Bring Your Child to Work Day: Should you do it? This is a little difficult question to answer. There are some considerations to be made before making a decision about participating in this special day. -
-
The age of your daughter is important. 9-10 years of age is about the right age to consider participating. Working as a nurse, your daughter will need to remain alone in the nurse’s station or break area for a good portion of your shift, so there needs to be enough maturity there to sit quietly and entertain herself. How long is your shift? A twelve-hour shift is too long for more children. Perhaps arranging for a half day visit is a better option, again, age is a factor.
Teens If you have a teenage daughter, she may benefit more from a day at work with you, especially if she has an interest in a medical career. Use your free time during the day to show your daughter around, and let her get a good idea of what mom or dad does during working hours. If there are small tasks during the day that others need help with, maybe she can volunteer, it’s good experience and can be helpfulto your coworkers. Some things to keep in mind, your daughter is not a hospital employee so unless she obtains volunteer status for the day, she will not be able to access any patient information or records, which means any type of paperwork or patient information. Related: Patients on Dialysis A Daughter-to-Work-Day True Story Lyndsey was a 15-year-old very typical teen according to her mom. Her heart was set on being a model, that was all she talked about. Her parents were not happy that she wanted no part of college, but she had her mind made up modeling was her destiny. It was take your daughter to work day, and Carol invited Lyndsey to accompany her as a nurse. Lyndsey went so she could get out of school for the day, however it turned out to be so much more. Lyndsey said she had no idea what a hospital was like, and how so many people were patients. She visited the pediatric floor and met a girl that was also 15, and being treated for cancer. Her outlook on life took on a whole new meaning that day. Lindsey cried, smiled, laughed, and walked away with a very different outlook on career choices. She began doing volunteer work at the hospital, and at age 18, made her parents very happy
by attending college. Lyndsey went on to become a pediatrician that specialized in cancer care, and at age 28 she is working at Shriners Hospital, and is one of the children's favorite doctors. Lindsey said she often wondered what life would have been like had she not gone to daughter to work day, but none the less, she is very glad she did. You never really know what an impact it may have on a young person to be exposed to an environment of sick and injured people, especially if they see children near their own age. The best thing to do is weigh out the options, consider your daughters age, and level of maturity. Then, can she handle what she may be exposed to, or is there a way to shield her from anything that may prove to be too extreme. If you reach the conclusion it would be ok for her to attend, make sure you clear it with appropriate departments at the hospital, which is usually Human Resources and your department supervisor. Use the day as a bonding and learning experience. Asking several times throughout the day if your daughter is doing ok, and making sure she is comfortable in the environment. At day's end, on the ride home extend a question and answer time. She may have questions regarding illness or even death, this can be a great time to cover the subjects in question. Many young people do not get the opportunity to experience a hospital environment, so this could be a very valuable experience, especially if they follow up in school with essays on their dayand experience. Related: Leading Registered Nurse, Linda K. Tilley, RN, will be Announced in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter