Are having fantasies about nursing as a student ok?

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So I know that this sounds so ridiculous! I just completed first year of school and I am off for the summer :cry:. I keep having these dreams about nursing. I will find myself day dreaming about being the nurse and taking care of my patients and how it is going to feel. I day dream about being out there on my own and how I am going to manage everything. I don't know but I feel like I am the only person in the world that has this obsession with nursing! It is normal or has it gone to far?

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Having a few dreams and imagining your future is normal. If you are obsessed with it and the fantasies are interfering with your ability to focus on other things or lead a normal life ... then that is not healthy.

Which is it for you?

Also, if your fantasies are always positive and your vision of nursing is always wonderful and you always imagine yourself being highly skilled and successful ... you are setting yourself up for having a severe case of reality shock and possible disaster. Don't confuse your fantasies with real life. You need to prepared to cope with the normal stresses and difficulties of working in the real world -- where you will struggle as a beginner and the sun will not always shine on you and your career. People with overly optimistic visions of the future are often the ones who "crash" the hardest when confronted with the stresses of the real world. It's important to develop realistic expectations to help you cope with real world when the time comes.

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Specializes in Skilled Nursing and Rehab.

I personally do not see anything wrong with wanting something realy bad. It will only benefit you in the long run in the sense that you will have a true desire to care for your patients and not just doing nursing for the money (which truly aggravates me). Just remember this one word (BALANCE). The only thing i would say is as long as you do not neglect the other important things in your life you are good to go..

We need more nurses who truly want to be nurses.

Much love to you.

NDC, SN (class of 2010 hopefully!)

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I day dream about everything, keeps the mind occupied.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

You are not "fantasizing", you are doing what is called "mental rehearsal" - similar to the way that elite athletes are taught to envision their performance in a game or competition prior to doing the real thing. So, actually, you are engaging in a really important activity that will eventually ensure your success as a nurse!

If you want to learn more about this phenomenon, I would suggest you read up on Alfred Bandura's "Social Learning Theory". Long story short - people cannot ever learn to do something unless they really believe that they can do it. In order to believe, you have to 'see' yourself doing it. You're in the middle of a metamorphosis - changing from a caterpillar to a nurse!!! If you can dream it, you can do it.

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U are not alone idefinetly think about how my life will be as a nurse, thinking about where I will work, what people I would meet, how I will deal with patients ect, actually it makes me want to just be there already, and helps me to keep in mind what I really want to do in life and what will truly make me happy. I say dream on. Keep visualizing youirself there and u will be. I can't wait to be there one day soon

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