Early Burnout?

[KelseyD]

OK,

So I'm in my first year of college, and I'm constantly being pressured saying that if I want to change my major, I should do it within the first two years or I'll "regret it" and "waste money". My problem is, I've always wanted to be part of the medical field since I was young, I was enrolled in Medical Academies from 7th grade till Senior year. All of that learning and knowledge of healthcare fields was cool and I really did enjoy it. Though, since I only focused on one thing my entire life (so far), I feel like I'm already burnt out of it. I don't feel the same passion for Nursing as I did before. My second idea for a Major was Education, but I've always liked challenging myself, so I stuck with Nursing. What do I do? I feel so burnt out, stressed, and bored... but I still have the "wanting to help and improve others lives" passion. I'm scared to change Majors since this is all I've known, but I haven't felt comfortable or happy with my decision at all for a while now. Do I stick with Nursing since I like the idea of it? Should I try education? Is there an in-between Major (still helps people, slightly medical based, but isn't as hard as Nursing or as easy as Education)? This is a daily thing I've been going through for around 2 years, I just need others opinions now, thank you!

[TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN]

If you haven't started any of your nursing courses it's very possible that you're going to like it once you get started. If you're still doing general courses, they are just boring most of the time, so you'll just have to grit through it. Would you be able to take a nursing assistant class during the Summer? That would give you a taste of nursing and may help you decide if you want to continue with studying that.

You said the field of education is easy, but it really is not, class sizes continue to expand, funding continues to drop, plus teaches are having to teach in person and virtual, pay is pretty lousy, and not to mention the parents are horrible to deal with. 

Other careers in healthcare to look into include, phlebotomist, medical lab scientist, occupational therapist and assistant, physical therapist and assistant, speech and language pathologist, respiratory therapist, radiologic technologist, social worker, psychologist, genetic therapist, physician's assistant, surgical technologist, and many others.

[ns12]

I agree that if possible you should try to get some experience in the health industry. I know volunteering can be hard now, but first hand experience would definitely help you make a decision. If you get experience and you are still not happy then you should definitely look into other career options. There are certainly many things you can do in healthcare besides nursing.