Should I continue as a Pre-Nursing student?

[tsstudent]

Hi!

So I've been depressed and just re-considering all of my life goals for the future lately. I know my passion is to be in the medical field and help kids, but I'm not sure what to do anymore as far as my major. At first, I didn't know what to major in when I first got into college and my dad convinced me that Nursing would be the best choice because as soon as I get out of college I can get a job. I started off college very well getting A's and B's, but once I took Anatomy & Physiology that was the end of getting good grades for me. By now I have taken this class 3 TIMES and I am sick of seeing the same information over and over because I know this stuff lol. I do fantastic on the lab practicals and quizzes, but the lecture exams I do not do as well. I cannot pay attention for 3 hours straight and grasp information enough to pass the class. I also do not have the choice of taking another teacher, because there's only one teacher for lecture at my university which SUCKS! I don't know what I should do, because I feel like regardless of what major I decide to change to I will have to take A&P since I want to stay in the medical field. Do you have any suggestions as to what major I should change to considering I want to stay in the medical field, but help children? Should I take A&P again? I'm just super lost, and need guidance. Oh yeah my guidance counselor wasn't much help at all either so I've been doing this all on my own, and it's not working. Any suggestions would help!

P.S I'm 20, and I'm in my 3rd semester now. I know I'm still young, but I don't want to waste anymore time.

Thanks :)

[Luckyyou, BSN, RN]

What about social work? They're overworked and underpaid, but hey, so are we.

[tsstudent]

Very true! I actually have looked into Social Work, and there is something called a Healthcare Social Worker. However, I'm not sure if the demand is high in my area. I live in Florida so I'm sure I could get a job, but I've just never heard of the job title before to know if after college I will get a job with this major with a Bachelor's in Social Work. Have you ever heard of it before?

[direw0lf, BSN]

Maybe a Patient Advocate.

But I mean this is just me, I would find a way to help yourself succeed in anything you want. "I can not pay attention 3 hours straight" yeah I had trouble in some evening classes I took. I recorded the lectures so I could listen when more awake and not all at once and I took notes from the recorder.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

Your first issue was not making YOUR career decision. You let your dad make it for you. Depression rates among college students is extremely high right now because kids are not used to handling life on their own. This is a skill you need to learn.

There are thousands of careers out there. Thousands. You can do anything you want. The reason you can't pay attention is the subject does not interest you. If it did, you would be pulling out all of the stops to pass this class. You don't get unlimited tries to pass a class. Usually after 2 or 3 tries, you are done. Without A&P you can forget about a nursing program. Well really lots of medical programs as A&P is the foundation of medicine. You need to understand the body and how it works to know what to do when something goes wrong.

Take some time and do some research. If I could go back and do it again, I would maybe have been a microbiologist or a doctor. I love to diagnose but I am also fascinated by how bacteria affect our bodies and trying to figure out how to defeat the organisms. But I also love the caring for people aspect. At this point in my life combining the science with my need to take care of people makes nursing a good fit. You need to find your good fit.