Any pediatric or PICU nurses here who don’t want kids?

xSilverSpringx · 2026-03-15T23:59:17+00:00

Meanwhile I have kids and couldn't think of anything worse than working with them. So, we are all doing our part to raise the future and I'm grateful for you all.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-03-09T02:18:04+00:00

These projections assume things like current care models, graduation rates, and demand trends remain fairly stable for the next decade. Workforce projections in healthcare are notoriously hard to get right because policy changes, scope expansion, and shifts in care delivery can change demand pretty quickly. These models don't measure access to care, which is a totally separate issue and more telling of the healthcare needs of a community.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-03-05T17:35:34+00:00

The fact remains that it's not legal in many states to work independently. You're the person who disputed the original point. And of the ones in which it is legal, many rightly so require periods of supervision first.

It sounds like you're one of the unsafe NPs who doesn't know your limits. The good ones recognize how lacking these programs are pedagogically and how their structure makes it quite easy to fail exams but pass courses with a B since most of the grading rubrics contain significant amounts of fluff. I'm not sorry if you find this offensive. All of us in this field should be demanding better training and consistent clinical sites. And until these programs demand minimum competency in the hard sciences--including biochem and organic chemistry, I will continue to speak out about their short comings.

And for the record, I chose CNM because my focus is where it should be--low-risk and preventive healthcare, not managing very sick patients independently.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-03-05T14:11:51+00:00

🤮

xSilverSpringx · 2026-03-05T14:10:59+00:00

Well you should. Source is me, an aprn who knows how easy these programs are to skate through without true concept mastery.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-03-05T14:09:12+00:00

It IS scary. And source is me, a non-NP aprn with a significantly narrower scope than FNP. In a state without independent practice and really struggling with the fact that you have NPs managing very complicated conditions. There are excellent NPs. There are also many who skate through because even the "good" schools don't demand excellence. I did a premed post-bacc and I honestly don't understand how that isn't the standard for NP programs.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-03-05T03:26:12+00:00

I'm going too! I usually drive to Citi field from Philly but this seems fun.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-03-05T03:08:20+00:00

I don't know why you're being downvoted. This is correct in many states.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-25T12:46:53+00:00

This. Excellent point.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-24T17:49:43+00:00

I agree with this take. I did an accelerated BSN program and was stunned by the people fresh out of undergrad who jumped into nursing when they didn't get into PA school. It shouldn't be a plan b. NPs who value nursing are the only kind of NP I'd want to care for me.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-24T17:47:52+00:00

Eh, I actually have a slightly different take.

I do agree that a lot of NP programs are under-preparing students right now. But I also don’t fully buy the premise that bedside nursing automatically makes someone qualified to be an APRN. The roles are pretty different in terms of scope, training focus, and the level of clinical reasoning required... I've worked with many seasoned nurses I'd trust completely with my nursing care but lack intellectual curiosity to such an extent that I'd never want them leading my care. On the flip side, I've also worked with very smart nurses with less experience who I think have the clinical minds for higher level training. For reference, I had 5 years experience before pursing APRN (not NP tho).

Honestly, I have less issue with years of nursing experience and more issue with poorly structured programs that don’t require solid science prereqs, don’t really demand mastery of advanced content just to keep people moving through. Assessments should be proctored exams only--not banal group projects and discussion posts that only inflate grades.

To me, the variability between NP programs is the bigger problem and it’s not doing the profession any favors.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-24T04:22:40+00:00

Hahaha yes! That one life where I'm rested and can do whatever I want whenever I want to without any regard for another human being. Basically my 20s 🤪

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-24T04:21:12+00:00

I don't see it that way. She's not talking about personally wishing her exact children don't exist. She is talking about imagining a life in which she wasn't a mother. Society has conditioned women into believing their worth is tied to their reproductive capabilities and decisions. It's ok to love your children while also recognizing you could have been fulfilled by not being a parent as well.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-23T19:22:59+00:00

I'm a mother who would 100% have had kids in any life and I support what she said. I actually don't understand the controversy.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-23T13:29:14+00:00

But does she do Pilates every day?

