would you have continued thru nursing school if you had shadowed first?

[thekid]

I often wonder if I would have gone on to earn my ADN had I been able to shadow an RN for a few weeks and had really 'seen' the job/requirements/stress. I'm one of those optimists that went into school thinking nursing would be like it is on TV shows :) And I just wonder..how many students would have continued on in school had they really been aware of what the role involved.

[TipitiwichitRN]

This is a good question. I had only LTC experience before- the hospital is so much different. I think I may have felt over whelmed. I am not sure that I had the confidence back then to grab the bull by the horns, or whatever...

I may have bailed d/t that fact alone. Nursing school matures you, is meant to harden you, meant to make you get the basics so that you can get the rest eventually. It think having nursing school under my belt, along with doing my first year at an inner city hospital helped me ease into the hospital environment.

Now, at a 'nicer' hospital, it is harder, but my proior exp hels me digest it way better than if I had known nothing at all.

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

I did an summer internship for high school and college students interested in health care, where I was placed in a cardiac cath lab. I think that was where I decided I wanted to be a nurse. I was a naive little idiot fresh out of high school then, but even the insight gained with my first semester of clinicals hasn't fazed me so much. I sometimes wonder what the heck I got myself into, though, but each career has its share of upsides and downsides.

[Dalzac, LPN, LVN, RN]

I was given a job by a close friend as a CCU tech. I had absolutely no Experience. She showed me how to do BP's and take pulses and run an EKG machine. I loved it from the minute I hit the floor. I soaked up every bit of knowledge I could, then I went to nursing school. I am retired medically speaking and I miss it like nobody's business. If I had it to do over ...I would in a heart beat. I retired after 35 yrs of being a nurse. I still dream about working all the time

[GM2RN]

Maybe, if you could actually shadow for "a few weeks," but I don't of any place where you could shadow for that long. It's usually done for a few hours at most. But if it could be done for that long, maybe you would get a good enough picture of what nurses really do.

On the other hand, even shadowing for a few weeks wouldn't be the same as actually doing it and feeling the stress of the responsibility that nurses have, so it still may not do the trick.

And that's what I think the problem is. NOTHING prepares you for the real thing! I don't think that anything can. I think it's a reality check that every nurse goes through and by the time you graduate and start working, you have too much time and money invested to not do it.

[Hopeful3]

Interesting question!

You know what, I don't think I would have.... I am working as a tech now and there is something about being there, in the moment - you just do it. Sometimes I think "Okay, did that just really happen??" or "What am I doing!!??" LOL

Good question, made me think!

[RNperdiem, RN]

I worked as a CNA for a few years. I got to observe the behind-the-scenes aspect of nursing. I still had my bit of reality shock, but my expectations about work were more realistic than if I had no work experience.

[rosey2007cna]

I decided to become a CNA before I went further into nursing. I am glad I did because I found out that I would not make a good nurse. I plan on going into a different field all together.

[wsuRN09]

I pretty sure I would have still gone into nursing. I love the kiddos I work with and for now they are one big "pro" against the "cons" of my job :)

[kcochrane]

Yeah. I grew up in a medical family and knew exactly what I was getting into.

[extraordinary]

Very good question indeed......

I believe people's characters and the way they communicate with their colleagues impacts profoundly in how much you enjoy your job.

I know now that no matter which career i would have chosen the challenges would be similar in that sense.

However,in nursing, this problem seems to have been magnified!

For a long time the nursing profession has been female dominated, and caused "the queen bee effect".

For some reason, some women don't want to see other women excel. They want to be the boss, and want to see and enjoy seeing other women struggle and or fail, so they give them a hard time. They are selfish with knowledge and refuse to help out one another at times. Also they are jealous when they see other women excel.

Indeed, we women many a times cause the profession to be a very difficult psychological burden on ourselves and on our colleagues.

IF ONLY i had this explained to me, i would NOT have chosen this profession.

I had chosen this profession because NUrses are supposed to be:

caring

empathetic

understanding

unbiased

teachers

counselors

patient

etc...... towards their patients...... BUT i also believed these were supposed to be character traits of nurses, hence we should be this way with EVERYONE not only with patients.

[juliaann]

The only reason I'm even considering nursing school is because I got a job out of desperation at my hospital as a nurse aide (no experience required, all on-the-job training!), and fell in love with the hospital environment. I would never have thought healthcare was a good fit for me until I threw myself into it. I *know* I will be a good nurse. I've worked closely with nurses in every department, day in and day out, for 2 years. I know what they do, I know which nurses do it really well, and I've learned everything I can from them. It is because I know what nurses do that I know I will continue on with my education in healthcare. :)