10 Signs You’re Being Raised by a Nurse

There are lots of nurses in my family, including my mother, who has been a nursery nurse for almost 40 years. So I know a thing or two about being raised by a nurse…

Britta-Perry

Seriously?!?

You have to be bleeding to death or unconscious to go to the emergency room. When my dad started complaining of chest pain in the middle of the night and said he wanted to go to the ER, my mom warned him that it better not be his gallbladder. Halfway to the ER, she made him go back home so she could get her scrubs… you know, ’cause she worked the next day :/  Needless to say, it was not his gallbladder. You guessed it, he was having a heart attack.  I’m so glad he’s still around to not let her live that one down…Oh, and she didn’t notify any of her kids until the next morning, because “he didn’t die”, so she didn’t want to wake us up. I found out from a coworker who called me and said she was praying for our family :/

Dinner conversations are graphic. Think your day was bad?!? Asking a nurse about their day prompts a story that is borderline perverse and grotesque.  Hands down, their.day.was.worse. Trust me.  And anyone who has ever eaten with a nurse knows that eventually the weirdest, grossest, craziest, and best parts of their day will be retold ❤

You have a healthy fear of coming within a 15 foot radius of them when they get home from work. You may not be sure if you can even get HIV or Hep B that way… But you’ll stay over here just the same.  At least until they strip down and bathe in 103 degree water.  It’s weird how they rarely get sick or worry about catching whatever their patient is trying to dish out, but they are very concerned about passing anything to you. 

They have almost any medication you could ever need in their medicine cabinet (or purse).  You know, just in case there’s an apocalypse, or a sudden national shortage of Amoxicillin.  It may be 3 years old, but hey, they have it if you need it 🙂 Have a headache? We got you covered. Upset stomach? Here you go. Nauseated? Here’s just what you need…

They work weird days of the week, and their schedules are made 3 months in advance.  And if your parent is a nurse, asking them to try to switch with someone at work is like asking them to go to the dentist, for a root canal, for fun.  They make it to 50% of soccer games, dance recitals, and school holiday parties. You know, because most nurses work every other weekend!

They have a lot of “bring-a-dish” parties. Of course, someone has to sign up for drinks and paper plates 🙂 But nurses love food!  They could go into a carb-coma at any of these parties, it’s like a feast of every type of carb… alfred-eisenstaedt-evelyn-mott-playing-nurse-with-doll-as-parents-adjust-children-to-abnormal-conditions-in-wartime Medical terminology is their terminology.  My daughter doesn’t say she has “bad poops.” She will come to me and say she has diarrhea. Then she’ll tell me what color it is, and what she ate before getting her upset stomach.  And she’s nine.  Her brother has a penis, babies come out of vaginas, and when she’s nauseated she tells me she’s going to vomit. She must have heard it from a nurse…

Someone at their work is probably collecting money for someone—or something.  Every week nurses are scrounging around for money for a wedding or a funeral, or needing a gift for someone who is going to have a baby (or a grandbaby).  It’s just what they do.

Their kids, friends, neighbors and strangers ask them for all sorts of medical advice.  Growing up, I was never afraid to ask my nurse mom absolutely anything.  From girlie problems, sex questions, to bathroom issues—nothing was off limits.  In fact…have a question?  Just ask a nurse!

They can handle any kind of crazy their kids could ever think about dishing out.  Because however crazy their kids may act—they’ve seen that kind of crazy and MUCH worse from a past patient.  If you were raised by a nurse, they can handle your kind of crazy. Nurses know how to de-escalate all kinds of situations 🙂

Until my next delivery ❤

10 Signs You’re the Parent of a Newborn

 



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201 replies

  1. So funny and so true. Oncology nurse for 34 years. Love being a nurse and we are truly hard to impress with our families symptoms and after spending time with.2 dramatic daughters My neighbors and friends are always on the phone or showing up with weird ailments. Life is never dull. Wouldn’t change it for anything.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yep. Hospice nurse. If you’re gonna complain like you mean it, YOU’D better be dying. LOL

      Liked by 1 person

      • I’m a Hospice nurse on overnights. When you literally care for people end staging every single shift, it’s incredibly hard to feel sorry for the man flu. 😉

        Liked by 2 people

    • I have to say this brings back so many memories , My kids still say to this day -they could never be sick cause I would out them. They said if they came in and had cut their arm off, I would say -Ahh that ain’t so bad -Put a bandaid on it and go on. also because I worked in Trauma ICU they could never have skateboards, motorcycles, skates, bicycles and had to be in the other county if some one had a chain saw.

