Michaela & Brandon Keilen 5: She Goes By Michaela

[imokit]

Paediatric nursing isn't just cute babies and toddlers unless you do nicu or work on a specialised ward in a specialist children's hospital.

You can't hide from the gays/abortionists in paeds.

In a general hospital a paediatric ward will have a mix of ages. On my 23 bed ward there is nearly always at least one teenager admitted with self harm waiting for a mental health review.   There are often transgender teens or LGBT teens.

There is also a lot of talk about child protection.  Doing paediatrics would mean Michael confronting issues of parental autonomy.  What is and isn't ok.  What needs to be reported.  Child protection goes against fundamentalist values of parents (father) always being right and allowed to discipline/raise their children as they wish.

An adult in hospital may be gay, but probably won't be flinging it around the way a troubled a teenager would.  It can be easier not to notice the things you disagree with in patients on adult wards.

[Melissa1977]

23 hours ago, imokit said:

Paediatric nursing isn't just cute babies and toddlers unless you do nicu or work on a specialised ward in a specialist children's hospital.

You can't hide from the gays/abortionists in paeds.

In a general hospital a paediatric ward will have a mix of ages. On my 23 bed ward there is nearly always at least one teenager admitted with self harm waiting for a mental health review.   There are often transgender teens or LGBT teens.

There is also a lot of talk about child protection.  Doing paediatrics would mean Michael confronting issues of parental autonomy.  What is and isn't ok.  What needs to be reported.  Child protection goes against fundamentalist values of parents (father) always being right and allowed to discipline/raise their children as they wish.

An adult in hospital may be gay, but probably won't be flinging it around the way a troubled a teenager would.  It can be easier not to notice the things you disagree with in patients on adult wards.

Unless she works for a very conservative doctor/hospital. Big hospitals cannot avoid the issues you stated, but I wonder what happens with a small hospital in a extremely conservative rural area.

As for Michaela having to change her beliefs due to her nursing job, if she's truly convinced she's not going to change. For decades, nuns worked in hospitals in my area (including very sick children as patients) and their job didn't make them less fundie. They were known by their coldness. 

 

[JermajestyDuggar]

Maybe Michael will get “lucky” and find a super conservative fundie pediatrician to work for. You know, a quack like Patrick Johnston (TAM’s husband) would probably be a fundie nurse dream job. ?

[SassyPants]

A smaller hospital would likely not have a booming pediatric department. Most children get treated in big centers or in specialized children’s hospitals. Also, picu and Nicu patients are quite sick. This would not be similar to enjoying time in the company of children. I think a medical office might better suit the bill. 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Michael and Brandon are having a Black Friday sale, if you want baby gear, homemade ornaments, or an illustrated children’s book about a medieval quest.

[ColeJo]

I'm not very familiar with the nursing field, but specialized areas like the NICU typically require a BSN. I think Michaela is working to become an LPN. I can only speak for my area, but I don't see them anywhere besides home care and assisted living. One of my local health systems do not seem to utilize LPNs or even MAs as much because they hire RNs. Employers prefer registered nurses having a BSN.

[SassyPants]

1 hour ago, ColeJo said:

I'm not very familiar with the nursing field, but specialized areas like the NICU typically require a BSN. I think Michaela is working to become an LPN. I can only speak for my area, but I don't see them anywhere besides home care and assisted living. One of my local health systems do not seem to utilize LPNs or even MAs as much because they hire RNs. Employers prefer registered nurses having a BSN.

I’m a retired Nicu nurse in CA. I also have a BSN, and many RNs only have AA degrees, but that doesn’t prevent them from ICU work in my state. Now being an LPN would prevent Nicu or picu work, at least in any facility where I have worked. However, the RN with an AA ( step down from BSN) is fully employable at the staff nurse level. Management positions require more advanced degrees. Every state is different though.

[Granwych]

On 11/28/2019 at 1:36 AM, imokit said:

Paediatric nursing isn't just cute babies and toddlers unless you do nicu or work on a specialised ward in a specialist children's hospital.

You can't hide from the gays/abortionists in paeds.

In a general hospital a paediatric ward will have a mix of ages. On my 23 bed ward there is nearly always at least one teenager admitted with self harm waiting for a mental health review.   There are often transgender teens or LGBT teens.

There is also a lot of talk about child protection.  Doing paediatrics would mean Michael confronting issues of parental autonomy.  What is and isn't ok.  What needs to be reported.  Child protection goes against fundamentalist values of parents (father) always being right and allowed to discipline/raise their children as they wish.

An adult in hospital may be gay, but probably won't be flinging it around the way a troubled a teenager would.  It can be easier not to notice the things you disagree with in patients on adult wards.

