advice on nursing school please

bbrown1 · Dec 6, 2005

HI!

I also believe you should not spend your time working somewhere where you hate it. I hope that I never have to work somewhere like that. I have a passion for the NICU and I am going to go for it. If it doesn't work out for me then I will try something else. I hope everyone can find something that they are as passionate as I am about this, they will have a happier life. I do realize that not all jobs are great. Each and everything has its drawbacks, it is just the job. As far as the prereps go I am busting my butt to get them finished and get a good grade out of them. I see everyday that there are many girls who would rather party and go out than study. I don't think they are going to make very far in nursing. I do not have a child yet, but I give you and many others respect for raising a family and going to school, not everyone can. Good luck in everything!

bbrown1

Stephanie in FL · Dec 6, 2005

I'm an RN, not in OB, but I had a few thoughts.

What about becoming a CNA? Do L&D or postpartum hire CNAs?

I saw on the Discovery Health Channel how some hospitals use doulas (volunteers who are with women in labor). I don't know which hospitals actually use them.

I know you said you don't like sick babies, but what about volunteering in NICU?

Where I live there is a facility where single women who don't have much money or social support live and receive assistance until their baby is born. What about volunteering there?

I don't believe that you need med-surg experience as an RN to go into OB, but if you have no interest in med-surg, I don't think you should not go to nursing school.

Good luck!

Stephanie RN

OB_or_NICU_hopeful · Dec 6, 2005

Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate you taking time to help me

I'm pretty certain that I will not be entering the BSN program right now. I am going to take the next six months or so and truly figure out if nursing is what I want to do. I am going to search high and low to find opportunities to expose myself to my areas of interest. If it is my calling in life to work in L&D or M/B, I will begin taking prereqs and gen ed courses. I really don't want to do a BSN program, I've always been more interested in ASN programs. We have several to choose from in my area (Cincinnati), so I will pursue that route. If it's not for me, then I will know without a doubt. Some of the hospitals do hire CNAs in L&D, so I need to investigate that option (though those jobs are nearly impossible to land externally). I volunteered in M/B this year and I know that the CNAs at that hospital are the first line for breastfeeding assistance. I think I was really afraid to try anything because I was scared I would figure out that I just couldn't handle it Maybe I'll surprise myself and be a natural

L&DSomeday ~ my husband has Ulcerative Colitis....strange, maybe we ARE long lost sisters :chuckle

Stephanie in FL ~ I'm ok with sick babies....just not sick adults :rotfl: I know it's goofy, I don't understand it!

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice....I have noted several of your ideas and will be looking in to them!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you :D

You have no idea how your support has encouraged me! I was fully expecting you guys to tell me that I had no place in nursing.....it's good to know that might not be true!!

vermonter4life · Dec 11, 2005

I have questions, and don't know what to do. Here goes.
I have always been drawn to pregnancy, L&D, neonates and breastfeeding. I feel like L&D is where I'm drawn to the most. I shadowed a float nurse in L&D for nearly 9 hours a few months ago, and was so amazed! I saw a lot that day (about 5 births - vag & c/s) and the day flew by. I am also interested in becoming a lactation consultant. Everything I'm interested in involves becoming an RN first (at least in my area). My concern is that my desires are too limited to be a good RN or to succeed in nursing school. I don't just want to be a nurse and help people. I want to be involved in one of the areas listed above. I see myself nowhere else. I feel like I'm destined to fail because of that. So many things are disgusting to me. I really dislike sick adults. I have no interest in caring for them day in and day out. I'm not even iffy about it, I could not do med/surg nursing. What sucks is that I feel like I can't figure this out without investing time and energy (and money) and THEN realizing it's not for me I wish I could "be a nurse" for like a week and see if it's really for me, ya know?
Second question. I have two small boys (one is two, the other is nearly four). Should I wait to go to nursing school until after they go to school? Would it make a noticeable difference if I waited? I can't see how it couldn't, but now I feel like I would be a loser if I didn't go. I've been accepted to a selective BSN program and would start clinicals in August. Or I could do prereqs over the next year, then get on one of the many ASN two-year waiting lists (no joke) and start once my youngest goes off to Kindy or first grade.
I just sit and think about this all the time I hate it. I go back and forth. I decide I'm not going, then I feel sad that I will never be a part of L&D. The thought of checking the cervix and feeling (and seeing) the baby move down the birth canal almost makes me burst with enthusiasm. But is that enough to get me through nursing school?
Please, please help me :) I truly appreciate it!

