Could I work in a children's hospital?

[Magnolia88]

I absolutely adore children and I think my dream job would be as a nurse in a children's hospital. As we all know, we can face a lot of discrimination  when looking for work especially when it comes to working with kids. Could I be denied a job where I would be around children because of who I am?

[LordKAT]

Could you? yes, Will you?  Maybe.   Employment is often based on the interviewers opinion of you outside of your qualifications. How far you have transitioned or how well can be a factor, as well as your personality or even if you reveal your status. You may not have to tell them and then it becomes no problem for most people.

[Jamie D]

Magnolia, that is a noble career goal.  Study hard, get your degrees or certificates, do some volunteer or intern-type work to build up your résumé.  That is the recipe for success.

[V M]

Caring for these small spirits is a privilege    If you are committed to bringing joy and comfort to these young individuals then I say go for it

As mentioned, get your credentials in order and do some volunteer/intern work

[Cindy]

Not in Australia, not a problem here as long as you pass a police check for criminal behaviour.

[Sybil]

It's sort of terrible, but I think the better you pass, the higher your chances are; more specifically, the less intimidating you are. I think the majority of people who discriminate against trans individuals don't necessarily do it out of hate, but out of discomfort and intimidation. They're less intimidated by those of us who blend in better, both visually and socially.

[V M]

Not in Australia, not a problem here as long as you pass a police check for criminal behaviour.

Dang!!! I don't have any criminal behavior, but then again I never figured on it being required for child care 

[Cindy]

Dang!!! I don't have any criminal behavior, but then again I never figured on it being required for child care 

Heee Heeee, well we are all criminals here, otherwise we aren't let in!!

[MANDY GG]

 Yes you can work with kids.

[Rachel85]

Oh Cindy, we aren't ALL criminals here
Some of us honest South Australians have no convict history, sorry to break the rule!
I do think sometimes it would be nice to have an ancestor who stole a loaf of bread back in sunny England but alas, as far as I know I am not decendant of such greedy, yeast-centric scum. :p
Work wise though I'm fairly certain that we have no restrictions on working with children.
Again, it depends on a fair few things(qualifications, interviews, workplace etc.) but I'm a nurse and the police don't reject me as a criminal from working with children, mostly from not having a PERSONAL criminal history, but also I'm guessing because being trans isnt illegal. Also, how would they know?
I'm not a lawyer, but I am fairly sure this is the case in Aus. No reason why you can't unless you have a significant history, at least here.
On a serious note though, it does sometimes concern me that patients and patients families might not look too fondly on me at work, but then I remind myself that I am damn good at my job and it doesnt matter a damn thing to their care. So no! It shouldn't!

[Tristan]

I don't see why they would deny you? As long as you have your BSN and c1-2 years experience in the pediatrics specialty why would they? I mean I cover shifts in Peds all the time as a nurse. Even more so in the pediatrics ER. Now if you don't pass it's normally going to be out of the question because quite a few moms are super protective, which I kind of understand being super protective they are just over protective. I have seen nurses not be aloud to treat someone's kids cuz the parents complained they have tattoos or look like they are still in high school. The high school one I have been hit with before. But if you have those few things you will be just fine. If your worried do the pediatrics ER. In a emergency people will normally take whoever they can get to care for there baby

[kariann330]

Oh Cindy, we aren't ALL criminals here
Some of us honest South Australians have no convict history, sorry to break the rule!
I do think sometimes it would be nice to have an ancestor who stole a loaf of bread back in sunny England but alas, as far as I know I am not decendant of such greedy, yeast-centric scum. :p
Work wise though I'm fairly certain that we have no restrictions on working with children.
Again, it depends on a fair few things(qualifications, interviews, workplace etc.) but I'm a nurse and the police don't reject me as a criminal from working with children, mostly from not having a PERSONAL criminal history, but also I'm guessing because being trans isnt illegal. Also, how would they know?
I'm not a lawyer, but I am fairly sure this is the case in Aus. No reason why you can't unless you have a significant history, at least here.
On a serious note though, it does sometimes concern me that patients and patients families might not look too fondly on me at work, but then I remind myself that I am damn good at my job and it doesnt matter a damn thing to their care. So no! It shouldn't!

