[natcakes]

I am an undecided college student, wondering if i should go into the field of nursing. To be honest, i have heard nurses are typically stressed out and most times depressed my teacher even said they have one of the highest suicide rates, but im not sure about all that.I mean i would love to have a self-fullfilling job but im just not sure how to know if nursing is for me! help any advice will be greatly appreciated!

[BlueHenRN]

DON'T DO IT...BEING A NURSE IS THE WORST JOB EVER!




I like to kid, sorry.
What do you know about nursing, and why are you interested in the field? You may find that you know nothing about what a nurse does, which could be good or bad, or your reasons for wanting this career may be genuine but misguided, or right on.
Do you know any nurses, who can maybe tell you what they do or share stories with you? If you don't, play around on this site, you'll learn a TON! (Welcome, by the way!)
If you really think you're interested, perhaps you could volunteer at a hospital, or try to get a job there, even if you're not in direct "patient care" like a tech would be. Techs and unit clerks need more experience or education than you probably have, but an escort (patient transporter) does not.
I wish you the best, and I'll let some of our better spoken, wiser representatives take over...
Jess

[bill4745]

Try getting a job as an aide. You will be able to see what nurses do.

[Halinja]

From a strictly practical viewpoint...

With nursing, you will pretty much always have a job. (as opposed to a degree in, oh, political science, or philosophy, or french literature)

With nursing, there is a huge variety in the type of work you could actually do, from bedside nursing (huge variety in that; pediatrics, oncology, telemetry, labor and delivery, ICU) to things like public health nursing which is out in the community, or home health, or... Just take a look at all the different forums here in allnurses. That's an idea of how many different directions nursing can take you.

[justavolunteer]

Another possibility in deciding about nursing is to volunteer at a hospital, preferably on a patient unit. You won't do much direct care, but you may at least see some of what nurses do. Also, some hospitals have programs where a person can shadow a nurse for a day. Most hospitals have volunteer areas listed on their website(types of jobs, who to call, etc.)