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      • If the kids tried to malinger from school, they seldom succeeded. Got called to school one day because my daughter had a “fever” (nurse used a temp strip on her forehead after she came in from recess, and was hot and sweaty). I arrived with a thermometer in my pocket, took her temp, and made her go back to class.

        Husband got a lacerated arm while at work, and when he came home from ER, didn’t want me to look at it because it would “upset” me. I was worried, until I took the bandage off and said “Oh, that’s not so bad!”. Then critiqued the doctor’s stitch work.

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    • Haaaa! Family practice here! My husband cut his palm and cut through a vessel that spurted!!! Lol. I padded it wrapped and taped it and called the ER and made him take himself,…. Cause I had to work!!!!

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    • Too True! My 3 year old grandaughter got a little choked and told her mom that the food “went down the wrong tube” cuz you know there are two tubes–one for “breevin” and one the food goes down.” My daughter said-“gee wonder where she got that?”

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    • This is so true. I was raised by an OR nurse. She work ER too. I am a CST. But the graphic dinner conversations made me lol, as I didn’t realize that everyone didn’t talk about such things! teeheehee…

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  2. It’s not that she’d bring home whatever was in her pockets. It’s that our family doc trusted her to not give out unless absolutely necessary. Needless to say she had samples for all sorts of stuff and even a dry amoxicillin for years.

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  3. That covers it here at my house too! My sons had to bleed on the driveway or in the yard …I had white wall to wall carpeting in my house for years … (no I didn’t take leave of my senses, carpet came with the house).

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  4. I am a nurse for 7.5 hours a day, after that I am not interested. Work stays at work with me.

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    • Same here, Anonymous. And I always encourage a trip to the E.R. Better to be safe than sorry.

      Liked by 2 people

    • I was a nurse 24/7 and 9 hrs/day clocked in + on-call (not officially,only after a considerable amount of begging). Mandatory nap upon arrival at home. My family listening patiently while I vented, poor kids, at the dinner table. These are only a few hazards of being raised by a nurse.

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    • You must not be a nurse at heart. It must just be a job to you.

      Liked by 3 people

      • This was meant for the nurse who said that she was not interested after her 7.5 hours.

        Liked by 4 people

      • So because she can leave work at work and not drag everyone else into her career choice she’s not a nurse at heart? Ridiculous. I made my career choice and I love my job but nurses need to learn how to drop it at the door.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Leaving work at work is actually a self-care strategy. No one would question whether an engineer, accountant, or even a physician should be one “at heart.” Nursing is a profession, too, just like those.

        Liked by 2 people

    • Wow…. I don’t think I could just switch off like that. It’s a vocation for me. Always worrying about others but not to the extent of my own detriment.

      With regards to the article saying we know 3 months in advance about our shifts erm I usually only know 2 weeks max what I’m working!

      Wouldn’t change my job at all, love it.

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  5. Yep can sure relate to that. M y poor kids xx

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  6. In this career for 40+ and it made me laugh out loud! Thanks

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  7. i must have been born a nurse because I’m only a nursing student and I do this to my kids. Although the gross/scary/crazy parts of a nurse’s day are often the best parts. Also: if you are having an actual emergency or just to go to urgent care, a nurse will get you where you need to go without fuss.

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  8. I am a nurse and when I was having trouble getting my boys to do their homework I bribed them by teaching them to draw blood. They were 7 and 11 at the time and we’re intrigued by the process. It worked.

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  9. A Trauma Nurse for 25 years and I am banned from talking about work at family meals and functions with non Nursing friends.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Reblogged this on Xstina Marie and commented:
    This is a good read!

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  11. It’s called HIPPA people!

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  12. I’ve been a nurse for 26 years, loved this read. So true made me laugh out loud!😃 My daughter gets asked if she is a nurse now.😃I guess it rubbed off.

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  13. Made me also lol. Been a nurse for over 30 years. Can relate to comments.

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  14. Lol! So true, seen it, heard it, done it! Even the nurse comments correcting other nurses! Ha, Fabulous career that allowed me to work, raise my kids, and give back. Always knew what I’d be too. Looking ahead to retirement but I’ll never stop being a nurse.

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  15. So true, I was raised by two nurses… this is like the story of my life!

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  16. I agree the author is right on target!!

