I am currently starting my 2nd year of nursing and am in a dilemma. I go to school part-time, but I have the full time load. I attend clinical every other weekend. I find the book knowledge very interesting but when I get to clinical, I don't enjoy it very much. I like the patient contact, but I always feel like I don't know what I am doing. My instructors are harsh and critical and I don't feel comfortable to even ask a question without feeling like I should have already known it.
All this aside, I am currently working in Real Estate and find it much easier for me to do. i enjoy meeting new people and helping them to find houses or selling their own.
My question is: Is nursing school a good indicator of what it will be like in Nursing? In other words, should I be enjoying nursing school now? I have attended school for other professions, and found it wasn't much different once you started actually doing the job. If you have any answers to these questions, please feel free to email me.
I am seriously considering quitting the nursing school as I feel like "a fish out of water "most of the time.
Also, I am 46 years old, will I have a hard time finding a job once I get out of school? Is their age discrimination in Nursing? Will it be too tough on the body at my age? I already have my B.A.
First of all your age is definately not an issue may even be an asset. Noone can make your decision for you but I think the more options you have the better. Since you are already part way through with school I would continue on. You can keep your nursing license current and work very little in the feild while you persue your career in realestate but you will always have a back up which is never a bad thing.
Don't worry, you'll get through this. Remember: if you knew everything and felt confident about every situation, you wouldn't be in nursing school. The learning curve can be pretty steep. I'm a new nurse who quit nursing school to take my "dream job" (I thought). It turned out to be a nightmare! I went back & finished & started working within 2 weeks of getting licensed. Look at it this way too: nursing school is sort of like boot camp; instructors have to tear you down to build you up. It's not necessarily something I agree with, but it does happen. Don't be intimidated & hang in there.
I am currently starting my 2nd year of nursing and am in a dilemma. I go to school part-time, but I have the full time load. I attend clinical every other weekend. I find the book knowledge very interesting but when I get to clinical, I don't enjoy it very much. I like the patient contact, but I always feel like I don't know what I am doing. My instructors are harsh and critical and I don't feel comfortable to even ask a question without feeling like I should have already known it.
All this aside, I am currently working in Real Estate and find it much easier for me to do. i enjoy meeting new people and helping them to find houses or selling their own.
My question is: Is nursing school a good indicator of what it will be like in Nursing? In other words, should I be enjoying nursing school now? I have attended school for other professions, and found it wasn't much different once you started actually doing the job. If you have any answers to these questions, please feel free to email me.
I am seriously considering quitting the nursing school as I feel like "a fish out of water "most of the time.
Also, I am 46 years old, will I have a hard time finding a job once I get out of school? Is their age discrimination in Nursing? Will it be too tough on the body at my age? I already have my B.A.
Thanks.
Bottom line is Do you want to be a nurse? Of course you are better at realestate. You already know how to do it and have had lots of practice. I bet you were not born with that skill and knowlege. Nursing is new you need to learn it and practice its skills.
If you really feel that the teacher think you should already know the answers there might be a reason. They want you to do some critical thinking on your own. (you did say you are second year) You may need to hit the books even harder, if you are having a problem in the area of critical thinking.
Critical thinking is the ability to pull things together from your knowlege base. The better grasp you have on that basic nursing knowlege the easier it will be.
Nursing is not like learning other fields. The knowlege base is much larger and you have to easily reall it. That only comes from study at a level you have not yet had in your other occupations.
So I guess the only decision you have to make is do you want to be a nurse? Nursing is not realestate, accounting, nor vetinary assistant. ANd it is not easy. It is a DAILY challenge for life.
While there are definite differences, one's experience of nursing school and nursing practice is subjective, so there's only so much you can learn from someone else.
I don't know that all difficult instructors are that way to "build up" their students, it's just that that's some people's personalities and you WILL deal with that type at work as well. Luckily, not everyone's that way. A thick skin helps a lot.
"Do you want to be a nurse?" is a good question. Think hard on it. I also know that it can be hard to give a definitive answer when you've never been a nurse and can't possibly know what it's really like and what all the possibilities are. If you want it, you can make it. You can probably make it if you're not sure, too. So "Is this worth it?" is an important question.
Is it at all possible for you to take a year off, get a job or volunteer regularly somewhere where you can get a better idea of how you'd "fit" in nursing? Maybe you want to start researching now what area besides med/surg might interest you and spend some serious time getting to know about it - shadowing, interviews, etc. Be creative in how you can find out more about the options before you.
