Hello everyone, I apologized ahead of time if you've been inundated with questions like this and what I am about to share.
I have been accepted to a BSN nursing program set to begin this fall. I have always wanted a medical career since I was young, either a doctor or nurse. Over the years the desire to do something in this field has continued to call me, but I have not responded to that calling. The main reason for not responding is due my own health and experiences dealing with the healthcare system. Since I was born, I've now had about 22 surgeries, multiple insurance companies, gone without insurance, and just about anything else you can imagine. Over the years my health has continued to become more of a struggle.
I am concerned about my pursuit of nursing in many ways. First of all, I have sought countless resources (books, articles, others in the profession) about the nursing profession and have tried to get fair feedback about it. For the most part, however, the overwhelming feeling I've received overall from these sources is that I will have to endure an extremely grueling education only to find myself in a lot of misery. I've heard it's a very physically demanding job (can I tolerate that? not sure. I have some physical limitations, like limited use of a shoulder and little stamina). I've heard about nurses badmouthing other nurses. I've heard about the difficulties dealing with doctors. The Chair of the nursing school I am accepted to has also described a tightening job market. As it is, the meeting I attended for the nursing program where the Chair was speaking felt just plain depressing.
The negatives I've heard from so many are endless. That's very discouraging. I've also seen so much of the health care system as a patient that I thought I could be a good "in their shoes" person for any patients I care for, but in reality I've learned to really despise the way healthcare is delivered in this country. When it comes to doctors, I have taken so much garbage from them I am not sure if I can handle another moment more of it as a nurse. And the thought of being so overwhelmed by those crazy nurse-patient ratios already makes it hard for me to sleep at night.
I cannot stand those Johnson & Johnson commercials about nursing. I think they falsely portray what really goes on in nursing; I find them downright offensive.
But I also don't want to destroy a potentially good career. I am sorry if all of you keep hearing the same story again and again about the negatives of nursing. I am really distraught about my pursuit. I don't want to commit the time, expense and risk to my personal health for a pursuit that involves an insanely difficult education only to find myself facing potential burnout in a short time and having to make the heart-breaking decision to get out of the profession. I do appreciate the stories I've seen, however, from nurses who love their work and for this reason and others I am quite despondent over the potential loss of a great career for me if I choose not the pursue it. I am just plain torn. :innerconf
Would any of you like to share your thoughts here? Your feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated. Thank you!