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  17. Have been an ICU nurse for 16 years and can totally relate to all.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I am reblogging this at http://www.equipoiselife.wordpress.com
    I have been an operating room nurse for over 35 years — I laughed and cried when I read this. Pegged my life except that I wear scrubs so the coming home feeling contaminated never happens although I have been known to shower at work after a particularly “icky” case.
    I will be exploring your blog further. Thanks for a good read that really resonated with me.
    Bernie

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  19. I love everything about this!! Lol, our kids will never want for information thats for sure 🙂

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  20. Reblogged this on equipoiselife and commented:
    It could be seen as a cheater blog except that her article really spoke to me. I laughed and I had tears in my eyes so I think she nailed it.

    My mother was a nurse so I was raised in this fashion. Then I became a nurse and raised two children. Heck for me not even full out blood sent you for stitches. As an operating room nurse I carry a few outdated or surplus supplies so can provide emergency care in the field. I always said though that I didn’t have x-ray eyes and so if the kid thought it was broke we went and usually it turned out it was broken!

    The only one of her ten items that didn’t apply to our household was staying away until the nurse had showered in scalloping water. I have the “privilege” of wearing scrubs so always come home feeling like I left my work germs for someone else to wash. I have been known to have a shower at work after a particularly “icky” case.

    I had one child who could handle the medical talk while the other one was quite disgusted by it. My brother can’t even handle the smell of the hospital let alone stories that come home from there! If the vet had to come out to do something for our dairy cattle both he and my father left the barn and I became the second pair of hands which was just all right with me. No surprise I ended up where I did.

    I have taken a lot of food to work over the years for potlucks which was noted in her entry as “bring a dish” party. I had forgotten that the word potluck isn’t universally used. My family were often annoyed that I made some amazing baking or an entree that they didn’t get to taste! I always said I would bring leftovers home but the work lounge must have some kind of underground network as every doctor, resident and med students show up when the nurses have cooked. The paper plates and cutlery that she mentioned — those are always brought by the same people. The ones who are too busy to cook.

    As a child I never appreciated the fact that my mom worked all night but stayed up when she got home to make breakfast and see us off to school. As a parent I missed a few key events but I also raised independent children as they learned to share at day care and later learned to cook supper with the note left on the counter. They grew up knowing that my phone might ring in the middle of the night even if I wasn’t on call and dad would “have to do” because mom was helping to save someone’s life. I wouldn’t change a thing.

    Bernie

    Liked by 1 person

    • ❤ my mom always made us breakfast too xxx

      Liked by 1 person

      • I imagine there isn’t a nurse out there that ever has enough sleep! I manage my menopausal insomnia now like it was a shift of call and often go to work on little or no sleep which is what I did when I worked evenings (with night call so can be a 16 hour shift) and then home for a day with toddlers. Nap for all at nap time and off to work as they went to day care! Being a nurse has taught us how to manage being a mother. I’m looking forward to reading more of your blog — if you stop back in at mine read the post called Rant and then the Rant Review one as they will both resonate with you I am sure.

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  21. My mother was the best nurse I’ve ever known. She wanted me to be a doctor. When I was nine I ventured to say that I thought perhaps I might possibly some day want to become a nurse. My mother looked me dead in the eye and said seriously, “Darling, if you ever decide that you think you want to become a nurse…I’ll break both your arms.”
    I became a teacher. And a chaplain.
    But now, 35 years later, I’ve got my nurses’ aide license so I can…wait for it…take care of her! And my mother-in law. And also a few nursing home residents as a per-diem. She says I do OK, but even I bring home the good, the bad, and the ugly from my day. I have six kids and they’re all growing up using medical terms. At least I never have to wonder….

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    • ChaplainDeb-
      That is hilarious-I tell my daughter all the time: don’t be a nurse – go work at the bank like Daddy. I love being a nurse but a lot of it is terrible too! Not great pay, on my feet most of the day, scheduling nightmares! Hope she listens 🙂

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  22. Haha I love this , the only difference for me is I work 4 weekend out of 5 . I’m a nurse of 24 years married to a nurse . My mum was a nurse my brother is a nurse , no hope for our offspring !

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  23. Hilarious!! You forgot one: She brings home old instrument trays to USE AS A PIZZA TRAY!!!!

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  24. Have to laugh at and share this one. My wife and I are both nurses. My daughter has it tough . .

