I'm Not Sure Nursing Is For Me

[cdietrich404]

I am currently in the process of completing my pre reqs so I can apply for the RN program at my school.

However, after reading some of the things on this board, I am having doubts.

Too many patients and not enough nurses; getting sick all the time; the first 2 years being horrible are some of the things I have heard.

I just don't want to invest all this time and money into something that could be a mistake.

I wanted to go into nursing after my third child needed to have open heart surgery at 4 days old. The Rn's in the NICU were so inspiring and kind. I wanted to be like that.

I have four kids and get sick so easily so when i read that some nurses are sick all the time, it was a turn off for me.

I love the idea of working 3 days a week only. The stability of the profession. Helping people in need.

I know there are bad part of any job.

I just want to make the right profession choice.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Cheryl

[chris_at_lucas_RN, RN]

You know the squeaky wheel is the one you hear, right?

There are a lot of us that are pretty happy, and lots of different ways to work as a nurse that are fulfilling and fun.

You saw nurses who nurse like you want to nurse, so you know it is out there.

Don't give up!

If you take reasonable care, you won't be sick all the time. You'll catch stuff from time to time, but that just builds your immunity. You are just as likely to catch a lot of stuff from your little ones and their little friends. That's just the way it goes!

I have come to believe that the first couple of years are hard because we usually go in with a lot of idealism and we have to make that fit into reality.

It can be like sticking your foot into a shoe that is too small.

But eventually, you find a niche (some of us faster than others), and you are happy there.

It is a very good profession, one that can be very fulfilling and satisfying, and one where you can make a decent living, there is potential for advancement and continued professional development, and one with a solid and honorable history.

I hope you don't give up your dream. I think you would make an awesome nurse. You know what it is like to be on the other side of the bed....

[talaxandra]

i think it's a real tribute to the icu nurses you were inspired by that you're thinking about becoming a nurse yourself, and i think it says something great about the kind of person you are, too.

nursing's not for everyone, and it's unquestionably stressful. you'll work with incompetent and stupid people more often than not - patients, families, other clinicians, supervisers, and possibly all four at once.

you'll longingly wish for a sow's ear when you're expected to create silk purses out of no equipment at all. you'll be expected to deal with situations you're wholly unprepared for, to squash your personal distress by maintaining a professional facade, and there will be shifts where the only thing getting you through it is the idea of a drink at the end of the day.

you've seen one side of the job, as a visitor. just be aware that there's a lot they did that you won't have seen - not just because they weren't your focus but also because much of what we do is observation and experience.

similarly, nursing school is not nursing, and is unlikely to give you an idea of what the job is really like. even though your clinical placements will help you with some of the tasks of nursing, it's not the same as actually being responsible for the patients, dealing with families and doctors etc.

there's a lot more complaining and venting on this board than tales of happiness, and for good reason - what's related is not only an accurate reflection of the work but is disturbingly common.

a number of members have said that if they had it to do over they wouldn't have become a nurse.

becoming a nurse was unquestionably the best decision i have made in my life. i have made my deepest friendships with my colleagues, had more triumphant experiences than depth-plumbing, been privileged to share people's best and worst moments, taught and learned and grown, and every day of my working life i know i've made a positive difference to at least one person's life. and all while making a decent living. how many other jobs can offer that?

[Medic2RN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

As others have said, you are the only one to determine if nursing is the right thing for yourself.

Take the postings on this board with a grain of salt. With that being said, the postings here also have a truthful ring with regard to my first year as a nurse. I can only speak for myself, I was utterly amazed at the stress, the disrespect, and the volumes of work to perform with no time allotted to complete these tasks. I've worked under stressful conditions in former occcupations, but nothing like this. I never had an idealistic dream of this career either. I enjoy patient care, but sadly, there's not enough time for what really needs to be done and I believe patients suffer because of it. It frustrates me to no end. Yes, there are endless opporunties out there as long as you have the experience in the trenches first.

If I could do it over again, I wouldn't. BUT, I will make the best of it and start hopping around soon to find my niche in nursing.

Like another member recommended, shadow a nurse. Actually, shadow a bunch of different nurses - especially the ones on the floor or wherever new grads start out near you. Talk to them. Best of luck to you in your decision.

[cdietrich404]

If you feel now that you should not go into nursing then you probaly should not even start nursing school. Nursing school is very fast paced with lots of demand and stress. I feel that nursing is not something to go in for just the money..you have to really be able to want to help others and even push yourself to the limit at times because the pay is not worth it at times.

Its not that I don't want to be a nurse, I just want to make sure I am heading in the right direction. To take the amount of time and energy in nursing school for it to turn around and not be a good fit for me. Do you know what I mean?? I have really been searching and I am 90 percent sure my heart says to go for it. So I guess I will and if it turns out that I was headed in the wrong direction, well at least I would have had a great learning experience.

Cheryl

[Azee]

cheryl, also want to tell you i agree with the immunity idea as posted previously. i work in a hospital and have three children at home and truthfully we all do very well with staying healthy. i have said many times i feel nurses build up immunities. you children willl also do this the longer they are in daycare, school or whatever. i wondered if you have ever tried career counseling? in my area there is a not for profit organization that has different kinds of career profiling "tests". helps you pinpoint what are the most important things in a career for you and the realities of different careers. they even have porjections for estimated future demands for careers. this helped me immensely because i had been a cna all of my working life prior to nursing school and i needed to make sure this what i really wanted to do. another idea would be to shadow a nurse and see first hand.