Am I Nurse Material?

U.S.A. Louisiana

Published

I made my decision to go into nursing. It took a 4 day stay to Childrens Hospital last year with my 5 week old daughter.

What I saw there in what seemed like a year changed my life. I have never been so pasionate about anything, not even when I was majoring in business at UNO.

I will begin taking my biology pre-requisites at Delgado this fall. I am so excited and ready to start.

Unfortunately, my excitement is short lived. My mom is telling me that nursing is not for me. She says that its hard work. She doesn't believe I will succeed at getting accepted to charity. She also mentioned I was not nursing material. And because I have 2 daughters, she believes I won't be able to do it.

I never thought I would hear this from my mom. I am so hurt by her words and lack of faith for me. How do you guys know for sure you have what it takes to be a nurse? I am starting to believe maybe she is right.

I would like to offer you courage to stick with your plan to become a nurse.

Try not to be discouraged - there will be many challenges along the path - and sometimes you have to just take

it one hour at a time.

My journey to becoming a nurse started just after high school when someone told me I would make a good nurse.

When college got a little tough, at 19 I was a quitter... marriage and staying home with four kids replaced pursuing

a career. After an episode with my youngest son involving emergency neurosurgery and several days at Children's Memorial I began to wonder: what do I take from this experience, and what am I supposed to learn?

At 40, I overcame my fears of "being the oldest in the class" (I wasn't) and "what if I fail again?" (...not without a fight!) and headed back to school.

I put together some songs that had themes of strength/inspiration and listened to them every time I drove to class.

Because I had 3 teens at home that were quickly outgrowing their need for a "stay-at-home" mom I was extra determined to achieve my goal.

Even after graduation, I didn't think I was courageous enough for hospital nursing...but I was blessed to take a job on a pediatric floor and I love it. I found my courage. And I found nursing has enriched my life beyond measure.

Don't let casual remarks stand in your way.... for all the critics, this is something you have to do for yourself and the rewards are waiting!

The best to you :nurse::heartbeat

Don't let anyone deter you from your dreams. Like mentioned by another before, when someone tells me I cannot do something, I want to do it even more. Follow your heart and your intuition and continue with your prereqs. Nursing is not for everyone and I would highly recommend trying to shadow a nurse for a day or even trying to get a position as a nurses aid. You get actual hands on experience and see more of what a nurse actually does and is capable of doing. Good luck in making your dreams come true!!!

Hopeful, your Mom has done you a tremendous favor. Please do everything you can to express your gratitude to her for her words....

....after you get to Heaven. But in this life, I'd strongly suggest you never say another damned word to her. Even if that's extreme, for Sure don't give her access to your head or heart any more.

You have a dream, and that's wonderful. But you are going to have instructors and counselors who talk with an echo because they have their heads stuck up their..well, you get the idea. You are going to meet fellow students who just annoy the heck out of you. You will find a million and one reasons to quit. And then if you read some of the venting and ranting that goes on here, you'll feel even worse about your decision.

If Nursing is the easiest thing you can think of to do, you need to think some more. If you are capable of being talked out of your dream by other people, you need a bigger dream.

Look, I'm no expert. I'm just a freshman trying to plow my way through my pre-req's when I'd rather be on a cruise ship somewhere getting gloriously hammered. But I know you'll eventually find my mean wrinkled old carcass at the Finish Line where they pin this little gold cross with "RN" on me. Hope I see you there, too.

Specializes in Pain mgmt, PCU.
Nothing motivates me more than someone telling me I can't do something. I was trying to decide my next career. I was an Archaeologist and then after my kids were older I was a substitute teacher for 3 years and hated it. On a whim I said to my husband "Maybe I will be a nurse" and he was online getting all the infor for me. I thought "Why not?" Well people came out of the woodwork to tell me how hard it is, how competative it is etc etc etc. It really annoyed me like they were saying "You are not smart enough to do that" so that fueled my fire. The thought of having to take Algebra was enough to scare me off............took that first got an A and carried on. Finished all my prereq's with A or A- and am currently in the nursing program. If I can do it you can do it!! Good luck!

My HS guidance counselor told me I wasn't smart enough to be a nurse. Same reaction! Watch me. It wasn't easy but i did it. you can too!

Nursing is as much a calling as it is a vocation.

I too started college at 17. I was going to be a nurse. Life got in the way and I worked my way up in manufacturing to a very good paying job that I eventually hated.

