Finish degree before nursing, or go nursing now?

lovedijah · Jun 22, 2012

Heres my story.. I'll try to make it quick. When I finished my associates degree in education, I really wanted to go for nursing. For whatever reason, I had fears about "wasting" my credits or "starting over". So I continued and got my bachelors. And every semester I knew my major wasnt the right major for me, but I kept going on hoping for the best and being afraid to pursue nursing. And now here I am at 26 going back for nursing. Id hate for you to get all the way to end, to realize you really wanted to be a nurse.

BUT... you don't seem 100% sold on nursing. If you're unsure about it.. continue on the path you're on and explore it later. I wouldn't worry about getting into another school now or the what if's. Instead, keep your grades up so that you have the option to do anything you want later. With your bachelors you can get into an accelerated program and be done in a year. Yes, getting into nursing school is a blessing. But right now- it may not be for you and that's OK.

Bobmo88 · Jun 22, 2012

When I read the first part of this post I was about to say yes you should start the RN program but being afraid of "blood, needles and all that" is kind of a serious thing. I'm not sure why you applied to a nursing program when you aren't even sure if you are able to be a nurse because many nurses deal with blood, needles, other bodily fluids , contagious diseases etc. every shift. This advice would have be more useful earlier but you should try volunteering and/or taking a CNA, EMT, or Phlebotomy class to see if the field is for you. That would be a lot easier than going to nursing school only to find out you can't over the sight of blood and dropping out. I hope you can figure out what you really want, good luck.

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 22, 2012

Look into the financial aid aspect before you decide. Some forms of financial aid are not available to people who already have bachelor's degrees. If you use up your eligibility with your first degree, you may have to dig yourself a deep hole of crippling debt to finish the second. You don't want to do that.

Either way -- don't waste money on a degree you don't want. Figure out which career path you want before you invest in another semester. Too many people in our society have borrowed WAY too much money going to schools for degrees they don't really want and don't use later for a career. They (and their children) suffer the financial consequences of those wasteful decisions for the rest of their lives. They just want to go college rather than face the alternative: so they borrow big bucks to "hide out" in college while they figure out what they want to do.

If you really don't know what career path you want to take -- don't waste a lot of money on college while you figure it out. Take a break and save the money while you figure it out first, then go to college. .... Unless of course, you are really rich and the financial aspect is totally inconsequential to you.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

willowita, ADN, RN · Jun 22, 2012

What jumped out at me about your post is that you were not aware of being on a waiting list and that you're not sure if you want to be a nurse. Sounds like you didn't plan for this to happen, which I would say probably means this isn't the profession you want. People here are actively trying to get into a nursing program as it is their heart's desire. Maybe you're considering it now because the opportunity is here? That shouldn't be the reason to go into a demanding program and profession. Look within yourself and seriously think about whether you want to be a nurse or not. If you do, awesome. Do it. If not, continue with your degree.

carebearss · Jun 23, 2012

Bobmo88: That's one thing that's holding me back from accepting the offer. I think to myself, how can I go into nursing if I'm afraid of needles and blood?! But others have told me that I will get used to the needles, bloods, and bodily fluids after being trained and needing to face them so often. And they tell me that even though I'm afraid of having needles poked into myself, it is a different feeling when poking needles into others. What is your idea on this?

willowita: I was actually planning to go into nursing at another school after I complete my degree, but since I got accepted into this college right now, I'm taking some time to consider if I should accept it. But I agree with you, I am uncertain, but I want to try it out. But I'm afraid of not successfully going through the program.... and then it's difficult to turn back.

Bobmo88 · Jun 23, 2012

I used to be the little kid that had to be held down to get shots or vaccinations, even at the beginning of high school I was still slightly afraid because I was hospitalized for an allergic reaction and got poked a lot. After a while, I got used to it and even was fascinated when they drew blood. I work as an ER Tech and phlebotomy is one of my main duties. Poking people is never fun, especially kids, but it's just something that needs to be done (most of the time at least) if it's ordered. You almost forget how much a needle stick can hurt until you get blood drawn yourself sometimes. So they are different for me but some people get really anxious, can't even look at the needle going in or almost faint at the sight of blood. I think the only way to find out is to actually experience it. I took an EMT class and volunteered in the hospital I now work at for years to see if the field was for me and this is what I recommend to every one but it sounds like you don't have much time to decide. Any chance you might be able to defer a semester to see if nursing is what you really want?