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  25. yes, have to admitt being guilty of a lot of these already… probably the rest too as soon as i have kids? awesome, you made me spit out my coffee by laughing so hard ^^

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  26. As a husband of a nurse who’s mother and father were both nurses meal times were nauseating and the medical terminology confusing, but after 50 years she has retired to drive me insane with constant order of procedure on the most mundane of tasks. Probably they all get indoctrinated and trained by a dictator.

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  27. My sister and I are both nurses, we went through LPN school together, and graduated 33years ago, she has since become an RN. I was 18 and my sister was 20. together and separately we have many embarrassing moments during school together. (and during our long careers as well)
    The funniest thing that I remember happened when we were in school together (we were still living with our parents) was when Daddy (poor thing) had a vasectomy and we came home from nursing school, so full of enthusiasim for our new knowledge. We went into our parents room to check on Daddy after his ORDEAL, and my sister, not thinking, says……..OH! can I see the dressing?! It shocked my poor Daddy almost right out of the bed!! Yelling “NO!!” and “Get out of Here” (at the top of his lungs,) My sister was so embarrassed!! Because…….as y’all know, in school, we’re supposed to take Every opportunity to learn. We found out that…..this did NOT extent to some situations, especially at home!! Big faux pas!! Poor Daddy was traumatized!!
    Mealtimes was really a treat too,talking about all the things we learned that day after school. Then we both worked in the ER and various other areas that were equally “gross”. (Mom was ok, but Daddy had a hard time…weak stomach)
    We always say people never believe us when we talk about the weird stuff we and our friends have seen, all we can say is……..”You Can’t Make Up This Stuff!!”
    Never was blessed to have children so wasn’t able to “corrupt” them, but, all my friends are nurses and I got to help with their kids!!!! HaHa!! (none of them seem too warped, of course, I am known as “the twisted sister” so…….what do I know?!)

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Spot on! My mom was a L&D night nurse for 50 years (passed away 13 years ago ) and I remember most all these… especially the second one!!!

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  29. So very true! I worked in a remote community and my son knew what a condom was when he was about 3 (his knowledge of placement was correct, the function of the condom, not so much LOL) His anatomy was anatomy-his arm was an arm, his penis, a penis. He too knew the terminology. With my first son, he would ask if he needed to wear his “stack hat” when riding his skateboard (he was 4) I told him no, but that if he fell and fractured his skull, I wasn’t going to take him to the ER as it was my day off-my brother in law told me that I couldn’t say that to him, I disagreed- two minutes later my son came to ask if I could help him lock in his stack hat-he was taught the possible consequences to his choice, he chose to wear it-without argument! I see it as a win win.

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  30. Absolutely love this- not only because I am a nurse but so is my husband. Our children are 17 and 13. The one thing that our daughter asked us to get for her car (it was her b-day present this year) is a first aide kit. Our 13 year old never hesitates to sign us up or volunteer us to be “camp nurses” or some other group nurses. If someone is bleeding they go on the hunt for superglue then a bandaide. Each of them know right where the stethoscope are kept. And both have told us that there is NO way they are going to go into the healthcare field when they “grow up”

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  31. This is so true. I’m a nurse and so is my daughter and just the other night her 12 year old daughter had had
    enough while we were eating out. She said, ” you two are killing me. I can’t even enjoy my meal.” We apologized and stopped talking shop, only to slip right back at in a few minutes. We thought we were being slick by using nursing terminology. She then threw her hands up in exasperation, saying, ” You may think you are talking in code but I still understand you.”

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  32. I really enjoyed this, especially the vocabulary. My children had borborygmus, they eructated, they experienced flatulence…they loved all the medical words and used them at school. In fact, one of my daughter’s went to school with someone who had a name that sounded like “jock itch” and that’s what all his friends called him. She called him tinea cruris. Okay…so we are a family of nerds, but we had fun with it!

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  33. 34 years as an RN and still loving it!

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  34. Reblogged this on Our Life With 3 Boys and commented:
    This is funny, yet oh so true! Sometimes being a nurse while raising children is a blessing, other times not so much!

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  35. And they’re a great source of cautionary tales: My wife is an ICU nurse and the kids now now why you don’t drink and drive…anything (Cars, boats, ski-doos etc), don’t abuse drugs, don’t weigh 500 pounds. Basically they know that what you do now will probably come back to bite you in the butt down the road, health wise.

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  36. We have a tackle box at home and even bring it to our son football games.

