I really regret choosing nursing and lately idk what it is but I have been having breakdowns dreading the brutal schedule I'm going to have as a new nurse if I ever find a job. I'm going to have no social life or time for myself. I know this profession is a bit about being selfless but I really don't want to play a martyr. I know the deal in the hospital is weekends and holidays but after much thinking this isn't something I want to give up either. Please no "well uh why didn't you realize this in nursing school?" truthfully then I had a passion for it and probably didn't think too much on how big of a sacrifice it was going to be. Is there ANYTHING else I can possibly do in the healthcare field that would accept me when I get my bachelor's in nursing? Or is there any bachelor's program I can look (allied health) into that will accept most of my science credits & I could finish it relatively soon and leave this horrible profession behind? Or just any program in general that you could recommend cause I have no idea what I want to do, I was even thinking turning to finance or marketing but that is going to take me another 3-4 yrs to complete.

Have you worked as a nurse?

Have you worked as a nurse?

No, I can't even find a job. It doesn't matter I heard plenty of horror stories around the internet and real life to get a feel of the brutal hours nurses get to go through. No time to pee, eat, no time for yourself. Nurses sound the like most stressed out, unhappy, unhealthy people. I guess the hospital corporations like that sense of irony within their workforce. Again, sorry to sound selfish but I value my me time, my holidays, and my weekends. I do want to help others in need but not to my own personal cost.

consider pharmacy or medical technology. Some of your previous education will be credited towards those degrees. I find technology in the lab fascinating.

So you finished school and are job hunting and having panic attacks about it?

Working 3 12s allows for a pretty decent social life. I promise, even on nights.

I would worry less about schedules and just focus on finding a job. You never know where you will end up.

At least try a job or two before wasting an entire degree.

I mean, making it through nursing school is hard, try giving yourself some credit. I know the job market sucks but if you don't even try you will never know if you are missing out and may regret it later in life.

You realize you wouldn't work every weekend and every holiday?

Its usually every other weekend, and maybe half the holidays.

I really find it unfortunate you didn't make this decision sooner. Most helping professions require some sacrifice regarding your hours. Health science i dont believe has a lot of job opportunities. Social services, while more normal hours can require some weekend requirements.

I find it very convenient to have weekdays off and not have long lines for groceries, etc. But to each their own.

You realize you wouldn't work every weekend and every holiday?

Its usually every other weekend, and maybe half the holidays.

I really find it unfortunate you didn't make this decision sooner. Most helping professions require some sacrifice regarding your hours. Health science i dont believe has a lot of job opportunities. Social services, while more normal hours can require some weekend requirements.

I find it very convenient to have weekdays off and not have long lines for groceries, etc. But to each their own.

I find it unfortunate too, but it is what it is. And, you are very right - to each their own, I don't enjoy working when everyone has their 2 days off and being off when everyone else is busy, I mean I really don't care if the grocery store will be less crowded or not - every other person I know is going to have the complete opposite schedule as mine. Some weekends are better then every other. And while other fields may not pay as well, or have as many opportunities right now, the point is I'd probably be way more satisfied.

I'm sorry you've decided nursing isn't for you based on other peoples' experiences. Why don't you give it a try and then decide for yourself? If you're basing your assessment based solely on the "horror stories" you've read on the internet, maybe you'll be willing to consider some positive aspects as well.

I was a career changer when I started hospital work, and working *some* weekends and *some* holidays did take some getting used to, but I did not find it to be particularly prohibitive to having the social life or quality of life I wanted. Sure, I sometimes had to join the friends or family a few hours later than I normally would have (after work) for events that were happening on my weekend or holiday, but it wasn't a big deal. In all honesty, it has occasionally saved me from having to attend an event I didn't want to, and otherwise would have felt compelled to, attend (oh, I'd love to attend the 15th anniversary of your child's first successful BM in the potty, but I'm sorry, I have to work).

I found working 3 days a week instead of 5 days a week was a bonus and led to more free time to spend with friends and family. Not to mention that it is much easier to plan longer breaks in between scheduled shifts to allow for more short (sometimes long) vacations and traveling. Keep in mind, too, that for many people that are open to developing friendships with their coworkers, you may very well soon have friends that will have similar schedules to yours.

To answer one of your questions, yes, there are other things you can do with your BSN besides bedside nursing, including jobs that fit the Monday to Friday 9 to 5 schedule (there are MANY threads here on AN that have discussed this topic - use the search function to check them out if you're so inclined).

FWIW, in my many years of hospital jobs, there have been many more highs than lows, and despite the lows that inevitably come along with any job, I have never felt like a "martyr."

Good luck in whatever path you choose.

I'm going to be honest here. I hear the stories ppl told and still decided to do it cuz I work too damn hard. Is the Nightmares true? Yes. But it's my first year of nursing so I knew it was going to suck.

My advise is to try it and see what happens.

I'm going to be honest here. I hear the stories ppl told and still decided to do it cuz I work too damn hard. Is the Nightmares true? Yes. But it's my first year of nursing so I knew it was going to suck.

My advise is to try it and see what happens.

I'm gonna have to decline after the horror story validation. It doesn't mean it's because it's your first year that it sucked, it means that its just a sucky profession. I hope there are things I can apply for once I've obtained my BSN, it's probably going to be next to impossible w/o the bedside care, but I'm going to try.

So you've stated that you "Can't find a job" and then also stated that "I hope there are things I can apply for once I've obtained my BSN." Answers will vary depending on whether you are a student or not. So, have you passed the NCLEX? Answer that first.

Secondly, if you haven't and you've already decided that you're going to hate nursing, and you're only seeing the negative side of things, then change your major. Why bother with the stress of nursing school if you have already decided that you're going to hate it?

I'm gonna have to decline after the horror story validation. It doesn't mean it's because it's your first year that it sucked, it means that its just a sucky profession.

Wow. OK. Please disregard my previous post, which I wrote in response to someone I thought just needed a pep-talk and some encouragement. I see that I missed the mark on that one. My revised advice is run, don't walk, away from that BSN program. This "sucky profession" does not want, or need, another rotten apple (an apple that has started to rot before it even fell from the tree, no less).

If you don't want to work weekends, then don't work weekends. If you don't want to work holidays, then don't work holidays. If you think working only three days a week and having four other days completely to yourself is not having a social life, then that is your personal view. If you are scared by the horrors and hardships of nursing, I promise you nobody ever becomes successful in any profession or at any job without going through any hardship. You might as well sit in your home everyday and eat from your parents' or spouse's salary because you are too scared to be an adult.