Lost with nursing

Nurses General Nursing

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I feel completely lost when it comes to the occupation i want. I am a 19 year old first year nursing student.

I finished high school last year and jumped into a nursing degree because i thought it was safe, had been told i could make a lot of money (funny huh?), and it would help people.

This whole year so far in this course has been one up hill battle, i feel like i have no interest in what im learning about, i find taking a bloody temperature so boring. My mum is a nurse, my auntie and uncle are both nurses and they seem to love their jobs.

I know realise i want a job that i will have some status in, something that pays well, a job that i can work 9-5 in or near about to those times so that im able to have a life and a job where my body wont ache afterwards.

I feel so stupid and i dont know what to do......this year alone has cost me $18000 which i have to pay back when i start working.

I have been thinking about what i should do and i thought maybe psychology, so i went and had a meeting with the head of psychology at my uni and basically got told it was "too hard" because you have to do an honors year and they looked at my record and said because i have a mental illness which is obsessive compulsive disorder i will have a very hard time at getting through the course. Im not dumb but i only shine when i am passionate about something...........ive always thought i wanted to be in health.....i dont know now.........and maybe im just doing psychology so i can figure out myself?

My mother went to a clairvoyant yesterday and she said that i was a business person...

Okay, so this is all over the place but i need your advice. Im feeling like i should just put up with another two years of nursing so that i have the degree and will always have a job or i could try and pick up psychology aswell and walk out in three years will a psychology and nursing degree and then decide which one i want? However, im scared about wasting my time and money, i just want to find my passion.

Please tell me what you think!

Specializes in NA - 100 years ago.

Give yourself a break. If you want to do psych, do psych. You only live once. If later you find you don't like psych, do something else. Even though you only live once, you'll probably live long enough to change your mind, and your life, many times. Good luck.

Dear Lost: Please go to your nearest Community College or University and get FOUND. Here is how you do it: Find their Career Center and have them do career testing on you. It will take approximately three hours and when you are done it will have cross matched your personalilty type / likes and dislikes/ with some career suggestions. Also speak with one of their counselors. GET OUT OF NURSING - just because mum or auntie did it does not mean it's right for you....there are a lot of ways you can help people. Also, I don't know where you went to school but $18,000 is too much to pay for your first year. At that clip you will owe close to $100,000 when you are done. When you decide on the degree you want ( if any - you may decide to get a certificate in something - many vocational things pay more than nursing as well....) but IF you go to college, please take your first two years of credits at a local community college which is MUCH less expensive and then transfer to the university after that. Your university and community college will work together related to what transfers and what does not - keep a close eye on that as you don't want to waste money on a class that won't transfer, or a three credit class in say English if the University want's a four credit class (means you'll still have to take another to meet the requirements). Good luck to you, and Get outta dodge when it comes to the nursing degree. Oh, and one more thing - if you are obsessive compulsive then you may need some special help when it comes to a career choice so you don't go hopping from one to the other.

My first degree ( at the age of 51) was in social services which I absolutely loved. I have been an insurance agent for 25 years (which I hated). I then went for my RN and at the age of 57 completed it. I got a job 6 months ago in psych (child and adolescent) and feel like I am doing social work with a nurse's paycheck and I love it. There are several behaviour health counselors on my unit who are in Nursing school or finishing the pre-reqs for it so they can have the same thing.

I also agree with the cost of your schooling--if you can, a community college is cheaper and the RN after your name doesn't ask what school you went to.

Good luck!! I remember my oldest child went through the "Major of the week" during college--finished with a psych degree and is now a Physicians Assistant doing surgery every day. My youngest finished with a Journalism degree and is now a special ed teacher with emotionally disturbed students--go figure.

Once again, good luck in your decisions.

This job isnt about the money, this job is about the people you help, this job isnt for everyone and this is a decision that many young nurses if not all will face through there lifetime, god knows ive been there

At the end of the day, you need to be happy, happy in your job and happy in your life

It takes alot to balance but it is achievable, there are no goals that are not obtainable if you put in the hard work!

goodluck and goodluck to all young nurses out there

I think this is a great forum, i only wish i knew of it earlier

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