    Liked by 1 person

  37. That first one speaks poorly of nurses. She’s lucky her husband didn’t die, as a nurse she should know better than to blow off chest pain. I didn’t even want to read the rest after that. That’s shear neglect and burn out.

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  38. hahaha too funny! My mum is a nurse and this is my childhood in a nutshell!

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  39. Oh my gosh yes about the terminology! I took my four year old to the zoo, and upon seeing the backside of the orangutans, she yelled ” Mommy, their hemorrhoids are bad !” And she was proud to admonish her Grandpa who told her to get her booty covered up. Much to my embarrassment, she said ” I have a vagina, not a booty”. Ahh, memories!

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  40. CNA’s as well my sons call me before calling the Doctor. A good healthcare worker never panics, just responses.

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  41. If your a career nurse or not it doesn’t matter. I am a nurse and I don’t just she’d my clothes and be done with it after my 13 hrs at work. Anyone who has a family is a 24hr nurse. Educated or not….by time you raise your family you will be. You may not talk like you do at work etc….but the skills and assessing every situation are always there. So I seriously can’t believe you can drop it at the end of your shift. If you can I hope you can pick it back up when an emergency happens right in front of you. God bless our career nurses and the nurse’s who take care of their families.

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  42. I am a retired nurse. It is the only job I ever wanted, I loved doing what I did and I wouldn’t change a thing. There is no way I could leave my job at the door. As a result my daughter is an RN,and my granddaughter is a nurse. Bothe of my sons are in the medical field. It’s all in the family.

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  43. I was a Unit Secretary foe 35 yrs and I have lots of stories too.

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  44. I have an RN friend who has a mom who is an RN, and 3 sisters who are also RNs. At holiday dinners they are put at a separate table instead of the kids, because they always talk shop…they can’t help themselves.

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  45. So Funny! Shared it for my children. Asked if they had forgiven me for the tomato-uterus demonstrated analogy and my 44 year old daughter said, “Not quite yet”. 🙂 lol.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I worked surgery, so the kids knew they had to be hemorrhaging or unconscious to get me out of the OR. But it’s been a great bonding tool with the grandkids, too. A 4 year old grandson had a sore throat and was seen at the clinic. He called me later and said, “Where Were You! This lady stuck a stick in my mouth!” Even 16 years later he called me asking how to stop the spasms in an injured muscle. Another grandson asked some sex-ed questions, older granddaughter asked about birth control. So thankful they feel so comfortable to ask! After 48 years as an OB, Peds, cardiac, psych, school nurse and nurse educator and raising 3 homegrown and one adopted successful and service oriented adults, I wouldn’t change a thing. TYG.

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  46. I’m a nurse that was raised by a nurse. It was inevitable that nursing would be my life. My playground was the doctor’s office where she worked until I was 13 (that doctor delivered me). The hallway had a slope and I had a rolling stool…imagine the possibilities! I thought an X-ray film was the neatest thing. I learned about needles the hard way, from my mother, who gave me shots when I got sick and no amount or crying or pleading, begging, or screaming would stop her. My 11 year old son was recently devastated to learn, from my 9 year old HFA son, that he came out of my vagina and not out of my stomach like he thought. You always know the nurse’s kids by the what they talk about. How many kids know all about their immune system when they’re four? My mother started working ICU 25 years ago. I started in Pedi and now I’m in the Nursery. I call my mom on my way home; it’s a long drive and sometimes I need to talk. My husband was raised by two nurses so he was already broken in. I love nursing; I loved nursing school. I’m teaching my boys to respect our profession and what we do. Tomorrow is Nurse’s Day-Happy Nurse’s Day to an awesome group of people that I am proud to be a part of.

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  47. I was raised by a nurse and everything that the writers spoke of in this article is true. She passed away on 11/26/99. I miss her more than any one on the world, The one of many things she did was give me the best advice and also taught me medical terminology. She took such great of her family. She was a selfless woman who would always tell you the truth in a loving way, She was a genuine people person, I could never ever fit into her shoes as I grew up. She was educated and was so talented, There is no one on this planet that could do the miracles that she performed. People that are raised by nurses, it is true that Nurses do it better!!!!

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  48. This post made me LOL! I grew up with two nurses for parents and have always been very matter of fact about medical stuff,and definitely never had any sympathy unless a it was super serious! My placement mentors are often surprised by my use of terminology and I have to say rather than this being a result of my training, it has just been a part of my upbringing! My mum tried her very best to put me off nursing but to no avail, I finish my nursing degree in a few weeks and I love it! X

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