Considering Quitting Nursing School

[hmoge]

Hi,

I'm thinking of not going back to nursing school this fall. I completed my first of three years in an accelerated Bachelor of Nursing program. I have gotten all A's and a couple B+'s so I am not finding the content that difficult. I just feel like nursing is not for me. Most of my first year of nursing I was seeing a counselor since I was so lonely and depressed. I had no social life and the stress in my program in very high. In clinical I feel like I am "Acting" and not being myself. I got a summer job as a Health Care Aide and I find it mentally and physically exhausting so I don't know how I can do this forever. I feel like I am not meant to be a bedside nurse and am already thinking of how I would be significantly better in a managerial/administration position. So many people in my program said getting into nursing made them want to be nurses more or they feel "at home". Going to nursing school only made me question being a nurse. I'm 22 years old and start school in a month. I feel so burnt out from summer courses and working in the hospital. So I am wondering if you think I should do? The options I have thought of would be continuing for the next 2 years or taking a LOA from the program and trying business courses to see if I enjoy it more. It would be hard to quit since so much time/money has been spent, I have a good GPA and I would be finished school in 2 years instead of longer if I Switched majors.

[SkyDrift]

Well, I would think about it carefully. If you reapply in the future, they might ask why you dropped out. If you are truly passionate about it, then continue. If not, then I would look at a field at something you're more comfortable with. Nursing school requires a lot of dedication. Most of my classmates who had jobs had to quit (or temporarily quit) their job just so they can have enough time to study. I know it's hard, but think about how much harder it is going to be once you become a new graduate. It's all about dedication and how badly you want to achieve your goals.

[NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN]

No one can really answer that for you. Some things to think about:

What made you want to go into nursing in the first place? If your only answer is "money" then you should probably move on to something else.

What is it about the clinical and aide work that you don't like?

Med-Surg nursing is not for everyone (I say this frequently). Some prefer peds, some like psych, some love the excitement of the ED, others prefer OR. Specialties are worlds different from a standard med-surg floor. Consider waiting until you've cycled through some specialties before you decide that nursing isn't for you.

Could you see yourself in a non-bedside capacity? For example, informatics, case management, research? If so, do you feel you are able to get thru the next couple years of clinical (and possibly some floor nursing) in order to achieve that?

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Question - have you addressed the "lonely and depressed" underlying issue? No education or career can fix this for you. Nursing is an extremely bad career for people with emotional difficulties because we are routinely expected to "give" so much to our patients.Don't ignore your own feelings and thoughts. You can't do it if you have nothing to give.

Taking some time off from nursing education sounds like a good idea for you. Hey, I'm a child of the 60's. We are still firm believers in the importance of getting one's head together. Take a close look at your birth certificate. There is no expiration date on your ability to pursue an education. It will be there when you're ready for it.