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March 26, 2009

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ashamedstripper

I just became a nurse. I am also a stripper. I have been for many years, and yes i danced through nursing school. I can tell you I do not agree with my behavior, and with the help of a mentor I am trying to stop. Stripping luckily has not gotten me into any trouble. I was raised babtist, and I was always in so much denial that this is wrong. I came up with several excuses including: the body is natural. I became a single mother through someone I actually met in a strip club when at the time I was just a coctail waitress. He is a scum bag and doesn't pay child support. I have saved up at least 40 grand from being a dancer. My daughter goes to private school. I provide a nice roof over our heads. So I guess there are several pros and cons. But still there is something in me that has been missing for a long time and it's my dignity. Over the years it has just washed away. So I am trying to change my life. I am thinking of ways to open my own business, thinking of furthering my education, etc. There were just so many other ways I could make money that I did not know about when I was younger. Now that I know how serious the board of nursing is, there are so many ways that this precious license can be taken away if I take it for granted. I have worked so hard for it, so I am changing my life and am proud to say that. I do not think I would have been licensed if the board knew I danced through school. I think any hospital or school has a right to fire me, because as a nurse I am representing that school and hospital in the community. So I want to start living my lie the right way. Even though I may make more money stripping I know it won't last long and in my older years not at all. If for some reason I lose my license, I may never have the opportunity to go to graduate school. If I look at the bigger picture in the long run, I will make so much more money because through becoming a better person and living the standards, I will not lose my license, go to graduate school and make the money that I want to make while doing it with dignity. As a stripper I made about $100/hr. As an attorney I can make $400/hr in medical malpractice; as a nurse practitioner- I can have my own clinic. The opportunities are endless. So I am not going to ruin it by being a stripper. I realize once my license is revoke it will never come back, and this will haunt me for years to come. It's just reality.

Tess

Lets see...I got divorced worked nights, went to school during the day, slept 3-4 hours on the average for 2 years. I had enough money to buy food for myself on the average of 3 days a week. I got food stamps for my 2 boys.
Do I have a problem with her stripping her way through nursing school? Hell yes, and I do believe that people with lack of moral and ethical values make poor decisions both in and out of nursing. Yes, some folks with lack of character and values get into the healthcare profession hence the 4,000 some odd complaints filed to the board. Need I say more?

latonia

Stripping and nursing are a means to an end. Everyone looks at nursing differently, I guess. Good luck to you, Mary with your position search.

MARY

I AM A REGISTERED NURSE THAT STILL HAS A HARD TIME MAKING ENDS MEET. I JUST GRADUATED IN JUNE 2009 AND EVERY EMPLOYER OUT THERE WANTS YOU ONLY IF YOU HAVE 1-2 YRS NURSING EXPERIENCE. I HAVE BEEN AN LPN FOR 4 YRS, BUT THEY DON'T COUNT THAT TOWARDS YOUR RN EXPERIENCE. SO YOUR DAMNED IF YOU DO AND DAMNED IF YOU DON'T. RIGHT NOW I HAVE 2 CHILDREN AND CANNOT AFFORD DAYCARE SO I WORK NIGHT SHIFT THEN SEND ONE CHILD TO KINDERGARTEN AND NAP ON /OFF DURING THE DAY WITH MY 4 MONTH OLD. I AM SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING STRIPPING, BUT HAVE CAME ACROSS THE SAME DILEMMA. I WANT TO NOW GO BACK TO SCHOOL FOR MY BSN , BUT CAN'T EVEN AFFORD THAT. BUT BY THE SAME TOKEN DO NOT QUALIFY FOR GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE!! STRIPPING AND NURSING, IN MY EYES, ARE BOTH A MEANS TO AN END. AT THE END OF THE DAY , BILLS MUST BE PAID.

kristina

As a nursing student I find this to be extremely unprofessional. I am not one to pry into another's personal life but from a nursing perspective this is in the category of unprofessional misconduct which would could cause her to loose her nursing license. However, I do not believe for one second this woman is actually a nursing student. Strippers lie to customers about being students in order to make more money. Some men are convinced that nurses actually "moonlight" as strippers for extra money but I find this extremely hard to believe because as a nurse we work really hard (so who would have the time & energy?) and are very moral people. I find the idea of nurses working as strippers to be an idealization of what a stripper actually is. If a woman is educated and can make lots of money as a nurse (average pay 60,000/yr) then why would she take her clothes off for filthy men in a filthy club?

latonia

Thank you for your comment, Kim. I think you can be offended by something, which I am offended but reserve judgment because I don't know this women's life and what she has to do to survive.

I am curious to see what other nurses and nursing student think about this situation. But thank you for your comment, Kim.

The latest ANA manual to comment on the Code of Ethics for Nurses questions whether you can really have a division between your personal and professional life and implies, you are personally, what you are professionally. Here in lies my offense with this situation.

I don't think nurses are angels or should be viewed as being perfect but I don't think it helps the profession and image of nursing and nurses to broadcast "I am a stripper and I am attending nursing school" and I question what type of nurse this women will be.

Will she have an issue with professional boundaries with clients and patients? Will she be more disposed to discipline because of the lack of inhibition in her previous occupation?

I don't know but damn, the legal issues, this doesn't pass the smell test for me and I can't work through the moral and ethical issues on this one.

Kim

I'm not sure I understand the difference between being offended at a stripper going to Nursing school and judging said stripper? Aren't you implying by your offense that a stripper is somehow unqualified to be in nursing training?

I personally do not think that the sex trade is a great idea for any woman, but in our current society, we place a disproportionate emphasis on a woman's body as her inherent value, and the result is that ultimately sex work (specifically women in sex work) is legitimized by our own culture every day in media and culture. (Even at the same time as it's demonized by it.)

Ethically, if we're going to consider women who are willing to view their bodies as a commodity as unqualified for health professions, then I'd argue that we MUST then disqualify any man who considers a woman's body as a commodity. So if you're a guy who frequents strip clubs, I'd hypothetically not want you as my nurse.

Legally is a whole other can of worms, I'm sure. Unless stripping is illegal in your area, I can't see any reason why a stripper couldn't also be a nursing student, or even a nurse who moonlights. But then I'm not a nurse, or a lawyer.

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