Remember, no effort is wasted even if you only discover that a particular area is NOT for you. You've already discovered that you like interacting with patients and don't like harsh instructors. You can also explore non-nursing healthcare roles (lots of those!) or consider volunteering to get the satisfaction of patient contact while you earn your paycheck with other work.
It sounds like you don't have to decide anything right now so enjoy the fact that you DO have choices and you are the one who gets to make them!
"My instructors are harsh and critical and I don't feel comfortable to even ask a question without feeling like I should have already known it. "
"I personally think nursing in any setting is way harder than school. "
From my experience and perspective (and for what it's worth), you can expect to have LESS support when you begin working as a nurse than you have presently in nursing school and in your clinicals. If you are this intimidated by people WHOSE SALARIES YOU ARE PAYING, then you might want to give serious consideration to how intimidated you might be by people who are paying yours. And how uncomfortable you might be working with people like your clinical instructors every day.
The way you speak about real estate and how you feel doing it, it is my impression that you would be wise to think very seriously about staying in that field. MANY nurses would leave and get into real estate if they had the courage/training/support to do so.
I finished my last clinical in August....of 1974 and this brought back all the horrible memories. Sheesh NO real life is not anything like clinicals. Do you want to be a nurse? Do you want that knowledge? Real Estate is fine, but it never gave me any satisfaction. Please let us know what you do. We care.
I agree school is hard, but once you get into a job - its the real thing - no more instructors or friends to lean on, also rare to get breaks, I know when I was in clinicals we usually did get a lunch break. It is a hard road for sure, but definitely worth it if you really want to have job security and enjoy helping people get better! I just think its sad that the majority of us are losing our health to take care of others. After awhile the stress, no breaks, short staff and difficult management wears you out. Good luck!
Nursing is a very "physical" profession....particularly so, if you are working in a hospital or a doctors office. most nurses work 12 hour shifts. You can plan on being "on your feet" on the go...8-10 hours each shift you work.
Why not do something you enjoy?
Compared to real estate sales....nursing is dirty--dirty--dirty work....every day !
Specializes in Med/Surg, ER, L&D, ICU, OR, Educator.
Originally posted by Mint Julip
It isn't a profession for everyone.
No, it isn't.
But, there are such a wide range of opportunity for so many different types of careers with just this one degree, especially if it a BSN you are working towards.:)
Thank you all so much for your responses. It is really helping me to decide what to do. I think I will stick it out in Nursing School and get my R.N. and then decide if I want to actually do Nursing. I was never a quitter in anything that I have done. I feel if I quit now, I will always wonder if I should have gone all the way.
I have a high regard and respect for Nursing and Nurses. I think to be a really good nurse is not easy and it takes intelligence, courage and committment that is inspiring and highly commendable.
I will continue to do Real Estate which I, in fact, enjoy. The good thing about Real Estate is that I can make my own hours and if I need to study extra hard for an exam, I can take a day off when I need it. The downside with Real Estate is not knowing if I can make a living when the market isn't so good. The market here in Philadelphia is excellent, it is pretty easy to sell a house. I work with my brother (who has been in the business forever) and know how lucky I am to have such an excellent mentor. I sometimes wish I had such a mentor in Nursing.
Thank you all so much for your responses, you don't know how much better I feel. Thanks and feel free to continue with your thoughts as I really enjoy reading what you all have to say and the different perspectives everyone has.
But, there are such a wide range of opportunity for so many different types of careers with just this one degree, especially if it a BSN you are working towards.:)
A wide range of opportunity IN NURSING. And within nursing, a few years of inpatient care is almost always required. For non-nursing jobs, the medical background is a great resource, but when they see you are an RN, they are afraid you will leave for a higher paying nursing job and don't want to hire you.
It's not impossible to find nursing work or other health-related work without clinical experience, but it's a lot tougher. More competition. You don't have that same job security that clinical nurses have, the high entry-level pay, or the ability to find a job anywhere you move.
angelbear
558 Posts
First of all your age is definately not an issue may even be an asset. Noone can make your decision for you but I think the more options you have the better. Since you are already part way through with school I would continue on. You can keep your nursing license current and work very little in the feild while you persue your career in realestate but you will always have a back up which is never a bad thing.