Can you guys please help? So sick of this...

Biol20fan · Oct 10, 2008

yuyu75, I'm glad you decided to post here because you sound a lot like me! I am 32, nearing the end of my first year of NS, and before I started back to school I was a stay-at-home (my boys are now 6 y.o. and 4 y.o.). My hubby is the only one working, too. In addition, I never was partial to science, and I certainly was never all that good at math (two BIIIIG components of the RN program).

I started back on my prereqs back when my younger son was four months old. It was hard, I won't lie. I was still nursing him, and getting up in the middle of the night for feedings. The good thing is that now my kids are older (about the same age as your kids), so it's much easier now that they are more self-sufficient.

So here's my "truth" about NS (keep in mind, it will be different for every student). The curriculum in NS is tough, but the hardest part on me is missing out on the time with my family. I know that my kids get disappointed when I tell them I can't take them to the park because "Mommy has to do a care plan/worksheet/learn about medicine/report/etc.."). And I miss spending time with my hubby. Yes, there will be sacrifices. The thing is though, it's a short-term loss for a long-term gain. If I never went into NS, hubby and I might never have a chance to buy a house and we'd never have a yard for our boys to run around in. Things like that are what keep me going - getting off of public assistance, setting aside money for college for them, being able to have birthday parties for my boys. Plus, it just makes me melt when my six y.o. tells me, "Mommy, I'm so proud of you for doing so good on your homework!" :heartbeat

As for the science part, if you really feel as though nursing might be your calling, then you need to have faith in yourself that you can do it! I bet you anything that you will do better than you think you will. Plus, once you get into the actual NS core classes, you might find you like it so much, that it will be easier for you to retain the info (that's what happened with me). It's the same thing w/ math - honestly, it's really not that hard. It seems intimidating, but once you get the basics down, it's definitely doable. Trust me - if I can do it, you can do it!

I'm ever-so-slowly nearing the end of my first year of NS. Honestly, I'm still scared to be a nurse! If you're not scared, then you're not being careful enough. But I've been lucky enough to have some good instructors, including a GREAT clinical instructor for my OB rotation. She encourages and applauds when you take initiative. The confidence is slowly building, but I'm still nervous every time I wake up on a clinical morning. Sure, I've come across some nurses who were, shall we say, not nice :banghead: . They've just served as an example to me of how NOT to be. But I've also come across the most amazing nurses, who are good examples of how we should be :heartbeat :nurse: !

But if you think about it, how many other occupations can you go into where you can truly make such a wonderful difference in someone's life? I love knowing that I was privileged enough to spend time with a pt who was going to have a limb amputated, because I felt like I was able to help him through a scary time. I love that I was blessed enough to be present at four births. I love that I was able to comfort a little preemie this week who was crying and just wanted some cuddles. Geez, now I'm crying just thinking about it. :bluecry1:

Knowing what I know now, I would not change my mind about nursing. It is harder than I thought it would be, and yet so much more fulfilling than I thought it would be.

yuyu75, only you can decide is nursing or social work is right for you. Have you done a pro/con list? Include prereqs needed, length of time in program, income after receving degree and license, etc. Sit down with your hubby and discuss it. When you are in NS, it's almost like your whole family is in NS. Everyone will have to pitch in more. It's a team effort, but if you have good support, you can do it!

Then, when you've decided on the path you want to take, then go for it! Like you said, you don't want to look back on your life thinking, "What if..." If you choose nursing or social work, either way you will be making a difference. :heartbeat

Keep us updated!

yuyu75 · Oct 10, 2008

Wow...thank you...I couldn't have asked for a better reply...Thank you.

You should be so proud of yourself. I hope in a year or two I am in the same "place" (mentally and physically) your are...because it sounds like such a happy place!

Thanks

Biol20fan · Oct 10, 2008

Wow...thank you...I couldn't have asked for a better reply...Thank you.
You should be so proud of yourself. I hope in a year or two I am in the same "place" (mentally and physically) your are...because it sounds like such a happy place!
Thanks

That's just what I feel in my heart. I wanted to respond to you the way I would have responded to myself. :twocents: There have been sooooo many struggles along the way. I'm still going through a ton. But now I at least know there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Just take it one day at a time, and don't forget to take care of yourself along the way! :loveya:

Feel free to PM me anytime for support/complaints/anything!

momandstudent · Oct 11, 2008

yuyu75,

If you are currently questioning the "what ifs" right now, more than likely you will question them in years to come. Follow your heart and your heart only-it holds the answer to the question you are seeking.

I am a 33 yr. old junior BSN student who had questioned the "what ifs" for 16 years. I went to college, for nursing, right out of high school but only completed a year of it. I then thought that working 60+ hours a week and having money was the greatest thing. This thought carried me through a new career-raising my 3 children while doing childcare out of my home. I have been doing this for the past 12 years. I never, ever lost the desire to be a nurse and my family knew it but I thought my calling was to be a SAHM until 3 years ago when I awoke one morning with the strongest desire to become a nurse. It was as if it was drilled into my head during the night. I spent 4 months researching between 2 different schools and weighing my options and the complications this idea could lead to.

I started with 4 online classes and made the dean's list that semester. I, too, hated science classes but got A's in A&P1 & 2, bio-chem, and med-micro. You can do this-set your mind up that you will succeed and YOU WILL!!! I have been on the dean's list 3 semesters now and missed 2 more by less than 0.5%. If I can do this-you can also.

