Should I REALLY become a nurse?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

Published

  1. Is Nursing the best option to get where I want to go?

    • 2
      Yes
    • 0
      No
    • 6
      Yes, there many Specialty Nurses.
    • 1
      No, go into Public Health or another field.
    • 2
      I don't have enough information.

11 members have participated

I haven't always wanted to be a Nurse. I have a BS in Health Studies and have worked as a caregiver in the past (working with the disabled and elderly population), which I loved. I wanted to pursue an MPH, but decided Nursing might be better. I love Science (hate Math, but I'm decent at it). I've always been passionate about Public Health, but realistically, they want experience that I don't have. Even now, I can't find a job (I recently graduated in December) in my field, with me wanting to be a Health Educator. I have been slightly depressed lately because, during my internship, my Preceptor told me that 'nothing would change' (as in fighting a losing battle) going into Health Education. I want to change someone's life so that I can SEE it and feel it. I feel like I have many qualities of a nurse like empathy, interpersonal skills, physically strong and communication skills. I also consider myself a 'healer'. Weakness: sometimes my physical energy wears out easily if I'm drained with too many people around (introvert), I am sometimes too laid back.

At times, I am worried that I am not 'smart' enough because I'm not great at math. Or that I am not good enough at problem solving. Or that 12 hour shifts will just be too much for me. I'm scared I won't like it because I hear other people say it. I'm riddled with self-doubt, especially because I haven't been able to put my degree into use. I know that I can become a Public Health Nurse or even a Nurse Educator, I think I would love doing that. It's just the initial criteria of being a Nurse. I want the job stability, experience, knowledge, and to actually SEE a difference in someone's life.

I'm just not sure if this is the route I should go. Any advice would be helpful!!!

Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

A lot of your post arises from your feelings so in regard to advice from anonymous people you might as well flip a coin. I CAN tell you, if you don't try it, nursing will only be a figment of your imagination. Good luck to you.

If you want to be a nurse, then work hard towards it.

Specializes in MSICU.

Sounds like you might be well suited to something along the lines of in-home nursing? Having an RN license opens many many doors, I'm sure you could find something you like.

Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

Do more research into what a nursing job actually entails. Shadow or follow a real nurse if possible. Your fantasy version of nursing will lead you astray.

Maybe some kind of alternative medicine where you can see your "healing" powers come to fruition.

Specializes in Varied.

You would love home-health or hospice care. I felt a lot like you did when I first started and have found that Hospice care fit my desires.

I never wanted to be a nurse either. But at 32 with two useless Bachelor's degrees, I thought "what do I have to lose?" I grew up in the 90s when there was no such thing as "STEM" and girls weren't encouraged to get into the science field. As a result, I took my last science class in 10th grade and thought I was "bad" at science. I failed high school trigonometry and thought I was "bad" at math. Turns out, neither of those two things is true. I'm extremely shy and introverted and I have a hard time making small talk, but I had my first clinicals this past week (at a stepdown ICU unit--WHY would they do that to us?!) but I somehow overcame those things and even had some fun.

I say all this to tell you that you really don't know if you'll like something or be good at it until you try it.

If you want to be a public health nurse or nurse educator, your first step is getting on the road to becoming a nurse (finding a school, doing prereqs, etc.) So get out there and do it!

+ Add a Comment