What skills a nurse needs

[hapham]

Hi everyone,

I am new to allnurses.com . I just have a question about nursing career because I am considering it.

I am Asian and have been in US for 9 months. I'm almost done my second semester at a community college and considering to take prerequisites for nursing major. However, my family think that I can't do it; I can't be a nurse because several of reasons such as I'm too small to help patients ( It sounds funny), nursing is stressful, overload, and it is a competitive career that an Asian like me has less opportunities and so on.

I love taking care of others, talking to patients, making them feel better and so I love being a nurse. But I'm not really good at Bio or Chem; all I can do is working hard.

As you can see, what I love and my ability and nursing career's requirements are so different. Therefore, I'm glad to hear some advice for my problem. I cannot decide if I should be a nurse or not and what skills that a nurse should have.

Thank you.

[mindofmidwifery, ADN]

Why would an Asian have any less opportunity in nursing than anyone else? Nursing doesn't discriminate! You being too small is a BS "reason" too. Don't let your family influence you into changing your mind about what YOU want to do. If you look up on the occupational outlook website (just google occupational outlook) and look up nursing it'll show you the typical duties of a nurse and what being a nurse takes (a degree and the ability to pass the NCLEX).

[RunBabyRN]

I think you have a big cultural dichotomy you're up against here. My husband's family is Asian, so I understand their mentality. Are they here in the US, or back home? They may not understand US racism in the job market. It can vary by the region, but in general, as long as you speak and write well in English, you should be just fine.

Being surrounded by nay-sayers can make success a big challenge. If you're able to separate yourself to some degree, it may help. Try to find support elsewhere- I'm guessing there is little you can say or do to change their minds, even if you are successful as a nurse.

Have you considered looking at nurse job postings? That might be a good place to see what the expectations are for nurses. Even if you do your research, once you start nursing school, it can be intimidating and overwhelming when you really see what's expected of you. There are a lot of resources out there to help you figure out what you want to do. There are also resources to help you study for the subjects that are challenging for you. Connect with the tutoring center on-campus to see what help you can get. Grades are very important when it comes to applying for nursing school.

Good luck!!