I often see the same posts on several different threads about the hardships of nursing, and I have to wonder, does anyone do their homework BEFORE they become a nurse? Yes, there is a nursing SHORTAGE, but no one is HIRING. That's the difference. I see the same posts of "Oh, what a horrible day I had. All of my patients were a pain, and the head nurse hates me!" Really? Poor baby! Then why did you decide to go to nursing school (was it the money you'd make???) At the very minimum, you've had clinicals where you could at least OBSERVE some of these things and then make a decision whether or not you want to continue. If I hear "Well, you've made it this far, dont turn back." If your friend was in an abusive relationship for years would you say "Don't leave him/her. You've made it this far." My goodness! The Internet is your friend. In a matter of milli-seconds, you'll find out it's a tough market out there for nurses, however everyone and their brother is applying to nursing school.
What burns me up is the pre-nursing students who haven't "done their homework" and are crying about how they can't get into nursing school in the first place and can't figure out why...after all, they passed their science pre-reqs with C's, got the bare minimum pass score on their entrance exam, and have been applying to the same nursing school for 5 years straight.
But if I suggest that they study more for their entrance exam, they say they already have studied and then start complaining about how the entrance exam doesn't mean anything anyway. Or suggesting that they should {gasp} retake their science pre-reqs? I just get a dirty look and an excuse about how they don't have time/money to do that. After all, nursing is their dream, and they deserve to get into nursing school for that reason alone.
I'm sorry, but you don't get into medical school just because you want to, and you don't get into nursing school that way either. It takes preparation, hard work, and sacrifice. If you try to get through with only 2 of the 3, you just won't cut it.
I tell people not to quit because even though they will graduate with whatever degree in nursing, there are jobs out there where an employer just wants to see a degree. Heck, there are some non-nursing jobs out there for someone with R.N. behind their name. It's either that or change your major- I would not just advise someone just to drop out of school. Prove that you can finish what you started!
But finishing may not be best for the person -- particularly if taking 1 more semester or 1 more year adds thousands of dollars to their student loan debt and keeps them away from a different career that would be better for them. Most people can't afford to go deeper into debt for a career that will only make them miserable and/or at which they will not succeed. Those loans will take many years to pay off and having to pay them off may prevent the person from being free to pursue something that really WILL work for them.
Sure, if you are only a month or two from graduation, stick it out and finish. The money has already been spent. But a lot of students who hate it are advised to stay and finish even though they still have a full semester OR MORE to go! That's ridiculous and not in their best interest. It's easy to "chear-lead" from the sidelines when you are not the one who will be paying the bills for years to come.
Then there is also the effects of the mental stress that comes with feeling as if you HAVE to do something you hate simply because you started it and/or people will think of you as a "quitter" or "loser" if you don't finish. That's not healthy. Sometimes, the healthiest move is away -- to move forward towards something positive rather than to continue to invest more money and more of your dwindling energy and psychological well-being in something that only crushes your spirit. To continue to crush your own spirit and ruin your finances is masochistic and not healthy.
Of course there are some people who are just hitting a rough patch and who just need a little pep talk to see it through. They will be happy with nursing in the long run. But the people who are probably NOT going to be happy in nursing because they really don't like it ... and the people who don't have what it takes to succeed at it ... need to be given the "permission" to change course so that they can stop hurting themselves by continuing to invest in a futile effort and start finding a happy ending.
Sometimes when fighting a battle or a war, the best move is a strategic retreat or change in strategy that preserves your troops and supplies for later.
I often see the same posts on several different threads about the hardships of nursing, and I have to wonder, does anyone do their homework BEFORE they become a nurse? Yes, there is a nursing SHORTAGE, but no one is HIRING. That's the difference. I see the same posts of "Oh, what a horrible day I had. All of my patients were a pain, and the head nurse hates me!" Really? Poor baby! Then why did you decide to go to nursing school (was it the money you'd make???) At the very minimum, you've had clinicals where you could at least OBSERVE some of these things and then make a decision whether or not you want to continue. If I hear "Well, you've made it this far, dont turn back." If your friend was in an abusive relationship for years would you say "Don't leave him/her. You've made it this far." My goodness! The Internet is your friend. In a matter of milli-seconds, you'll find out it's a tough market out there for nurses, however everyone and their brother is applying to nursing school.
You realize you're on a Nursing forum right? Of course you're going to see people complaining here! This is where they can come to vent about their crappy days. To people who can RELATE. People who understand what it's like. Does that mean that everyone who vents hates their job? No, of course not. I'm sure the majority believe that the good outweighs the bad and it's worth it to have those bad days. But you'd go crazy if you couldn't release your feelings when they do happen. And personally, I like reading vents because I find it mentally prepares me for all the different things I might experience once I'm a nurse. Anyway, if you're on here expecting all the posts to be rainbows and butterflies, I think you're in the wrong spot. Especially since yours just added to the negative pile.
