Eager student seeks wisdom!

May 25, 2001 02:55 PM written by AmandaF | 7 Comments

I am a 19 year old woman in Oklahoma city, who started out in college toward medical school, and in the process i baiscally stumbled over nursing. I took an Overview of nursing course and now I am really interested in getting into the profession. There are so many opportunities out there! I am about to appy to my school's nursing program....and am pretty sure I will get in...at least that is what my advisor told me. But now that I am jumping into it, though still very excited, I am also quite overwhelmed. There is just so much I need to learn. I know that once I graduate i will want to specialize....but I am not sure in what or how to even do that. Basically I am searching for any advice or opinions or information that might be encouraging or helpful. Anything at all. I am so excited about entering into this profession and I just want to learn all that I can. So please feel free to email me and let me know what you specialize in, how you like it, or anything else you would like to share with an eager nursing student. Thank you for your time.

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[ May 25, 2001: Message edited by: AmandaF ]

fiestynurse · May 26, 2001, 09:29 AM

Amanda, what made you switch from med school to nursing school? You say you "stumbled" over nursing, which means it was not a profession that you had considered in the past, right? It's good to see that College advisors are encouraging people to enter nursing. What interested you about the nursing program? It's important that you understand that Medicine and Nursing are two separate professions. You will find that nursing school is hard! But, you seem like a smart, enthusiastic young woman and I am glad that you "stumbled" on nursing. My advise is that you study hard (I have a feeling that I don't have to tell you that)and get the most out of your education. Don't think about specializing in anything, yet. Spend time in nursing school just exploring many different areas. Best wishes!

peaceful2100 · May 26, 2001, 06:56 PM

I know I am not Amanda but I am 21 and I had thought about medicine too but my GPA is only a 3.0 so I had to settle for nursing because I know the people who look at medical school applications would take one look at my GPA laugh and burn my application up around a fire while enjoying hot chocolate and marshmallows and laughing even more. I still wanted to do something in the medical field and thought being a nurse and nurse practitioner would be okay as long as I keep my GPA at least 3.0

AmandaF · May 26, 2001, 08:46 PM

Yes, maybe stumble was the wrong word.....it may seem like I am settling for it. Which in no way is what i mean at all. I just came across the idea while getting my pre-Reqs out of the way for pre med. And I started meeting many students that were headed for the nursing program. I just started to think about it, and it seemed much more attractive to me than Medical school. I just thought that I would rather treat a person than to treat a disease. So often you see doctors get caught up in curing the disease...and all the red tape around everything...and forget about the person. I am not naive enough to think that there is not a lot of red tape in nursing as well....but at least you have a chance to have contact with the person for more than two seconds when you introduce yourself and tell them that you are the one that will be cutting them open later as many doctors do. But anyway...i have so much respect for nurses out there....what they do is impossible to replace. And I am really excited about becoming one. Thanks for the advice and keep it coming.

tanyalawrence · May 28, 2001, 10:14 AM

Hiya
I am also a nursing student, first year, in Ontario Canada. I also love it and am really excited to become a nurse. My advice is to talk to as many nurses as possible to get an idea of what it's like where they work and if you can, ask to get a tour of the unit they work on or ask if you can shadow them for a shift. (It's especially helpful if the nurse is a friend!) I am doing that for both the ICU and ER( which I'm interested in). Plus, make sure you do your final pre-grad rotations in the areas that you want to work in as it's very common for them to offer you a job there once you graduate. Good luck to you and feel free to email me with advice for me or to chat and update me on your progress. tanyalawrence@yahoo.com Look forward to hearing from you
Tanya

Tanya

srmorrison1 · Jun 09, 2001, 11:24 PM

Amanda, which school of nursing will you be attending? I am currently in my first year at Oklahoma City Community College and I love it! I made a "B" first semester. My GPA right now is about a 3.3. If you need any helpful hints feel free to email me. I would love to have a nursing partner. My name is Sheila, age 28, married and have one daughter (age 4) and a baby son on the way, due July 2, 2001. Please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have. Talk to you soon! Sheila

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cmggriff · Jun 11, 2001, 06:23 AM

peace2100,
You've got to be kidding. I know these doc's.
I swear half of them couldn't multiply their
GPA x 2 and get a 3.0. You just need to get some doc to recommend you. Do us all a favor and don't settle on being just a nurse.

deathnurse · Jun 13, 2001, 11:37 PM

Regarding nursing or med school, if you've got the money (most important) or the brains (second), go for med school. If you've really got brains, read the posts with the most replies on these bulletin boards and USE THEM. Ninety percent of these respondents tell a grim story of the healthcare industry. How about "helping the nurses" and becoming a lawyer and fighting for change? Interview the nurses on the front lines, not the managers or CEO's that don't have to deal with or touch patients. Research this entire web page before making the "nursing" decision. Think about your future and where you want to live, the self-dependence you'll want to create.

Yeah, all nurses have a heartwarming story to tell. I've got tons of em', all forgotten while wiping bloody, infected feces from another anus, while trying to keep it from contaminating yourself. And your loved ones at home.

You'll always have a job as a nurse, however. You'll never go job-hunting for long. There are reasons for everything.

Eager student seeks wisdom!

Eager student seeks wisdom!

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