Funny thing about the tattooed doctors...i herd someone say that before about an xray tech....then the kids Dad hopped off his Harley and walked in with two full sleeves....talk about a hypocrite lol

[Cindy]

Funny thing about the tattooed doctors...i herd someone say that before about an xray tech....then the kids Dad hopped off his Harley and walked in with two full sleeves....talk about a hypocrite lol

Oh tell me about it.

Beginning of Med school:

If you are going to have patient contact you wear a shirt and tie!!

Ahh how many patients wear shirt and tie?

You were a shirt and tie so they respect you!!

Ahh so I don't respect them?

And don't get into appropriate female dress, feminine hygiene or being a female surgeon and having cramps!!!

Heee Heee

Cindy

[Tristan]

Oh tell me about it.

Beginning of Med school:

If you are going to have patient contact you wear a shirt and tie!!

Ahh how many patients wear shirt and tie?

You were a shirt and tie so they respect you!!

Ahh so I don't respect them?

And don't get into appropriate female dress, feminine hygiene or being a female surgeon and having cramps!!!

Heee Heee

Cindy

Cindy your a doctor and a surgeon? Your my new she-ro. (Female hero)

[Cindy]

Cindy your a doctor and a surgeon? Your my new she-ro. (Female hero)

I'm not a surgeon!!!

But I have female friends who are

[kariann330]

I'm not a surgeon!!!

But I have friends who are

Bummer...here i was gonna ask what it's like to hold someones heart in your hands...guess i gotta find someone else to ask now lol.

[Joanna Dark]

It's sort of terrible, but I think the better you pass, the higher your chances are; more specifically, the less intimidating you are. I think the majority of people who discriminate against trans individuals don't necessarily do it out of hate, but out of discomfort and intimidation. They're less intimidated by those of us who blend in better, both visually and socially.

It is sort of terrible but it is sort of true. The more passable you are the more comfortable cis people become because the more passable you are the less they see you as trans. Now a lot of this depends on what area you live in as well. If you live in a more socially liberal area the people tend to be (or act) more tolerant.

Now if you don't pass it's normally going to be out of the question because quite a few moms are super protective, which I kind of understand being super protective they are just over protective.

You can't expose children to this OMG!!! The horror, the horror. Like we are monsters. People like this are the real monsters. The real problem that I wouldn't want my kids around(if I had them). Hate is worst then anything. But this is the excuse they will use but it will also depend on the hospital and the people who run it. It's hard for me to visualize real, institutionalized bigotry (unlike the reaction of one black heart) because I live in Philadelphia, which is pretty trans friendly. But I read and am not completely naive so in more unenlightened areas this would be a bigger problem.

States like NY, CA, NJ, parts of PA, MA, CT, WA, OR, and parts of VA would be the best to live especially NY and CA. They're the best. Also, stealth would be easier in these places to since there are stringent laws regarding background checks. In the next couple years as the economy improves I see this as being less of a problem. Soon, but not soon enough, a shift from the structural unemployment crisis which has created a employer's market and is crushing wages flat should lift a little allowing some breathing room for the worker and a rise in wages and productivity thus depressing the ability of employer's to act like the greedy scum the are acting like currently. The first ones to hire will also be the most successful so I would invest in these. Sorry tangent.

However, no matter what, you should pursue your dream. Maybe you will have to move to achieve it but everything ever that was worthwhile has required hard work and sacrifice. In the worst event, you'll just have to work with adults but you should def go for it. It's certainly a lofty goal and I appluad you for it. I wish you all the luck but what you'll need is dedication. So good dedication to you lol

[Magnolia88]

Thank you all so much for your advice and encouraging words. I truly do want to help children. I believe it's my calling so I'm gonna go for it. I have a lot of work ahead of me along with the transition I have yet to make which is a long and hard journey in itself but I know I can do it. I just have to believe in myself.