The time involved in studying is immense but it is not undoable. You just have to prioritize. By this I mean: kids and husband #1, studying #2, and housework completed after you have met steps 1 & 2. You can always find a way to have clean clothes on the kids' backs and clean dishes for them to eat off of. Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT sweat the small stuff. It will get done at some point.

I have never missed a game, concert, or parent-teacher conference yet. I know this could change tomorrow but as I have told me kids-I have been there for their first words, their first steps, and their first day of kindergarten and following years. It is my time to complete my dream of becoming a nurse so that I may complete my dreams of providing a stable, healthy family for them.

Good luck to you my friend and do me a favor, let me know what you decide. The answer lies in your heart-seek and you will find. Peace be with you.

sunray12 · Oct 11, 2008

1) The science prereqs. You can do them and do well even if you weren’t the “science whiz” when you were younger. I am one who did the bare minimum of science to get my undergrad degree so I haven’t had any hard science classes since high school which was almost 20 years ago. I have never worked in a scientific field. Yet I am in pre-nursing now and doing fine. You’re grown, you’ve had children, you are probably a lot more aware of the world you live in than when you were younger – and the prereqs are entry level college science. So if you want to do science you can do it.

2) Nursing school is hard: Well okay I haven’t done nursing school yet, but look at it this way. At your age you’ve no doubt taken on more than a few of life’s challenges. Nursing school may be challenging but it can’t be even harder than other normal adult challenges. So I say ignore the horror stories - those are subjective and based on someone else’s experience/perception – go for what you want.

3) Mean nurses. Well keep in mind that as a school social worker you would be dealing with children who have sociological and/or psychiatric problems. In situations e.g., where a child is being abused, it would be your job to find out a lot of things you wish you didn't know about people in your community or about humanity in general. This is a cause of burnout for many social workers. Some nurses may be crotchety or plain mean but keep in mind that schools are political zones and you will be dealing with parents, teachers and school/school district administration, etc. So if you don't want to deal with mean nurses you probably want to deal with unfriendly/uncooperative parents or school staff either.

Bottom line you should choose whichever career path that is the best match for your skills and abilities and also the one that you feel you’ll enjoy the most. But don’t avoid nursing because of a few science prereqs and coworkers you haven’t met yet.

Good Luck.

RhodyGirl, RN · Oct 11, 2008

2) Nursing school is hard: Well okay I haven't done nursing school yet, but look at it this way. At your age you've no doubt taken on more than a few of life's challenges. Nursing school may be challenging but it can't be even harder than other normal adult challenges. So I say ignore the horror stories - those are subjective and based on someone else's experience/perception - go for what you want.

You have a point here. But, from someone who is actually in NS right now.....I can tell you....it is difficult. I have been through many adult challenges and I would say NS tops the list as one of the toughest things I've done in my life. Yes, I am just shy of 24, but I am very mature for my age and have been through many things that people my age have not.

OP- I believe that you can do anything you set your mind to. If you go into pre-nursing, just be prepared to make some sacrifices in your life.

Wishing you the best.

Rianna1 · Oct 11, 2008

NS is hard and it sounds like you could go either way, Nursing or Social Work. Maybe you can try shadowing a nurse or a social worker for a few days to see what the environment is like. I knew when I gave birth to our daughter 2 years ago that I wanted to pursue nursing. I originally thought I would want to do labor and delivery, but being exposed to so many other aspects of nursing, I don't know anymore and I love that there are so many options and so many career paths to go. My kids are 2 and 7 and yes, I am around a lot less than if I would have a 40 hour job. I have clinicals 24 hours a week and theory 8 hours a week, not including study time. DH can feel like a single dad sometimes, but I am 6 months from graduating so it is worth it. If you don't have to work, then that's better so you can have more study time. When I took my science pre-reqs, I did much better now than when I took science courses at age 20 (I am 32 now). It was weird going back to the same JC 10 years later, but that's okay.

As far as "mean" nurses, yes, they exist, but eventually most warm up to you when you show them that you can help them while learning too. I was following a new nurse (first day on the job) and she didn't really want a student b/c she was so new, but at the end of the day she was glad I was able to help her out a little. Some nurses don't want to work with students, but our instructors have taught us well and that that is okay too. We can't get upset or take it personally; maybe they are just having a bad day. You just move on and find other nurses or other departments to work in.

When you know that something you want to do is going to be "super hard" doesn't that make you want to do it more? Maybe I am just being biased cuz I am in NS, but I say NS all the way!! I will admit I HATE theory portion, but I absolutely LOVE working in the hospital.

Good luck in your decision!

Hanna0225 · Oct 11, 2008

i was in the same boat you were not so long ago...

i haven't been in school for a couple of years and was very hesitant if i could handle the challenges of nursing school and taking care of my toddler at the same time. but i've decided to go for it! and that is because....

you never know until you try!

i've wanted to be a nurse all my life, and struggling in nursing school is going to happen. my mom, a charge nurse(rn for more than 30+ years) has always encouraged me, and says, "working hard & sacrificing in life will get you to where you want to go." i believe that..she grew up in the philippines with 3 other siblings (parents did not have much money) but her aunt funded her schooling. the pressure was on my mom, and she succeeded, despite having "language" barrier issues at first and coming to the states being scared as hell! she is my inspiration, and all these years later she is the best at what she does.

obviously, the pressure is more intense for me as i have a 2 year old son. i am starting my nursing program next month, and plan to work as hard as i possibly can. with that being said, i will not accept defeat.

if this is truly your passion and calling in life, then don't let anything hinder you from achieving your dreams!