Pre-Nursing Hospital Tour

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Med/Surg..

Hi All,

I wasn't quite sure what to call this Thread.

I've been in the medical profession before, so I'm well aware of what's ahead of me if I'm one of the chosen ones, not just school, but the actual Nursing Career at the end of it. I know it's an extremely rewarding career, but also a dirty job, one that not everyone could handle.

I've read many posts and some of you have said that once clinicals start - even though some of your classmates might do excellent in classwork - once dealing with real live patients and all the "yuck" that can entail, they realize Nursing isn't for them and they quit. I would never attempt this if I hadn't already experienced life on the Wards - if definitely isn't for everyone, you really have to love the work.

Most schools have hundreds of applicants, very limited slots per year and a lot of them seem to have fairly high drop-out rates. Since a lot of the applicants have never worked in the medical field and only "think" they'd enjoy life as a Nurse, I have what "I think" is a great suggestion. Once the school has narrowed it's applicants down to the top students applying - wouldn't it make lots of sense for them to at least take these people on a tour of a hospital, check out the ER, maybe witness a procedure or two, etc. That way, long before they actually start clinicals - they'll realize if it's something they really want to do or not. My Sister In-Law works 12 hour shifts in an ER and says most days she leaves work with blood, vomit and God knows what else on her scrubs - just part of the job and not everyone can deal with all of that. Wouldn't it be nice to at least have a small taste of that before you go through all the time and expense it takes just getting into school?

I know people go into Nursing for a variety of reasons. Hopefully most people are doing the job because they love helping others and have their heart in it. I know a few Nurses who hate their jobs, constantly complaining about the patients and how gross the work is. I've asked them why they don't find a job they like and they always tell me "Nursing pays great". I feel so bad for any patients these Nurses deal with - people can sense when you're taking care of them if you'd rather be anywhere, but with them, it's pretty sad.

Just wondering if any schools take their potential students on hospital tours - like I said, it makes a lot of sense. Thanks, SusanNC

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Suan,

I think that's a great idea! I wish my school had done that. I like clinicals, but having never worked in the field beore Im a little slow at it. Hopefully I will pick up the pace - but most(as a matter of fact ALL) of my classmates have worked as cna's and I seem to lag behind them.

I think the schools should make healthcare experience mandatory.

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Susan,

I think that is a great idea. I for one wish my school did this. It is hard for some to know for sure if they want to do nursing. I am one of those people. I am due to begin in the fall and have been soul searching because I don't know if I want it now. I feel bad taking a slot when there are so many out there who might want it more. We recently had a death in the family and I spent a little time at the hospital (granted it was ICU) but since that time I am just not sure now.

Since I have time, (orientation isn't for a month) I will take time to analyze why I have chosen this field. I am worried that once I start, I will be one of those people who drop out. It's not like I can't go out and make decent money (so I know it wasn't for the money) doing what I was doing beforehand so money wasn't the reason I had chosen this field. But I'm not sure I want to put the time and money in for something I may not like.

Do others who are set to start in the fall feel the same way?

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Specializes in NICU- now learning OR!.

At my school - in our first eight weeks of class we went to a nursing home for a couple of hours (which is also our clinical location the second eight weeks of class)

and we were in groups of two and provided basic care for hospice patients.

That was a wake up call.... and about the closest thing to a hands-on tour that we were going to get.

It was right before spring break, and some people did not return after spring break (whether it was grades, etc. who knows.....)

My pt. was a tiny little contractured woman who was completely immobile and incontinent..... sigh.....

We all did very well, and gained some much needed confidence in our abilities to care for pts. even without very much experience or education.

Jenny

ADN Grad. Dec 2005

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Good idea Susan! I am one of the ones who wonders what IF I don't like it or can't handle it once I have started. Has anyone felt that way before starting and then went into it and it was fine? I would love to hear of others experiences in this situation....

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Susan,

This is a great suggestion. I am going to call one of the counselors in my nursing department and suggest this also. This would be a great weeding out process and give a chance for the people who really do want to be a part of this wonderful profession.

Fatima

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Susan,

This is a great suggestion. I am going to call one of the counselors in my nursing department and suggest this also. This would be a great weeding out process and give a chance for the people who really do want to be a part of this wonderful profession.

Fatima

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Hi

That is a wonderful idea...

However I want to mention that there are many nurses who can't stand to work in hospitals and their still excellent nurses, they found their nitch in a different type of environment. So on one hand... it would be good to witness the happenings in the hospitals prior, but on the other hand...there are so many different roads to take as a nurse it would be unfortunate to give up after that one time at the hosp. keep on open mind explore your many different options of being a nurse. Remember you don't have to work in a hosp. or a nursing home. People need us in other ways too...

My last clinical I had to go to a womans program for woman who just got out of jail we taught them so much about health it was awsome. There really are so many people out there that really don't know that much on health.

So you can teach, console patients, be an insurance nurse, you can do home vists for new mothers, many more...

any one else want to give out ideas?

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Good idea Susan! I am one of the ones who wonders what IF I don't like it or can't handle it once I have started. Has anyone felt that way before starting and then went into it and it was fine? I would love to hear of others experiences in this situation....

Yes! This was me! I am in my second semester of clinicals and even I am amazed at how I have "handled it". I cannot explain quite what it is like but from the very first day of "real" hands-on patient care I was hooked. I dealt with so much that day as far as the "gross out factor" goes, but when you are dealing with a real person it just really does not affect you as much as you may think. I am so conscious of how the patient must feel and how embarrassed they must be that it just seems to give me the extra something that I need to take care of them. It is normal to wonder how you will handle new experiences. I have lost several classmates to checkoffs etc, but not one I know has dropped the course of their own volition. :)

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