Don't know if nursing is right for me

mindofmidwifery, ADN · Sep 30, 2014

Why don't you look into shadowing a nurse?

nickchan · Sep 30, 2014

How would I exactly go and do that? Would I go into some random hospital and ask? Or see if theres some program I could go into?

RN403, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2014

Write down all of the hospitals within your area and begin doing some research. Research to see if they have shadowing programs and call them to find out what their processes are for interested individuals going about shadowing on their floors. Do you have teaching hospitals within your area or within a reasonable commuting distance? They are often open to shadowing.

Don't let the negative opinions of others get to you too much. Everyone has their own opinion about things and you have to develop your own about nursing. Just as there are people who see nursing in a negative light there are also those who see nursing in a positive light. There are many threads shedding some positivity on this matter that you might find insightful.

Just be sure to look into nursing for yourself and allow your own findings to guide you. There would be positive and negativity in any career path you might choose. Yes, nursing can be a stressful job, and yes, cleaning up poop might be the least of your problems, but, there are many positives to the job as well. Best wishes.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Sep 30, 2014

You are smart to be cautious rather than simply jumping in to a nursing education pathway... it's a huge commitment. The "job shadowing" request is so common these days that many hospitals already have a process in place for anyone who requests this experience.

Keep in mind that ADN nurses are no longer being hired for hospital jobs in most US metropolitan areas - and this is also beginning to be felt in community and rural areas where there are adequate supplies of BSN grads. ADN grads are still getting jobs in these areas, but they are working in LTC, clinics, and other non-acute settings.

Wishing you the best of luck on your education!

MSofia · Sep 30, 2014

It might be easier and quicker to shadow at a nursing home.

MotoMonkey, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2014

Shadowing would be a great idea if you can make it happen, some hospitals wont do it due to HIPPA laws.

"You have to be born to be a nurse"

As a student I hate how much this is pushed. Nursing is a career first. Some people feel they have been called to nursing and that is fantastic but for the rest of us it is simply a career in a field that interests us. Many nurses and nurse educators are so protective of this field that they constantly push things like that.

"Cleaning up **** is the least of your problems"

I believe this statement to be true. As a nurse you will have a lot of other things to do and worry about aside from worrying about poo. Cleaning people is a part of the job but it is not your only job, and is nothing to be worried about.

"You literally get paid to be a slave"

Isnt that what every job is? Has anyone ever been paid a decent living wage to have fun and slack off at work?

"Too much stress for anyone to handle"

I know nursing will be a stressful job, I know that there are times when it will be very difficult to deal with. But to me it sounds like the person you quoted has very poor outlets for stress and very poor ability to cope.

I hope this can be helpful to you. If you think nursing will be a rewarding job that doesn't make you dread getting out of bed in the morning then I say go for it.

RunBabyRN · Sep 30, 2014

Nursing isn't for everyone, but don't let people venting on a forum dissuade you. We all have rough days and want to air things out somewhere for people who "get it." This site serves that purpose for many. Few people come on here and write about their glowingly wonderful days.

Let me give you a little perspective. I am a new grad in an extremely saturated market. I am trying to find a hospital job (with my BSN). In the meantime, I am working as an infusion nurse, a wellness nurse (doing health fairs and flu clinics) and in long term care. Yesterday was my second shift all on my own on the floor at the SNF. It was hectic and crazy (like the eMAR system being down for the first 2 hours of the morning shift, so no meds could be passed), and I DID NOT get into nursing to work in this environment. My first patient I took meds to chewed me out for taking her meds before she was dressed, even though they were late, and I was trying to get caught up. I was not in the best frame of mind. Later in my shift, one of my patients (with a history of anxiety and lately increasing forgetfulness, among other diagnoses) that I went in to check on started expressing to me her loneliness and frustration with her condition, getting tearful and speaking slowly to try to get her point across. I pulled up a chair for a minute and took her hand. I listened to her and validated how she was feeling and tried to help her find words for what she was trying to express. I could tell she didn't get to talk about this very often, or have the time of a nurse or CNA who would listen to her very often. She was due for pain meds and anxiety meds, which I reminded her, and she gratefully took them after our chat, and was much improved when I went to check in on her later.

