[TLC93]

hello! becoming a nurse is a dream unfulfilled for me... i was denied of the opportunity because i got pregnant right after i passed my license.my hubby never let me work since then...i missed everything about my career.it's so sad that i was not able to exercise it..and i guess, it is one of the reasons why i feel so empty these days.now,my husband is in the US..i'll be with him,soon.i could see the possibility of continuing my career there.i'm excited ,at the same time very afraid and reluctant because i feel as though i am left behind ,far far behind.imagine,15 yrs of being stagnant!can i still make it?

[dwills302]

I had always wanted to be a nurse but with 3 small children thought my wants did not matter. Anyways the children grew up and my mom was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder. I took care of her until the end and decided if I was able to insert pain medication vaginally to my mother I could handle anything else thrown at me by other patients. I applied and was accepted to nursing school, and by the way took my middle child with me. We graduated in 2003 (I was 46) and work together for Veterans Affairs Medical Center. My dad was a WWII vet and that's the only place I wanted to work. We both LOVE our jobs and know we made the right decision.

[dwills302]

Originally Posted by TLC93

hello! becoming a nurse is a dream unfulfilled for me... i was denied of the opportunity because i got pregnant right after i passed my license.my hubby never let me work since then...i missed everything about my career.it's so sad that i was not able to exercise it..and i guess, it is one of the reasons why i feel so empty these days.now,my husband is in the US..i'll be with him,soon.i could see the possibility of continuing my career there.i'm excited ,at the same time very afraid and reluctant because i feel as though i am left behind ,far far behind.imagine,15 yrs of being stagnant!can i still make it?

You are never to old to achieve your dreams, I was 46 when I graduated nursing school. Go for it and goodluck.

[pbjzl]

I didn’t consider becoming a nurse until I had a tragedy in my life. It was in the hospital when my husband broke his neck and become a c-2 vent dependent quad that I realized that there were a lot of nurses out there that had such little compassion for their patients and their families It was then that I realized I not only had to support my family, but I also knew that if I did become a nurse I would not be the cold hearted “bitches” that some of them were. Of course there were the nurses that were amazing and compassionate that went above and beyond their jobs and tried to make the 4 month stay in the hospital managable, but there were those that made nurse Ratchet look like an angel.

[lamazeteacher]

Originally Posted by TLC93

hello! becoming a nurse is a dream unfulfilled for me... i was denied of the opportunity because i got pregnant right after i passed my license.my hubby never let me work since then...i missed everything about my career.it's so sad that i was not able to exercise it..and i guess, it is one of the reasons why i feel so empty these days.now,my husband is in the US..i'll be with him,soon.i could see the possibility of continuing my career there.i'm excited ,at the same time very afraid and reluctant because i feel as though i am left behind ,far far behind.imagine,15 yrs of being stagnant!can i still make it?

The fact that you are asking us, makes me think your uncertainty may come from the way you let your husband tell you what to do with your life.
It's so important that you have self confidence in Nursing, that I'd like to suggest that you take assertion training. That would enable you to have the courage of your convictions, when faced with a doctor who wants you to do something or give a dose of something that isn't correct.
The Nursing Board in your state has some stringent requirements, and may want you to take a refresher course (not a bad idea).

While I worked in fields away from my specialty (Obstetrics) for the past 8
years, I returned to it and found many things had changed (for the better). There's better equipment and tests and meds for preventing preterm labor. I'm sure there are changes in every specialty that you'd want to know about before diving right in.

So thoroughly investigate what it will take to bring you up to date, take the course, which may be called something else now (my information on it comes from "conscienceness raising" times, in the '70s). There must be another name for it, and probably it's easier to do. That will certainly get you feeling full of you, rather than empty. Usually feeling empty has more to do with your frame of mind, rather than lacking work you wanted to do before marriage, and gave up for someone else.

Best of luck.

[Bethmerle]

I became a nurse because I wanted to teach people how to better take care of themselves. Especially after watching my grandfather die from uncontrolled diabetes. Since becomming a nurse I have never been so miserable in my life. I absolutely hate my job. I still treat my patients with dignity and respect and do my job to the best of my ability but I still hate my job. And by the way the phrase "nurses eat their young is so true." I have been chewed up and spit out so many times during the last 6 months it is rediculous. No wonder the turn over rate for new nurses is so high. We have no support, we get abuse by our patients just like the rest of the staff, but even worse we get abused by the seasoned nurses we are supposed to be able to turn to and depend on as part of our team. There is no I in team but there is an m and an e and I have just learned to keep to myself. The term I have come to use is pathetisad. However, I'm not giving up yet, I worked too hard to get to where I am.

[ellen 12]

No, don't give up Bethmerle, nurses do eat their young, I've experienced it. Just unbelievable and shocking to me.
There is so much to learn when you first start working as a nurse. There is no way you can learn everything you need to know in nursing school. People, instead of being supportive, can use your lack of knowledge as a weapon to make you feel inadequate.
I think assertiveness training would help me.

[GallopinGal48]

I wanted to help people. I'm a caregiver by nature. I graduated at age 48, however, and quickly burned out. Management was toxic, I had some bad experiences. I'm coasting right now, still would like to be a nurse, but so disillusioned...

[trinityforever]

not a nurse yet but i am a cna. i want to be a nurse because my younger sister had cancer and passed away. now i want to help those kids with cancer.

[nurse2b2010]

That's wonderful that you followed your dream. So sorry to hear about your mother. Best luck to you always.