Three years ago I gave up the money to pursue a nursing career. I graduate tomorrow. Over the last three years I have worked in the hospital as a CNA for not much money and quite frankly, I have had some of the best days of my life. I am so looking forward to obtaining my license so that I can do even more for my patients.

If you feel it, go for it.

Love and Light,

qaqueen

My HS guidance counselor told me I wasn't smart enough to be a nurse. Same reaction! Watch me. It wasn't easy but i did it. you can too!

Hmmmm. Does that mean if you're not smart enough to remember to say, "Would you like fries with that?" then they send you to HS guidance counselor school?

MystyqueOne,

Thank you so much for your support. I have two daughters, who are 3 1/2 and 10 months. I have a business degree that I completely hate. I have been thinking for a good while that I needed a career change but didn't know what to change to. Suddenly, I found myself at childrens hospital and it suddenly hit me. i remember the first thing I said to my fiance was, "I can see myself doing this"

I am trying to forget what my mom said but its hard as your mom is the one person who is supposed to be there...unconditionally. I am not going to deny I am scared to death of nursing school. I have to say getting accepted scares me more than actually having to study. If I were to get rejected, I would be so upset. I was hopeful that my cousin was going to go on this adventure with me but she is no longer able. It would have been nice to have someone to study with while I take my pre requisites. I have 4 biology courses to take. Biology 141/143 lab, A&P I & II, biology 211. Any advice on those would be appreciated!

My pediatric clinical instructor told me I should reconsider - which is fairly understandable because I DID NOT enjoy pediatric at all and it probably showed. I don't have the personality to be a pediatric nurse (I'm fairly reserved, straight-forward, and not overtly perky), but that doesn't mean I'm totally unfit for nursing obviously because in med-surg, an area I enjoyed, my instructor told me I had a promising future.

If you enjoy it, then nobody can say you shouldn't do it or you're not cut out for it. You will find your niche - not everyone can do everything, but when you find what you're meant for, you will understand it and do well.

I have to say getting accepted scares me more than actually having to study. If I were to get rejected, I would be so upset.

One hot summer day, a little girl was selling lemonade, and a kindly stranger walked up and inquired as to the price. "Ten Thousand dollars," she proudly replied.

"Ten Grand??? With prices like that, you're not going to get many customers."

"With prices like that, I won't Need many customers."

With all due respect, Ma'am: doesn't matter how many times you get rejected. All you gotta do is get one "yes."

I come from a family of nurses, but have been a hairstylist for almost 20 years. I am getting ready for my final semester of nursing school this fall! Don't let other people be the judge of what you are capable of. Besides, there are SO many different things you can do as a nurse that if you don't like one area, you can try another. I don't have this incredible passion to be a nurse, but it oddly comes very naturally to me. I started out just doing it because I needed to make a better living. If you have the drive to do it, GO FOR IT GIRL!

I practically lived at Children's and Ochsner during my teen years with my little sister. I didn't get to Nursing School till after I had 4 kids - the youngest was 2 - but if you spent time at a hospital with a sick child and didn't come away with "I don't know how they do it", but came away inspired to join the ranks, that might be your first indication that nursing is for you. Sure, school is hard, and things worth having usually are. It takes alot of time from your family, and you'll work it out. I worked with many nurses who made two, three or more tries before getting in, but many who got in on the first try.

I'd stop getting other opinions for now - just do it. BTW, I was the first nurse in my family, then my husband, then my son, now my daughter is in RN school. It must have been a good choice.

Just to let you know, I have had similar experience, not from my mom but my mother in law, who is a nurse. My mother is a NICU RN. I have a brother who is a RN and a firefighter. My mother in law also said it is hard work and you have to remain on your feet alot. Think at times, they say these things, because they really feel in their heart it may not be in your best interest, but it's up to you. Hun.. I am 34, have no prior medical experience, been working in accounting for 12 years with same company, and started pre-reqs in 2006-( I must say, I had a bit of procrastination due to fear of failure!), I will be finishing up this July -summer 2, with micro, 4.0 GPA all the way, going forward and on my way to admissions for someone's Spring 2010 ADN program! :yeah:I say, go with your heart! I know nursing is my destiny! I love hospitals, and the idea of helping others! As other bloggers here stated, you have already shown motivation, that's all you need to keep going. Let us know how things progress with you! Good luck! Many blessings towards your chosen career.

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