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10 Career Lessons From Dad

What did your dad teach you?

As nurses, it’s your job to take care of people, but who looks after you? When we were children, that was our parents. We always had our dads looking out for us, taking care of us, and protecting us. Whether you’re still daddy’s little girl, or the son that reminds him of himself, you know that a father’s love runs deep. We look up to our dads, admire them, and do everything we can to make them proud.

As kids, our fathers built us cardboard spaceships so we could reach the stars and carried us to safety when we crash landed. Dads guided us through many of life’s milestones, from helping us take our first steps, to teaching us how to drive. We’ve learned a lot from our fathers, not just as kids riding on their shoulders, but as adults in our nursing careers. From practical basics to lessons in philosophy, our father’s advice held true every time.

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So why should it end there? Childhood may be over, but you’ve got a successful nursing career to attend to. Become a better nurse by following career advice from dad:

Money doesn’t grow on trees.

How many times have we heard this growing up? No matter how much we begged for that new toy or asked for an advance on our allowance, our money-conscious dads kept the cash close to heart. But while we may have had to give up a flashy video game or two, we were taught a valuable lesson. We learned (with great disappointment) that money isn’t in endless supply and that its use requires thought. Whether that’s managing our credit card debt, paying off nursing school loans, or commuting to the hospital in the most economical way, it’s certainly a lesson well earned.

No pain, no gain.

Daddy’s tough love theory may have been a little bit harsh for the playground sometimes, but it’s perfect for handling tough patients and endless shifts. We used to skip Sesame Street to put the finishing touches on our Civil War diorama; now we take on extra shifts or go the extra mile for patients in need. Bottom line? Work hard to play hard.

A little dirt never hurt anybody.

Your dad may have been poking fun at your squeamishness — but he had a point. As a nurse, you know how important it is to get hands-on in your day-to-day duties. From cleaning out bedpans, updating charts, to baby-sitting a patient’s child, don’t shy away from the unpleasant parts of nursing; it comes with the territory. Make it through the tough times to get to the happy times like seeing a patient recover, or reuniting a family. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should actually “get your hands dirty” by engaging in sketchy hospital practices! Keep your ethics clean, of course.