When I was a student nurse I cried more on pediatrics rotations than any other one.   Wherever she goes I hope she does well.

[just_ordinary]

Sorry, but I have to disagree. Would I want to be cared for by Michael if I had no other option? Sure. But if I did, I certainly would prefer someone else. With people like her I would fear to find tracts on my nightstand, get into discussions about Jesus. She has the same holier than though attitude as the rest. She wears a skirt scrub. If that isn’t a massive red flag. I cannot believe that she is the right person to care for people who are in a vulnerable position if she detects big differences. I am sure she will feel the need to “save” them. I can see her working at a crisis pregnancy centre afterwards.

Michaela is the second or maybe only third best option in my opinion. 

But yes, that’s still better than not receiving care at all. 

[SassyPants]

3 hours ago, just_ordinary said:

Sorry, but I have to disagree. Would I want to be cared for by Michael if I had no other option? Sure. But if I did, I certainly would prefer someone else. With people like her I would fear to find tracts on my nightstand, get into discussions about Jesus. She has the same holier than though attitude as the rest. She wears a skirt scrub. If that isn’t a massive red flag. I cannot believe that she is the right person to care for people who are in a vulnerable position if she detects big differences. I am sure she will feel the need to “save” them. I can see her working at a crisis pregnancy centre afterwards.

Michaela is the second or maybe only third best option in my opinion. 

But yes, that’s still better than not receiving care at all. 

Lots of nurses wear scrub dresses, especially older nurses. MK would not stand out for dressing in a skirt or a dress.

[just_ordinary]

6 hours ago, SassyPants said:

Lots of nurses wear scrub dresses, especially older nurses. MK would not stand out for dressing in a skirt or a dress.

That’s interesting. I have never seen that apart from movies set before the 70s. And I have had my fair share of hospitality experience as patient and visitor.

Edited December 1, 2019 by just_ordinary

[Eponine]

On 11/30/2019 at 3:09 PM, just_ordinary said:

Sorry, but I have to disagree. Would I want to be cared for by Michael if I had no other option? Sure. But if I did, I certainly would prefer someone else. With people like her I would fear to find tracts on my nightstand, get into discussions about Jesus. She has the same holier than though attitude as the rest. She wears a skirt scrub. If that isn’t a massive red flag. I cannot believe that she is the right person to care for people who are in a vulnerable position if she detects big differences. I am sure she will feel the need to “save” them. I can see her working at a crisis pregnancy centre afterwards.

I've seen plenty of students in our program who come from very conservative religious traditions that mandate skirts and sometimes head coverings - it does not at all make them any less capable of caring for patients, or less capable of compassion. I work with many, many of them and I've never once heard a word about religion in the context of their studies or clinicals. We have a whole section of our nursing program for women from some very conservative Orthodox Jewish communities in the area and they do everything all the other students do, but they wear skirt scrubs and sometimes head coverings or wigs.

Honestly, anyone from any background could make a terrible nurse, religious people have no monopoly on that. It's hard and emotionally exhausting to begin with so it takes a strong and dedicated person to pursue that career.  Some fundies probably can't handle it for religious reasons, and they likely end up in private offices or pregnancy crisis centers, etc, like you mentioned. I just don't think it's fair to write off any nurse who wears nurse scrubs as probably bad at their job.

Incidentally, what I hear from anecdotes from our nursing students and faculty is that patients are more likely to refuse to be treated by particular nurses or doctors - the most common are stories of religious men of various flavors who don't want to be treated by female doctors (but nurses are usually okay, oddly), and non-religious assholes who refuse to be treated by Muslim doctors or nurses who wear head coverings.

[HereticHick]

On 11/30/2019 at 3:09 PM, just_ordinary said:

 She wears a skirt scrub. If that isn’t a massive red flag.

I'm bracing myself for your sharing your "opinions" about hijab-wearing women in the medical field.

[squiddysquid]

When I was in medschool, I did an exchange semester in SE Asia, all females wore skirts in the operating theatre (what I couldn't get used to were the surgery flip flops...) Medical students wear school uniforms, that meant skirts for the girls.

As to why I think Michaella will be a good nurse; compassion and empathy go a long way in that profession and if she does an RN program, she'll have the knowledge, board exams and all.

I don't know about nurses, but one of the major rules is treating every patient the same - with the best means possible - and never be judgemental, that's not our job. If you come to my hospital, I don't care who you are, you'll get the care you need - anything else would be against regulations too, pretty certain that's the standard in nursing as well.

[theotherelise]

Hopefully Michaela uses her next few months in LPN training and then time in RN school to determine where she fits best in the field. It would also be perfectly fine if she decided while getting her LPN that becoming an RN would not comport with the restrictions of beliefs and then looked for work in a hospice or nursing home or something. From what I've heard, clinicals have a way of really opening ones eyes to some of the realities of the work. 