If you can't get into nursng school, there is an easy solution: Just attend a for profit school. You can get in right away in most cases. Yes, they are expensive, but going there is better than siting on your butt and doing nothing.
And I really have to question the lack of nurse hiring. Where are there no nursing jobs? My mother is an RN with 25 years epxperience and has never had trouble finding a job. She has turned down more far more job offers than she has accepted. Recruiters from staffing agencies call me all the time at home while she is at work asking for her.
Some of you missed my point entirely. I was saying FINISH...get A degree. For instance, I have a friend with a degree in Meteorology, she has nothing to do with that field now, she works in advertising. I know three people with degrees in Education, they do something else simply because of the fact that there are no decent teaching jobs. There are a LOT of people out there who have degrees in a field in which they do not not work. I agree, not everyone is cut out for nursing, however, they should finish their education- even if it is possibly rolling over their credits into another major.
As for the private schools- they are competitive too. Just because they do not keep wait lists doesn't mean they let in everyone. I chose a private school because my grades from 20 years ago STILL count against me at the university I wanted to attend. (Even though I have to retake just about EVERYTHING because the classes are too old.) I went to another college, retook a majority of my classes and carry a 3.96 with that school. The school I am going to LOOKS at the GPA of the prereqs, along with how well you do on the entrance exam. In talking with 18 of the others who were accepted into my program, we all scored in the mid to high 90's on the HESI. We also did EXTREMELY well on a written portion and our interviews. To make a short point long, if you can't pass the entrance exam, show good grades, and prove that you're literate- you're not getting into a private program either.
Yes, I did get into nursing for the money. 6 months out of school and I get $28.75/hr in Houston. Do you have a problem with that? Oh well..that's your distress..not mine.
Yes, I did get into nursing for the money. 6 months out of school and I get $28.75/hr in Houston. Do you have a problem with that? Oh well..that's your distress..not mine.
*wine
28 is a lot of money? You can make that as an ultrasound tech, I live in NYC of course...LOL
But seriously, if you haven't killed anyone or gone around telling your patients "I'm only here for the money, I don't give a crap about you" then I see no problem here!
Research cannot prepare you for the real thing. You can research how tough nursing schools are, how much work the program is but until you're in there dong the work yourself, you're really only going by hearsay, which is not always 100% accurate. As a nursing student, you observe but you're not in the middle of it, you don't know what's going on there, they're putting on the same front for you that they do the patients. You can't tell how co-workers treat eachother by observing from the outside. A nurse can be great with her patients but backstab her co-workers.
Nothing can prepare you for the real thing except doing it yourself. It's like everyone can tell you how painful childbirth is but unless you're pregnant yourself, hearing it from other people who aren't you and handle things differently, isn't necessarily going to do much now is it?
And as someone said have you seen some of the stuff on this so called "internet"? I've seen sites that say you need advanced degrees to be a RN or to work in a certain area which you don't. And if you research nursing, you're going to find everything and anything about a nursing shortage so it's not always the best resource.
If you research nursing online, stick with medical related websites. The worst website to get advice from has got to be the Yahoo question/answer forum. Those people know absolutely nothing!
Even with the new nursing job issues, I still think nursing is a smart field to be in. It's a tough time for anyone out there with no experience at something. But if you get your nursing degree, you WILL find a job and it is a lucrative field to be in. That being said, I am still amazed at people who are 40, have 6 college credits and say, "I want to become an RN." I know its not impossible, but I think a lot of people don't realize the sacrifice and hard work that it takes.
RNTutor, BSN, RN
303 Posts
What burns me up is the pre-nursing students who haven't "done their homework" and are crying about how they can't get into nursing school in the first place and can't figure out why...after all, they passed their science pre-reqs with C's, got the bare minimum pass score on their entrance exam, and have been applying to the same nursing school for 5 years straight.
But if I suggest that they study more for their entrance exam, they say they already have studied and then start complaining about how the entrance exam doesn't mean anything anyway. Or suggesting that they should {gasp} retake their science pre-reqs? I just get a dirty look and an excuse about how they don't have time/money to do that. After all, nursing is their dream, and they deserve to get into nursing school for that reason alone.
I'm sorry, but you don't get into medical school just because you want to, and you don't get into nursing school that way either. It takes preparation, hard work, and sacrifice. If you try to get through with only 2 of the 3, you just won't cut it.