can I realistically become a nurse?

[passthewool]

Hey all

I'm at a crossroads here and really could use some honest advice. I am a pre-nursing student who is seriously starting to doubt my abilities to pursue this career.

A bit of background: I was diagnosed with panic attacks and bipolar disorder that is sometimes quite bad when I'm in a depression with paranoia, delusions, etc. It took a while, but I was finally put on some good meds. After a year of no episodes I decided to take the plunge and in January 2018 I began prereqs for nursing school. I went part-time at first because I wasn't sure how I would do. I did well (got an A) and, in the fall, took chem and bio for non-majors (required at my school before you take microbio). Once again, I did well, A's in both. Since then, however, I seem to have lost my footing. I was able to take one class in Spring of 2019 but, since then, every time I try and take classes I end up dropping out, either because of panic attacks or because I can't concentrate well enough to do the reading. My doc (bless him) has been very helpful and all, but the only drug combos that seem to work are ones that leave me feeling too groggy, braindead, etc. I really want to do this but I'm just afraid I'm fooling myself. At my last appointment my doc said that it might be too much and that there's no shame in it, but I think I'm perhaps having a problem accepting this? Any nurses have any experience with anything like this?

[llg, PhD, RN]

It's not my place to tell you what you can and cannot do. But I would discuss it more with your doc. He seems to have his doubts, and you should take his opinion and advice seriously. Nursing school is a very stressful experience -- and you are struggling with that stress even before you have gotten to the hard parts. Your doc is right in that there is no shame in choosing another career path. Nursing is not for everyone.

Perhaps you will be able to become a nurse later in life. Or perhaps you can find a career path that will satisfy your desires without being so stressful.

[araew2129, ADN]

I have to agree with the previous poster. Not only is school going to be stressful, but imagine working as a nurse. It would really be a shame to put all the time and money into a school program and not be successful in the career. Perhaps therapy, not just meds, could help?

[Rionoir, ADN, RN]

It just gets more stressful with every semester, so I'd really recommend getting your mental health in check before you keep wasting money and dropping out of classes. When you say "doc", is your GP prescribing for you or were you able to get in to see a psychiatrist? Also, I agree with therapy - CBT can work wonders for a lot of people especially in the panic department.