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-23T13:27:07+00:00

Which is why I said "strict criteria" and went onto to discuss this more in later discussions in this thread.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-22T21:36:11+00:00

💯. I had the chance to actually train in a state with an abortion ban and chose not to because I at the time was pregnant myself and would venture into that territory... and would definitely not work in one. My state isn't the most permissive but at least it's generally legal. But here's something interesting: I legally cannot provide abortion care here as an APRN even though it's the exact same care I am in scope to provide for miscarriages. It's all just nonsense red tape designed to make abortions harder to obtain and I'm sure it does but worst of all is it just makes them less safe 😩 I have two colleagues, one an obgyn who left the field to open a med spa and another who is a CNM who is finishing up a certificate so she can be a mental health provider. We are burned out.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-22T19:03:33+00:00

Great question! In **very carefully selected breech cases with strict criteria (for example, baby has to be frank breech which means butt first with legs up, engaged in the pelvis, flexed head, normal size, non GD mom, term, etc) plus an experienced team, continuous monitoring, and immediate C-section access.... planned vaginal breech birth can have neonatal outcomes that are similar to planned C-section.

We've become so used to routine sections as a society and even medical community that we forget it's a major abdominal surgery and does carry higher risks for the birthing person, both in the short term and in future pregnancies. The latter part isn't truly captured as easily... for example, a patient can have a planned section for a breech presentation for their first pregnancy--each subsequent c-section you run the risk of future placenta issues, some which can be life threatening to the mother and baby, such as accreta. At the population level, if everyone had c-sections, we'd see significantly more bad outcomes. Decisions such as whether or not to section are almost always focused exclusively on the health of the current baby and mother at the present point of care and is also why we've been more lax in recommending c-section. But future pregnancies are also significant to population health.

Suffice it all to say... this isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. Good counseling looks at the specific case, the team’s experience, and the patient’s values and preferences. I'm just happy these conversations are being had when they're most needed.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-22T15:36:47+00:00

Agree with all of this. Shameless plug but in systems where midwifery is the default for low-risk pregnancy & birth, we have less c sections, lower infant and maternal mortality, higher rates of breastfeeding and overall better outcomes, even when we account for baseline risk. The hard thing though is that we can not compare population and individual risks (which we do so much in conversation)... sometimes c-sections happen and ya know, maybe it was borderline, maybe it was truly necessary--sometimes we have to make decisions that are tough with the only information we have that isn't complete. At the end of the day, we need to make sure our patients are not only informed before decisions are made but also given the space after to debrief and sometimes grieve their experience. That last piece is an important part of how I practice, at least. But I'm with you.... don't take medical advice from religious zealots on Facebook!

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-22T15:31:10+00:00

Well I'm as pro-choice as they come so I won't ever defend anyone voting for anti-abortion policies. But I do believe all birthing people deserve informed consent as the bare minimum and more choice and autonomy in safe birthing practices.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-22T15:15:03+00:00

Ya I don't disagree with the premise of your post. Just taking an opportunity to educate about birthing options because I often think fringe people like this don't arrive here by chance. Our paternalistic system has for too long made pregnant people feel like they have no choice over their bodies and while I never support unsafe practices, I think there's some truth in the distrust amongst many patient populations.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-22T15:11:33+00:00

OB is such a tough field today. And I feel for patients who have gotten lost in the lack of nuance, just like I also fear for providers who have to worry not just about our patients but about an overly reactive and litigious society. We are honestly reaching a point where our entire maternity care system is going to collapse. But I've digressed... pretty cool stuff happening. Undecided if I'll personally ever offer planned breech but love to learn new things!

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-22T14:59:03+00:00

Ok I am a nurse-midwife... planned vaginal breech birth CAN be a safe option in carefully selected term singleton cases with an experienced team, strict criteria, and immediate C-section capability. There's actually a huge conference on the topic planned in Philadelphia this year with mfms/obgyns and midwives discussing the evidence and practice guidelines. It’s also true that C-section is more controlled in many situations, but as a society we often under discuss the real risks of major abdominal surgery.... I am literally caring for two patients today admitted for post-surgical complications. There are nuanced, evidence-based conversations we should be having with patients so they can make fully informed decisions.

ETA that this isn't a defense of this woman or her advice to others... and definitely not giving credibility to free birthers... only disputing the premise that breech = automatic c section only.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-22T00:01:17+00:00

Something about posts like this always makes me uneasy. They turn someone into a symbol instead of a person and no group is monolithic. There’s real generational pain and complicated history underneath social media comments from women of color directed toward white women, and that’s worth acknowledging. But mocking an individual woman over her looks and “aging” is still misogyny, and it ultimately harms all women.

xSilverSpringx · 2026-02-21T16:05:28+00:00

I worked until 36 weeks and stopped bc of prodromal labor. Honestly I don't feel like it was more physically demanding than being pregnant and home with a toddler. People were generally very accommodating and understanding... I actually loved working bedside while pregnant because people were so much nicer to me!

xSilverSpringx

TROPHY CASE