Lack of motivation in nursing school

Nurses Stress 101

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I just started my first semester of RN school (Fundamentals) a few months ago. I felt that my life had completely changed, because everything was so new to me. The driving distance, early classes ,long tiring days and hours loss of sleep. Now, I feel as if I have no desire to be a "nurse" anymore. I dread going to clinical lab skills, and it has become tough for me to be in my "happy zone".

For one thing, I've always been an introvert and really enjoyed my pre-reqs (Phsio, Micro); because I was able to work by myself. Nursing however requires teamwork, and an extroverted personality. Plus, the fact that I am shy does not help me in making friends easily or talking with my classmates/instructors. I do not have that "calling" for nursing anymore. :-/ I feel as if I am not "suited" to be a nurse. Yet it would be foolish to quit, after spending so much time and effort on my pre-reqs.

Has anyone else gone through such phase? What motivated you to keep going? :)

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

What motivates me to keep going? Knowing it is going to end and I am going to have fulfilled a promise to myself. However, if you are just first semester and already feel this way I think you owe it to your future self to reconsider. You won't be the first student to regroup after getting a taste of what they thought they wanted. Your science classes will apply to any number of other degree plans.

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Specializes in Hem/Onc/BMT.

Are you unhappy with nursing altogether, or the fact that the school is stressful for your introverted nature? If it is the latter, hang in there and finish school. Being an introverted nurse is a lot easier than being an introverted nursing student. Nursing school requires stupid amount of group work and socializing... all in the name of teamwork. Yes, nursing requires teamwork but it's not like having to find partners or making friends. In any decent work environment, you can grab any nurse to turn a patient, double-check blood, etc. No stress. Professional.

Honestly, nursing school these days place way too much emphasis on group work and pointless group projects. Typical skills lab or clinical is also too lax and too idle, ending up with students wasting time socializing...

Let me also add, you're mistaken if you believe nursing requires extroverted personality. There are plenty quiet, introverted nurses! They just don't stand out as much as extroverts, that's all. ;)

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Specializes in Emergency and Critical Care.

Poly123. There are many, many areas within nursing that need that introspective person to work in. Areas you probably have never heard or thought of such as Cath Lab, electrophysiology lab, Hospice, and many others. There is a place for all personalities because as nurses we deal with all kinds of patient personalities. With that said, not everyone who thinks they want to be a nurse finds that nursing is for them. You have not wasted anything with the pre req's you have taken, they are needed for many other Allied health fields. What you could potentially waste is your own time and money if nursing truly is not for you.

I am introverted and had a great deal of difficulty adapting to the group setting. For those of us who are introverted, having to deal with all the extraneous activity and sound is very tiring. When I leave work and drive home, I do not even turn my radio on. I use this time to totally download all the noise and drive in total silence. This works for me, some people need some soft music or a soft sound in the background. De-noise yourself of cluttered loud sounds as much as possible.

For my LPN program I require the students to have previous experience such as CNA, MA, EMT etc. before they enter the program. This way I know that the student has been exposed to the health field and understand what it is all about.

Use your introspective personality and reflect on what you truly want to do for your future. If nursing is really what you want, I personally would not see a student burning out this quickly, generally it is closer to the end of the first semester, then again about mid second semester, and mid- third and fourth.

Being tired and stressed, and frustrated, and feeling like your brain will not hold any more information is normal.

Why don't you try sitting down and writing a pro/con list for yourself. Now that you have a little under your belt look on line at your campus and see the other programs that are available that require the same pre-reqs and investigate those programs more thoroughly. Don't give up until you have looked at all your options. When you have made the right choice for you, you will find that a weight has been lifted off your shoulders and you will be able to breath again.

Do not force yourself through the nursing program if it is truly not for you, you will be miserable. There are so many options for you out there, just do a bit more researching.

I hope this helps you a little.

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.

Poly -- You've gotten good advice here. Of course, only you have the capacity to truly know and decide what's best for you.

No matter what that is, know that we all wish you the best!

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

As a nurse, you don't necessarily have to have extrovert tendencies. For certain types of nursing, that does help. While I do lean a little toward introversion, in practice I actually waffle between introversion and extroversion. I'm ever so slightly an INTJ personality but I easily do ENTJ. I just focus on my job and doing my job to the best of my ability, regardless of the circumstance I'm put in. I have done my job in front of upwards of 65,000 people. What mattered was the injured athlete that I was taking care of. I must say that it does help that I have absolutely no stage fright issues. I do have some "please don't let me mess this up" anxiety like pretty much everyone else, but I'm just as happy talking to a full auditorium as I am to a single person because either way, I'm just talking to a single person... even if they're in the back row!

Now, when I get home, I like to sit and become a vegetable for about 15 minutes... but that's so I can mentally shift gears from "work" to "home."

What you're going through is more like burnout than anything else. It happens. I'm nowhere near burnt, but that's because I have learned what sends me down that path. Nursing school is difficult. You don't have to make friends. That's OK, though many people do. There's a LOT of reading involved. There's a lot of learning to do things you've never done before. There's a lot of pressure to perform adequately. What helps me is to find something that I like to do that's very much NOT related to nursing or school, something that I find interesting and fun. Then I make sure that I do that every so often so that I can get my mind off of school.

I worked 7 days per week for about 3 years straight, one full time and one nearly full time job. I never got burnt out because the two jobs I did were so different from each other that each job was a break from the other. Find that something that lets you have fun!

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