First semester nursing student... at the brink!

[abagail1220]

Where to start... HELP!! I am in my first semester of nursing school. I came to this site via a search for "reality of nursing career" and have spent the last hour and a half reading comments and ACTUAL realities of nursing.

I started this search because I am really starting to wonder if this is the career for me... and only 6 weeks into a nursing program. I have the ability to go back to school and not work for the duration of my schooling. (Yes, I am lucky!) I already have a degree and have had a very sucessful career before moving across the country and deciding to start over again.

I wanted to go into nursing beacuse firstly... I am altruistic! I want to help people, in whatever context it may be. Secondly, because it seems practical. There are many different paths you can take in nursing, and in theory, there should always be an open position for a nurse. Having a husband in the military, this is enticing and important.

After busting my butt for two years doing the prerequisites (my previous degree was in music, so I needed many) I have finally started the program! It is nothing but dissapointing. The instructors are teaching us nursing theory that will never be used in "the real world." Clinicals are spent feeling like a piece of lint stuck in a dryer vent. (Is there any other time that I have felt so insignificant??) I get yelled at and demeaned in a way that I haven't felt since grammar school, on a regular basis. The instruction is poor, at best. (A good nurse doesn't necessarily make a good professor!) So... my first insight into actual nursing is pretty scary.

Then, I read that life gets no better when you actually ARE a nurse... for the most part. I could change plans and get a masters degree in biology, teaching, music, or anything else. Is nursing going to be rewarding enough? Or rewarding at all? Do I want to feel like a doormat when I could be so much more?

I'm feeling disolusioned, deflated and discouraged by nursing school and the nursing profession in general. People get into nursing because they want to HELP people and feel appreciated. This seems FAR from the reality.

Any thoughts... from anyone? I need to make a decision soon if I am going to continue with this and any feedback or insight would be invaluable!!

Many thanks... from someone who has spent the afternoon in tears.

xoxo

[rocky410]

First off to the nurses who tell you nursing sucks and it doesn't get better and there is no reward in the career: these are the nurses who went into the field because they wanted a secure job and the "high demand" of nursing sounded appealing. These are the nurses who aren't truly passionate for nursing or what is stands for. Yes, it is a hard career but also one of the most rewarding. It will be draining and some days you might go home crying but honestly even the worst days are outweighed by the good ones.You should stick it out through the end of the semester and really evaulate your thoughts then. If you still aren't sure I would change your major. It takes real determination and commitment to be a nurse. You have to know in your heart that its right for you. No one else can make that decision for you. This is why I also believe the best advice for anyone thinking about choosing nursing as a career is to get a job as a PCT in a hospital. It gives you a great look at what the field is all about and actually helps many students make the decision of whether or not to pursue nursing degrees.

[metal_m0nk, BSN, RN]

With nursing (as with most things), you get out of it what you put into it. Whether or not the endeavor is rewarding enough for you is really up to you.

Good Luck.

[ameliagal]

I'm about to start my lst semester of nursing school in the fall and i'm nervous as well. I've completed a bachelor's in science before starting so hopefully those classes will help with nursing classes