How do I decide if I should become a nurse? - LONG

smile123 · Aug 30, 2007

Good afternoon everyone.
At this point, I'm getting really excited about pursuing a nursing degree with the hope of working in the NICU or maternity ward of a hospital. The problem is that before I dedicate a lot of time and money to a new career, I want to make sure that this is the field for me. I've already thought that communications/journalism was for me and I've been sadly disappointed, and I don't want to make the same mistake again. In addition, nursing involves a lot of blood, body fluids, clean-up, etc. (you know what I mean) and while watching it on TV or watching blood get taken from myself doesn't phase me, I don't know if I could handle it on a large scale day in and day out.
I've called a few nursing schools and teaching hospitals and asked if I could shadow a neonatal or maternity nurse for the day (just stand in the corner and watch) and every single one has told me that shadowing isn't possible, so my question is (sorry it took so long to get here), how do I decide if this is a career I would enjoy and be able to handle before I invest thousands of dollars and hours of time in a nursing program??????????????????????????
Thanks so much for any help you can give me.

Hi there,

Due to HIPAA regulations and liability issues, hmost ospitals do not allow others to shadow nurses. You could try volunteering at a hospital and see if you can be a "baby" cuddler. Some hospitals do have those types of programs. Then perhaps you could see some of the nurses in action.

I think you are wise to see if it's just the excitement of holding a new born baby (do you have any relatives who have just had kids?) or if you really want to be in the NICU. Babies and moms do poop and have other bodily fluids excrete at inopportune moments. You may be responsible for cleaning it up. Nursing is not all glamour. In fact, it's far from it. There are mundane tasks, gross things and tedious paperwork that all must be endured on the job. So I would talk to other nurses in your area. Volunteer at your local hospital and make friends with the staff. Sometimes, they will open up and let you know what nursing is all about. Good luck.

Joe NightingMale, MSN, RN · Aug 30, 2007

You might want to, if you haven't already, to do some research and read some career guides. If you want to help people and work with infants, there are a number of possibilities besides pediatric nursing that you might want to consider.

Also, if possible find a good career counselor. They can be invaluable in working through the various options.

Good luck

exstol · Aug 30, 2007

My advice; look into another career. :nono:

lilo19 · Aug 30, 2007

Good afternoon everyone.
I'm at a real crossroads in my career.

Lavender, are you sure you want to become a nurse? I mean there are advantages and disadvantages and there's always the skills and knowledge which you must have. From what you have done upto now I wouldn't say you'd fit in this field. I mean you could learn and stuff but....

I really believe you have to analyze all things related to the nurse issue:

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 30, 2007

I agree with the suggestion to volunteer. That will get your foot in the door and an opportunity to be in a hospital environment even if the tasks you will be doing will not be actual nursing tasks. You can then assess how you feel in that environment and whether or not it is the type of thing you would would want to do for a living.

mommie2bodie · Aug 30, 2007

What I did was took a CNA (certified nursing assistant) course, which was about $400 in FL and took 16 weeks. They call it a PCT ( patient care tech) if you work at a hospital, I work in a nursing home. This puts you right in the environment, you are up close with the nurses and the action. I have learned so much including that I do want to be a nurse. I start school next year.

jjjoy, LPN · Aug 31, 2007

Yep, volunteer and/or take a CNA course. As another said, you can ask if any local hospitals have "baby cuddler" volunteers who go into the NICU. Some might say don't waste your money (eg $400 for a CNA course) but that's a small amount in the long run - compare it to the cost for another degree you're not really into. CNA work would definitely let you find out how you feel about dealing with bodily fluids and the like and how you feel about working in a health care environment.

The fun stuff of most jobs that we all dream about is usually just a very small percentage of the actual work. For example, I enjoy making patients feel comfortable but most of the time the nurse barely has time to take care of meds, get hold of MDs, fax orders to pharmacy, etc. It can be next to impossible to spend more than a minute of quality time with any one patient. Dream images of being *that wonderful nurse* who really gives good attention to their patients get shattered as a new nurse finds him/herself getting further and further behind with the most basic of stuff... well, it's a common experience, I think.

It seems to be a general trend across industries. As companies push for more and more "efficiency" the parts of people's jobs that are satisfying and that have make up for the hard work seem to be squeezed out. Maybe it's always been that way and it's just that illusion we often have that things "used to be better."

Anyway, back to your questions. Nursing, especially inpatient nursing, is usually physically demanding (on your feet much of the time) and usually quite busy. There's an endless list of tasks that need to be done (since it's a 24/7 job) and you've got to juggle them with ever changing patient needs, new orders, new admits, etc.

Personally, I've since realized that I actually don't mind sitting a desk most of the day!! But I didn't know that before and couldn't know that before, without the actual experience. Imaging it didn't work and I had nothing to compare it to. I'd now compare it to waitressing - not in terms of the content of the work, which is very different - but in terms of keeping tabs on several different things at one time, hopping from one thing to another and back again, and being on one's feet and on the go for most of the shift. Not all Nursing Jobs are like that, mind you. But most nurses (not all!) start out in hospitals and it's often like that there.

So that's my 2cents --- more like $1.50! Good luck as you search for insight!!

HealthyRN · Aug 31, 2007

I agree with the other posters about volunteering or taking a CNA course. Another thing that I would recommend would be to see a career counselor. It may be expensive, but nothing compared to what you will spend to get another degree. A career counselor cannot tell you if nursing is the right career choice for you, but you will discover if it may be a good fit. Also, you may find other careers in which you have interest. A career counselor could also help you find jobs that interest you in your field. You might be surprised to learn that there are jobs for those with journalism degrees that allow you to be a "people" person and/or interact with children. Career counseling can be very useful and it really helped me to decide what I want to do with my life. Good luck!