Am I cut out for this?

[kmreid]

I will start out by saying that I have been fascinated by the medical field for a very long time. While my original interest as a child was to be a Veterinarian, I found that anything pertaining to living beings and how they functioned, was just amazing! I've watched part of the delivery of my daughter when she was born, I had my orthopedic surgeon pause long enough during surgery to let me see my open finger during an FDP tendon repair, and I even watched my husband's vasectomy. I find it all incredible, and I take every chance I can to be involved or to observe when I can.

That being said, I am facing the chance at a 2nd career (graphic design being my first) but I am not sure if I should even try nursing. I feel completely incompetent in the simplest of things, primarily math related subjects, but I also find that I struggle to understand many things after reading them over and over. I am not sure if there is some other underlying issue there, but I know that remembering things has been a problem my entire life. I am terrified that if I pass the three pre-reqs that I need to get accepted into the nursing program that I will not do well enough to graduate (they require a 3.4-3.5 GPA just for entry). I feel like my brain works against me all the time, so even if I did make it through college and the NCLEX what if I unintentionally hurt a patient? It doesn't help that I suffer from some anxiety issues.

I would like to do this, but I am worried that I am setting myself up for failure and risking putting my family in a lot of debt for nothing. Between my anxiety and trouble retaining things that I learn, I am not sure how well this would work out.

Those of you who have a form of learning disability, how did you manage to get through college? Are there any steps that can be taken to prevent any mishaps on the job because I feel like an airhead...like I can't concentrate sometimes, and that scares me. I would be so grateful for any advice because this is a major decision for myself and my family!

[anewsns]

Well, it's really awesome you are so fascinated with the medical field , that would definitely work in your favor , but nursing is very intensive and lots of information . I myself am a conceptual learner rather than a memorizey one and I did great.. However , if you read something over and over and have trouble understanding than nursing school may be too much. On the other hand, there are multiple ways to learn and If reading is your only issue , you could probably get around it. On a more encouraging note , if you are really serious about this and are unsure what the actual issue is , I would maybe mention it to your doctor , as your issue may be treatable. Also , you could try being a CNA and see if you like the field . Good luck .

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Your feelings of uncertainty are normal; having anxiety issues likely just enhances the already-expected nervousness that goes with taking on any new endeavor.

No one but you can tell you how you will do in school, how you will handle the expectations/pressures, and whether or not you will succeed in NCLEX and eventually, employment. No one has a crystal ball!

That said, the best suggestions I would have for you is to make certain your anxiety is under control with medications and/or counseling. If it is an overriding force in your life, it would be difficult to succeed at ANYTHING, let alone nursing. Once you feel that is not an issue, look at your pre-requisites as a time to assess your base abilities: if you struggle with math, get a tutor. If you struggle with any of the pre-requs, get a tutor. If you succeed....then you move on to nursing school. If you do not.....assess what the reasons are, whether you can overcome them, or not. NO ONE can know this in advance, not even you.

One thing is absolutely certain: if you don't try, you will never succeed. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is a good motto :)

Good luck!

[anewsns]

True too on the last statement . One day at a time . You could also try taking anatomy , my professors used to say that success in anatomy has a strong correlation to success in nursing school , and I agree If you do well in anatomy even with a tutor you can do well in anything .

[kmreid]

Thank you so much for the responses! I suppose that you are both right in that there isn't really a way to know for sure. You both gave me some sound advice and I will definitely keep that in mind. I appreciate you taking the time to give me your thoughts!

[misscurls]

You can always start out at a community college before you get a BSN. That way you can get your "feet wet" without spending too much money at first! You seem very interested in the medical field and there may even be some other career choices available that you may be interested in so I would look into all different kinds of jobs in the medical field. Also, you can always volunteer in a hospital or other medical setting and be able to see what goes on and somewhat be a part of it all without having to have any major responsibilities! I have volunteered in a hospital for 5 years and the things I have experienced I will always be grateful for.

[kmreid]

Our closest community college is nearly 40 minutes away. I am the primary care giver of my two children, so I need to be close to home if something comes up. My husband can't easily leave his job, so it's easier for me to be close at hand. I did consider it though, and in a perfect world, if someplace close by offered sonography, I would go that route, but all of those colleges are well over an hour away from where I live and I just can't do that much traveling right now.

I shadowed a nurse recently at a clinic that I go to, and I really enjoyed it. I am not sure what volunteers at our hospital really do. I think they mainly wheel patients out to cars and deliver flowers to rooms, or at least that is what I have seen at our local hospital. I may look into it regardless. Thanks for the tips!