WOW:eek: :eek: You just said word for word on what I am going through now. I have 3 children ages 4months, 4years and 7years and I am currently looking to nursing school. I am in the process of signing up with a local school getting all my financial stuff taken care of.

I too have this overwhelming passion to work in the L&D field, but I am scared also that once we come to a subject that doesn't intrest me I am just going to totally flunk out of that class. I drive my husband crazy between the discovery channel and TLC watching all the births. It is a great feeling just to watch it on tv I could just imagine what it's like being there helping the mom and meeting the baby for the first time.

I saw some really great posts that have helped me alot to decide what to do first. I think the best idea for me is to volunteer first to see if it is really for me, then to get my CNA and go from there. I really couldn't imagine working in any other field, I really feel this is my calling but getting there seems to be difficult as far as all the decisions on what to do first, where to go and the fear of course.......please keep me updated on how you are doing and where you are at in your process...good luck!!!

midwife2b · Dec 11, 2005

Thank you for your very honest replies :)
I just don't understand what I'm supposed to do with my desire to work in L&D and breastfeeding I had already realized that being an RN is really the only way to do that stuff hands on, so it seemed obvious that I needed to go to nursing school...ya know??? I completely agree that I'm not cut out for nursing school or nursing period. But I SOOOOO desperately want to be in the delivery room, and I have helped with breastfeeding and I LOOOOOVE it
What can I do if not nursing?/QUOTE]
Have you considered doula training? That is one way to become physically involved with labor and birth without all the paperwork, policies and procedures of being an RN. There are also post partum doulas who assist with families at home after the birth; you will be able to help a new family get a good start in life.
I have met several doulas who, like you, just didn't want to learn to take care of "sick people". Once certified they do make some money.
In my part of the country we just don't have enough great doulas!!!

ptadvocate81 · Dec 11, 2005

I was saddened to hear what you had to say. Sick people are a part of nursing and one day you might be a sick adult in need of someone's assistance with your bodily fluids. I just want to ask that you keep an open mind if you do pursue nursing. Sometimes things are not as they seem. You may think that you want to do L&D and lactation until you are there. I know that when I began nursing school I had a lot of different desires and interests than I do now. I would recommend enjoying your babies as much as you can before beginning nursing school because it is no picnic and a definite sacrifice. But remember ultimately you are doing this to better your life and your kids lives. Keep an open mind and follow your dreams!

klone, MSN, RN · Dec 11, 2005

Hi, from someone who's 4 months away from being an RN! I, too, went into nursing because I wanted to help moms with babies. I am a lactation counselor and want to become an IBCLC (will take the exam in 2007), and that's the reason why I went into nursing. I really didn't have any intentions of actually WORKING as an RN when I first started this journey.

What I've since discovered is that I LOVE nursing for its own sake. I don't have any interest in working in med/surg, either. I KNOW that OB is where I want to go, and with that in mind, I'm not a big fan of the "one year of med/surg" way of thinking. If you know without a doubt where you want to be, why not just go there? While learning some basic skills is very important, OB is just a whole 'nother kettle of fish and is just not very comparable to med/surg nursing. I am planning on working med/surg for my preceptorship, in order to better learn prioritization.

I got an externship last summer in our hospital's OB department, and barring any weird circumstances, I'll be hopefully hired by the OB dept. as a new grad next spring when I graduate. So my goal to go right into OB and work with moms/babies is coming to fruition, and there's no reason why it can't for you, as well.

When I started this journey, my kids were 3 and 5. I did 1 1/2 years of prerequisites online, so I was still able to stay home with my kids while working towards my degree. When I started the actual nursing program, both kids were in school, so it worked out well for me.

