son is in college to become a teacher. Their pay is not great, they have incredible stress due to government regulations, broken families and kids not prepared to learn, among other things. However, he wants to teach. He wants to coach kids. I support that.

My second son is working in the woods right now trying to figure out what it is exactly that he wants to do with his life. He gets up at 3 a.m. and gets home at 9 p.m. Walks in the door covered with dirt and grease, heads to the shower and then to bed. I'm supporting his choice at this moment but I do hope he chooses college or a tech school or even the military. Working in logging is seasonal and tied to the whims of politicians who don't care about working families.

My daughter wants to be an actress. That scares me but I'm determined to do all I can to introduce her to theatre so she heads in the direction of acting and not CELEBRITY.

Every job has its bad points. There is no nirvana . .

steph

[KrisRNwannabe]

I would never discourage my child or anyone for that matter to go into nursing or anyother job that they wanted to do. when i was picking a major, I picked something that sounded fun and exciting, now 6 years later I have a BS in Geology, and am starting my first semester in clinicals. It took me awhile to realize that I was going no where and making no money to boot. if only I had listened to parents, i may have went to nursing school right of high school. they wanted me to realize that maybe the jobs that are the most fun or whatever may not be all that fun in the end. Now I will have a job that I will enjoy, I will be around people, all kinds of different people, helping people, and i will be able to have kids that won't be in day care all the time. maybe nursing isn't the most glamorous job, but like my sis says (a nurse herself) if she can be appreciated by one pt per day it makes up for all the others that don't. I worked for two years as geologist and was never appreciated. not even when i worked 70+ hours, 7 days a week. i think if you don't like what you do, you should get out. i have been in the hospital a couple times and there is nothing worse than having a nurse who looks like taking care of patients is the last thing they wanted to do. just my opinion

kris