Mom and Daughter, Nursing Duo

Massasoit nursing graduates Nancy and Amanda Steen have been classmates, are colleagues, and will always be mom and daughter.

It is not uncommon for a child to attend one of their parent’s alma maters for college. Some families follow in educational footsteps for generations, even going to the same elementary and high schools. Few parents, however, get to complete college at the same time as their child, graduate from the same program, and then find employment together upon entering the workforce.

For mom and daughter Nancy and Amanda Steen, it seemed like fate arranged for both of them to be accepted into Massasoit’s LPN to RN program at the same time. They are graduates of Massasoit’s class of 2018 and also currently work together at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital in the medical-surgical unit.

“I wanted to be a nurse like my mom, and now look at me. I can’t get away,” laughs Amanda.

Nancy and Amanda were already experienced nurses when they applied to Massasoit. Nancy had worked as a LPN (licensed practical nurse) for eight years, mostly at Life Care Center of West Bridgewater, before deciding to continue her education.

Amanda became a certified nursing assistant when she was 16 years old and still in high school. She then went to the same LPN school as her mom did, although not at the same time, and became an LPN at age 18. Amanda worked as an LPN for 12 years, at Brockton Visiting Nurse Association and then Life Care Center, side-by-side with her mom on some shifts.

Nancy had applied to Massasoit a year before Amanda did, but she was not accepted initially. The next year, Nancy reapplied and Amanda submitted her first application; they were both accepted. They feel that they were meant to be together at this point in their careers.

“People at work say, ‘how can you do it,’ or ‘I could never work with my mother.’ Amanda and I get along though. We’re friends. We hangout,” said Nancy.

Nancy and Amanda’s work relationship, and their camaraderie, were only enhanced during their classes at Massasoit and time studying together.

“I needed to study all the time, but Amanda, she can open a book, close it, and she knows it,” said Nancy. “I was like, you need to study with me. It was nice to have a study partner.”

Their professors at Massasoit would read the attendance list and ask if they were related; they would not hesitate to say they were mom and daughter. They were proud, and they appreciated being able to continue their education together.

“Massasoit was right here for us,” said Amanda. “It’s down the street from where we both live. It was affordable for us, which was great, and we got one of the best nursing educations for this area compared to other programs. Massasoit’s nursing program is a tough one to get into.”

They loved the instructors they had – particularly Maureen McDonald, professor and the evening nurse program director, and David Campbell, adjunct faculty who instructed them both in Anatomy and Physiology I and II.

“The professors push you. They want you to be good nurses, and they want you to know what you’re doing when you get out there,” said Amanda.

Nancy and Amanda graduated from Massasoit last May with an Associate Degree in Nurse Education, and they both passed the NCLEX-RN examination in August 2018 to become licensed as a registered nurse.

They both applied to Brockton Hospital in Fall 2018; Nancy received a call back first, but because of a problem with her application, Amanda ended up interviewing first.

“When I did finally get in to interview, luckily the hiring manager said, ‘I like you both,’ which was great. It worked out, by chance, again,” said Nancy.

Nancy and Amanda do not spend all of their time together. Nancy lives in East Bridgewater and Amanda in Whitman. They appreciate being able to discuss their work with each other, especially while destressing after long night shifts. They realize that not all parents and their children should or could go to school and work together, but for them, it works.

“When they first hired us first at Brockton, they asked us if it would be awkward to work together,” said Nancy. “I said no – if I’m in charge, or she’s in charge, we can separate that. We know how to interact for nursing and how to take care of the patients. That’s what comes first.”

Nancy is now satisfied with her level of education, but Amanda would like to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner.

“She put herself through CNA school. Information sticks in her head. She’s a good nurse and a smart, really smart girl.,” Nancy said admirably of her daughter.