Good luck to you, in whatever you do! Once you get into nursing school, you might decide, like me, that you just really like nursing - ANY nursing.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Dec 11, 2005

Thank you for your very honest replies :)
I just don't understand what I'm supposed to do with my desire to work in L&D and breastfeeding I had already realized that being an RN is really the only way to do that stuff hands on, so it seemed obvious that I needed to go to nursing school...ya know??? I completely agree that I'm not cut out for nursing school or nursing period. But I SOOOOO desperately want to be in the delivery room, and I have helped with breastfeeding and I LOOOOOVE it
What can I do if not nursing?
Thanks again, I appreciate it so much :)

What about one of the other roles in NICU or L&D, such as social work or occupational therapy? Might not get to work directly with lactation, but it still would satisfy the population you're looking to work with.

fergus51 · Dec 11, 2005

I had no interest in med-surg patients either and I did fine. I went pretty much into L&D as a new grad and though you see "sick" moms and babies, it's a different kind of sick. It isn't the 80 year old CVA patients. It's the 22 year old with PIH. Many hospitals will hire new grads into OB nowadays and many of us nurses don't believe in the old rule that a new nurse needs to do med-surg. I've seen nurses with and without med-surg experience become great L&D nurses and I've seen both fail. I now work NICU and have heard many managers say that new grads seem to go into that area more easily than nurses with years of adult experience. If you want to be a L&D RN, there is no reason you can't do that.

Nursey Face · Dec 30, 2005

I second checking into becoming a doula. I was a doula for a hospital birth and it was an AMAZING experience. You meet with the mother several times prior to the labor so you can get to know eachother and also to educate the mother on what to expect, etc. You are then there during the labor. The woman I helped ended up receiving a c-section, and I was there the whole time, so I guess you would have to be willing to see this type of procedure. i thought it was fascinating and I learned a lot. Finally, you do one or several post-natal visits where you interact with the baby and mother, offer advice if she needs any and offer breast feeding advice and resources. It's very rewarding, you get to interact with the baby and mother, and once you get going, you can make decent money.

Check out http://www.dona.org and http://www.alace.org - two great doula training programs.

Good luck!

labcat01, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2005

I third the idea of becoming a doula. You might also want to get involved with your local la leche league to learn more about how to be a breastfeeding consultant. Also, the local WIC programs usually need peer counselors for their breastfeeding programs. All this would be something that you can do while you are doing pre-reqs and waiting for the kiddos to grow PLUS it would be great experience if you ever want to go to NS and get hired in L&D.

Also, there are plenty of moms on this board who are doing nursing school with 2 and 3 young children. Don't get discouraged. Only you know what you can handle. Good luck!

mitchsmom · Jan 1, 2006

I agree with what's already been said... I was wondering if being a doula would be an option for you. Also, you could be a childbirth educator. I know a lady who is happy doing both of these (doesn't want to be a nurse).

Also, you don't have to be an RN to become an IBCLC (lactation consultant), but many (if not most) hospitals won't hire non-nurse IBCLC's... so you'd have to find one that would or go into private practice. I just became an IBCLC this year and I won't graduate nursing school until this Spring - but I've been a breastfeeding counselor for some time to get the hours needed to sit for the exam (see http://www.iblce.org for all the requirement info).

I'm not sure what to tell you about nursing school... it seems to be a hard call.... I went to school expressly to become an L&D nurse but I've always been interested in health, the human body, - all aspects of it so I have enjoyed all of my rotations (like others said, even some that I didn't think I'd be into). When I was a kid I would sit and read my grandma's "Nursing 1981" magazines... LOL. Personally, I couldn't imagine going to nursing school if you don't have at least some amount of broader interest in it all.

Like the other posters wrote, even in L&D there is a lot that goes into it... for example, pregnancy-induced hypertension... there is a much broader pathophysiology going on there than just the traditional "maternity" stuff we think of. Or a diabetic mom, again much broader nursing skills apply. That's just two examples of many (both of which are very common & on the rise).

Would it help to see if you could shadow a nurse to see what their day is like? And a doula/childbirth educator, etc. to see what feels right to you?