Is it worth it to go into nursing?

Medic2BSN13, BSN, RN · Aug 31, 2014

Only you will be able to accurately answer that question. Many people can provide insight, but ultimately only you can decide if the juice is worth the squeeze. Don't break the bank with student debt and realize that the first 1-2 years may not be ideal as you will need to find a job and gain experience. Good luck!

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 31, 2014

If it is really something you want to for a living, then give it a try. A lot of young people say they are prepared for it to be tough, and then they actually experience some tough times ... and they crumble and run away within a few months or years. From the outside, it can seem "heroic" or "romantic" to be working hard and enduring hardship while helping others -- but it is quite another thing to actually experience hardship. Have you ever worked really hard before? Or been in an environment when you were not treated well?

Have you ever been around healthcare? Have you volunteered in a hospital or nursing home? Or perhaps gotten a job in a health care setting? etc. If not, I suggest you do so to see how you like being around sick people and that type of environment before you make a big investment.

RN403, BSN, RN · Aug 31, 2014

Have you considered shadowing a nurse? This would give you a close-up look at what a typical day as a nurse would be like and would be the best way to come to your own conclusion. You might try reaching out to any teaching hospitals near you as they are usually more open to allowing shadowing opportunities. Good Luck on whatever you decide!

planetoi · Aug 31, 2014

Thanks for answering, I appreciate it :) I think what I'm going to do is volunteer at a hospital or try job shadowing. I definitely need some experience before I make a decision like this

planetoi · Aug 31, 2014

Hello :) I have worked hard, physically and mentally, although I don't think it's anything that can compare to that of nursing. I've also been in an environment where I'm not always treated well. I've worked in customer service since I was 15, so I'm kind of used to taking the blame for things that aren't my fault and having strangers yell at me. Again, I doubt this compares to the kind of stuff you would endure in nursing. I think you're right about working in a healthcare setting, that definitely an experience I should have before making any big decisions. I'm going to look into volunteering and job shadowing, thanks for the suggestions. And thank you for answering, I appreciate it!

planetoi · Aug 31, 2014

Thanks for the response! That's exactly what I think I'm going to do. Thank you for the advice :)

Susie2310 · Sep 1, 2014

You ask a good question, and I assumed you are considering becoming an RN, but please correct me if I am wrong. I volunteered in the ER for a year before nursing school. My duties involved refilling supplies and linen carts, stocking patient rooms with blankets, gowns, etc., hunting down wheelchairs, and running errands for the nurses. I was not permitted to do anything related to patient care. I did enjoy the environment of the ER as a volunteer, and found it very interesting, and I did experience some of the unpredictability and close team work that happens in the ER. All of the staff were very pleasant to me, and I have warm memories of my time there. But, as far as preparing me to judge whether I would like being a nurse, and whether I would be suited to nursing, it was not a sufficient exposure (for me). When I started clinicals on med-surg it was an unpleasant shock.

I found that the people in my nursing program who really did well in the program, and I mean clinically, not necessarily academically, although many of these people did well there too, were people who were already working in health care, as aides in the hospitals and agencies, techs in the hospitals, and later in the program, as LVN's. These people knew they wanted to be an RN; they were already working in the hospitals/agencies/nursing homes. They weren't floored by the realities of nursing; they were prepared, and knew that they wanted to be nurses. It made a difference.

In retrospect, I think that it would have been beneficial for me to have worked as an aide in a hospital, or as a tech, before nursing school. The roles and responsibilities are very different from an RN, but nurses need to be capable of performing the same duties as aides, and of understanding their role. The people I mentioned in my first paragraph continued to work part time during nursing school as aides, techs, and LVN's, and as far as I know had no difficulty getting hired as an RN after graduation.

planetoi · Sep 1, 2014

Thank you so much for the well thought out reply, I really appreciate it :) You make some very excellent points. I guess the only concern I have with that is the fact that those positions also require schooling separate from nursing school, and before I can be accepted to either of those programs, I still have to complete a year long pre-health course (this is my own fault though...I was stupid and didn't take math and science win my senior year of high school). And believe me, the problem is certainly not that I'm too lazy for all the extra schooling, it's simply a matter of being able to afford it. Nursing school (in my area at least) is already so expensive as well...I've definitely got a lot of think about. I do really like the idea of testing the waters by being an LVN though, thank you for the advice :)

Susie2310 · Sep 1, 2014

You are welcome. I hope you make a decision that is right for you. Best wishes to you.

Nibbles1 · Sep 1, 2014

I honestly do not know what I would do if I couldn't beva nurse. Oh yes, I have my moments, but they are just that a moment. I've had the crazy family members and work terrible hours all holidays, but it's worth it.

Susie2310 · Sep 2, 2014

I wanted to add to my first post, to clarify that yes, it has been worth it to have gone into nursing for me. Nursing gave me two very important things: 1) The knowledge and skills to make a reasonable living in a way that can help people, and, 2) The ability to advocate for my family's health and to help them through major and not so major health problems. These have been very important things over the course of the nineteen years since I received my license, and continue to be.