Does anybody else get this from family or friends.....

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"I cant picture you being a nurse"

I've heard it so many times im begining to question myself . Needless to say i have already finished my pre-req's and have been accepted to start summer term 2011 ...I'v heard this from my mother, a couple of friends, co-workers ..one even went as far as to tell me "dont sell yourself short, become a doctor". I dont see how nursing would be "selling myself short". .. it seemes the only suportive person seems to be my father ..It really makes me wanna cry everytime i hear someone say "i cant picture you being a nurse" becuase i have worked so hard to get this far :confused: at first i was just brushing it off, but how could so many people think the same thing . I find myself to be a very compassionate person . i love meeting new people. I love to keep busy; i could never work a desk job. i want to go into peds or geriatrics. .. but idk anymore, lately im REALLY starting to have some doubts...i mean, for all of you outthere in nursing school or in the acceptance process, how did you kno nursing was right for you?

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Specializes in NICU & OB/GYN.

HI,

I know exactly what you're going through. When I decided to quit my job and go back to school into nursin at age 25, my mother's exact words were.."nursing?? you? but it's so depressing.." So ya, I was discouraged from the start. But now in my 4th and final year I can honestly say to you that you begin to not care what others think especially when you have that a-ha! moment that you made the right choice...for me it was my first clinical, it was not "depressing" as my mother had warned..I got to work with stroke/brain injury rehab patients and on the contrary I found it rewarding and inspiring. Sure, you'll have bad days and moments where you believe those nay sayers and question your choice..but hang tough, trust me you'll be so proud of yourself that you did.

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As a former pre-med student, I get plenty of people telling me I should just go be a doctor. And maybe someday I might go be a doctor, and maybe my RN is a step along the way, but for now, those people can shut up.

Don't let them get you down. You know where you belong.

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Specializes in Infusion.

People have a certain image of what a nurse does and don't have a clue of what the reality is. There are also certain cultures that look at nursing as being on the same level as housekeeping. You know what you're doing and you will be an asset on any hospital team. I don't accept that only one type of person makes a great nurse.

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I think people mean well and/or don't realize what they are saying and the impact it is having on you. Only you know what is right for YOU - don't let anyone discourage you from following your heart.

My mother always sees the glass half empty - she's very much a pessimist. I decided to change careers and go to nursing school about 2.5 years ago. I was very squeamish as a kid - the sight of so much as a drop of blood freaked me out. My mother still holds that image of me, so it is hard for her to imagine me being a nurse. She was pretty negative about my decision to go to nursing school at first, and she still makes comments about it occassionally.

Try to shut it out and follow YOUR dream. When I was in high school, I decided I wanted to be a psychiatrist. My mother talked me out of it. I changed to law school. She talked me out of that too. I considered majoring in Journalism. She said I'd never find a job. Then it was advertising - he said it was too competitive and I'd starve. No matter what I chose, she had something negative to say about it. I learned to stop letting it affect me.

You've finished your pre-reqs and have been accepted. That's awesome! :yeah: Don't let anyone discourage you!

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People have a certain image of what a nurse does and don't have a clue of what the reality is. There are also certain cultures that look at nursing as being on the same level as housekeeping. You know what you're doing and you will be an asset on any hospital team. I don't accept that only one type of person makes a great nurse.

omg ! yes THAT pisses me off soo much!! my mother AND grandmother both think for some reason nursing is the equivielent to being a housekeeper ..ahhhh i guess maybe back when they were growing up thats what it was? idk why they would think i would go to school for about 4 years to be a housekeeper?

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

I did get the same reaction in the beginning, but I think most of it was just the initial shock of me making such a big change in my life. Plus I’m a guy, so the whole male nurse thing gets involved also. Once they saw how serious I was, and how much of myself I was dedicating to it, it all changed. Rarely does anyone say anything negative now, and when they do I ignore them. I made this choice for ME, not for them. I work for a fire department and the guys I work with are all very supportive. The school I attend publishes the Dean’s List in one of the local newspaper, and the guys always cut out the article and hang it on the refrigerator with my name highlighted. They are teasing me, but it is also their way of saying good job. The people who are saying the negative things to you are just filled with envy. YOU are the one who has to go to class, study, and take all the tests, so do it for YOU. You have made it this far while being confronted with negativity, so don’t let it stop you now. In other words keep your eyes on the prize!

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who wants to be a doctor?

lol

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Specializes in Private Practice- wellness center.

GO ABERDEEN!!!

To the OP... My Aunt is a nurse and has been for about 20 years now. She's also the kind of person that one normally wouldn't "picture as a nurse." However, there isn't anyone else I would want by my side if I needed a nurse. (In fact, I can happily say she played the part of my Labor and Delivery nurse for one of her shifts. YAY!!!) I know a LOT of nurses, and there are only two of them that ANYONE would "picture as a nurse." Just as only two of the teachers I know are the kind of people you would "picture as a teacher." I could continue with all the career fields my college friends have entered. None of them let the negative comments sway them from their dreams- neither should YOU.

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Maybe those comments mean they all see you as a "take charge" person, and they view nurses as carrying out someone else's order. Do you think that might be the case?

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I got that from a co-worker at my part-time job. He said something along the lines of, "Do you want to wipe butts for the rest of your life?" Whatever. 10 years from now, I'll be the one with the fulfilling career and he'll still be at this dead end job. At least my parents get it, since they've both worked in the medical field their whole lives.

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I can say that I know what you are feeling. I am kind of in the same situation. I have just finished my prerequisites and I feel pretty darn good. I mean to most just finishing your prereqs isn't really that big of a accomplishment, but I'm esstatic. I feel very accomplished, I mean I worked so hard and struggled so much. My coworkers tell me "Oh you should have gotten a better grade then what you got". It royally pisses me off because I feel as long as I pass that should be all that matters. There will always be someone there to discourage you. It even sucks more when it's a family member. I don't know why people think that it's ok to crush someone's dream like that. I say to you keep doing what you are doing and disregard the naysayers. Good Luck.

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