Maybe for some, this wouldn't have been a validating experience of why they are in nursing, even if this is a far cry from what they want to be doing (L&D for me), but for me, it was. Human caring is a big part of what we do (or should be doing). That doesn't mean you have to be "born to be a nurse." Ultimately, this is a job, and you go home at the end of the day and you receive a paycheck. How much you enjoy your job is up to you. Is it stressful? Yes. So is food service. So is finance. So is business. So are plenty of other fields. Unless you are independently wealthy, chances are, you'll have to take on a stressful job someday. You'll have days where you feel like a slave no matter what you do. Hopefully, you'll also have days that remind you why you got into your field. There isn't poo in every field, but there is in most areas of nursing (though not all). I don't ever encounter it in my other two jobs, and even in this job, CNAs handle most of that (though I'm not "above" doing it myself).

If your goal is hospital nursing, you'll likely need your BSN (as HouTx said). Just something to keep in mind. Can you work part time to help offset the student loans a bit? Graduating with a ton of debt will weigh heavily on you.

nickchan · Oct 14, 2014

Nursing isn't for everyone, but don't let people venting on a forum dissuade you. We all have rough days and want to air things out somewhere for people who "get it." This site serves that purpose for many. Few people come on here and write about their glowingly wonderful days.
Let me give you a little perspective. I am a new grad in an extremely saturated market. I am trying to find a hospital job (with my BSN). In the meantime, I am working as an infusion nurse, a wellness nurse (doing health fairs and flu clinics) and in long term care. Yesterday was my second shift all on my own on the floor at the SNF. It was hectic and crazy (like the eMAR system being down for the first 2 hours of the morning shift, so no meds could be passed), and I DID NOT get into nursing to work in this environment. My first patient I took meds to chewed me out for taking her meds before she was dressed, even though they were late, and I was trying to get caught up. I was not in the best frame of mind. Later in my shift, one of my patients (with a history of anxiety and lately increasing forgetfulness, among other diagnoses) that I went in to check on started expressing to me her loneliness and frustration with her condition, getting tearful and speaking slowly to try to get her point across. I pulled up a chair for a minute and took her hand. I listened to her and validated how she was feeling and tried to help her find words for what she was trying to express. I could tell she didn't get to talk about this very often, or have the time of a nurse or CNA who would listen to her very often. She was due for pain meds and anxiety meds, which I reminded her, and she gratefully took them after our chat, and was much improved when I went to check in on her later.
Maybe for some, this wouldn't have been a validating experience of why they are in nursing, even if this is a far cry from what they want to be doing (L&D for me), but for me, it was. Human caring is a big part of what we do (or should be doing). That doesn't mean you have to be "born to be a nurse." Ultimately, this is a job, and you go home at the end of the day and you receive a paycheck. How much you enjoy your job is up to you. Is it stressful? Yes. So is food service. So is finance. So is business. So are plenty of other fields. Unless you are independently wealthy, chances are, you'll have to take on a stressful job someday. You'll have days where you feel like a slave no matter what you do. Hopefully, you'll also have days that remind you why you got into your field. There isn't poo in every field, but there is in most areas of nursing (though not all). I don't ever encounter it in my other two jobs, and even in this job, CNAs handle most of that (though I'm not "above" doing it myself).
If your goal is hospital nursing, you'll likely need your BSN (as HouTx said). Just something to keep in mind. Can you work part time to help offset the student loans a bit? Graduating with a ton of debt will weigh heavily on you.

I would like to say, thank you for your reply it has helped a lot. You provided very good points to get me thinking. I think I will go into nursing as well as shadowing a nurse.