[nelliebelle1197]

On 11/29/2019 at 1:43 AM, Melissa1977 said:

Unless she works for a very conservative doctor/hospital. Big hospitals cannot avoid the issues you stated, but I wonder what happens with a small hospital in a extremely conservative rural area.

As for Michaela having to change her beliefs due to her nursing job, if she's truly convinced she's not going to change. For decades, nuns worked in hospitals in my area (including very sick children as patients) and their job didn't make them less fundie. They were known by their coldness. 

 

I am not sure there is much difference. People who are ideologues and cannot care for certain people have no business in a medical profession.

On 11/30/2019 at 6:59 PM, SassyPants said:

Lots of nurses wear scrub dresses, especially older nurses. MK would not stand out for dressing in a skirt or a dress.

Really? Not around here!

[Syriana]

Over here, the only place you wouldn't find dresses as an option is theatre - every other department has options.

MK is going to have to adhere to the appropriate professional standards of whichever facility she ultimately works at, she will be neither the first nor the last to have to cover personal distaste with a professional facade.  Having the ability to keep your opinions off your face and out of your actions is something common to many professions (emergency services, medical, legal and teaching to name a few...and retail, at this time of year especially so as good manners seem to be regularly forgotten!).

 

[KeepingChrysanthemum]

Michaela posted this to her story. I was pleasantly surprised by her humility that a 4 year married couple might not have it all figured out. 

 

 

[JermajestyDuggar]

2 hours ago, KeepingChrysanthemum said:

Michaela posted this to her story. I was pleasantly surprised by her humility that a 4 year married couple might not have it all figured out. 

 

 

She also posted this. It wouldn’t bother me with non-fundies. But I bet Kelly paid for those lessons knowing damn well she was going to make Michael the family seamstress. 

[marmalade]

She also praised Brandon for supporting her in her studies, making coffee in the morning. She called him a great "friend." I found that wording strange. Why not call him a great husband? Yes, they are friends, but the way she said it took any intimacy out of her statement.

[Lgirlrocks]

She spoke about her pain with infertility. I hope that if she never has any biological kids that she doesn’t beat herself up about it. It must be hard for her, especially since she grew up being a sister mom and being told her purpose was to marry and breed and army for the lord. 

[RosyDaisy]

I don't give a rat's ass what kind of scrubs Michael wears.  What I care about is the fact that legally she may be able to refuse to help patients.  The religious exemption bills/laws will allow her to do just that.  People seem to forget that she is an IBLP fundie.  

[Johannah]

2 hours ago, marmalade said:

She also praised Brandon for supporting her in her studies, making coffee in the morning. She called him a great "friend." I found that wording strange. Why not call him a great husband? Yes, they are friends, but the way she said it took any intimacy out of her statement.

I actually think it’s more romantic to compliment your husband for being a good friend. It’s sadly a rare quality in marriages, and ironically friendship is the one quality that will get you through to the end. A lot of the other stuff fades. Social media is filled with loads of insincere #besthubbyever. I find Michael recognizing their friendship to be romantic and refreshing. 

[Melissa1977]

My husband and me have been married far longer than Michael and Brandon and we are an equal, happy couple. We have never read the Bible or pray together (neither alone). Just a tiny minority of the married couples around the word read the Bible, Michael. Even among believers, discussing their main religious book (surprise: not always it is the Bible) is not common or may be even a fault!. Also, some religions do not include prayers, in others men and women pray separately, etc. 

It infuriates me how fundies think that all ways to happiness are Bible based. They are not. And how Michael explains all the frustrated and unhappy Christian marriages around her? Or she just refuses to see that? May I introduce her Teri Maxwell?

[SassyPants]

11 hours ago, RosyDaisy said:

I don't give a rat's ass what kind of scrubs Michael wears.  What I care about is the fact that legally she may be able to refuse to help patients.  The religious exemption bills/laws will allow her to do just that.  People seem to forget that she is an IBLP fundie.  

I am sure most non religiously affiliated hospitals have a work around for dealing with persnickety workers, and a path for dismissal, as should be, IMO. When I worked in Nicu and Picus, many nurses had weight lift restrictions preventing them from having to float outside their home units. Before long, almost everyone had one of these “medical” restrictions, making it very difficult to staff the hospital. So, the hospital decided that if a worker couldn’t float, they no longer were employable in the facility, at all. Guess what, everyone was miraculously healed. If your religious tenets prevent you from caring for ANY potential patient, I seriously question why you are working in healthcare, and I have no doubt that most potential employers will have no issue finding a way to make you a former employee.