The phrase “like-mother-like-daughter” definitely pertains to Barbara Toney and Rachel Craft, who this month became the first mother and daughter pair to graduate from the Ohio University Southern (OUS) school of nursing.

After receiving advice from the Lawrence County Workforce Development Resource Center, Toney and Craft decided nursing would be a good fit for the both of them. Craft, being recently married, believed the schedule to be a great fit, while Toney, 50, decided to go back to school after raising her four children and liked the idea of benefits and job security. Toney also believes that being a mom and a caregiver helped her make the decision. “I just enjoy doing things for people and taking care of people,” Toney told The Ironton (OH) Tribune.

While most children would be apprehensive to attend the same school, let alone the same program, as their parent, Craft welcomed her mother with open arms.

“It was kind of just like having a friend and a peer to go to school with,” Craft told the paper.

Craft says she was home schooled her whole life, so attending OUS was a new experience and intimidating. “All my life I wondered if I measured up to everyone else, and after I got into it, and got a couple grades that weren’t bad, I liked it.”

Both Toney and her daughter plan to continue in the bachelor of nursing program. Craft even has a job lined up with a local hospital, while her mother is still exploring her options.

Would you consider going through nursing school with your mother or your daughter? What benefits could come from experiencing the journey together?

Source: The Ironton Tribune