finished my 1st semester, not sure if I wanna go back

DesertRain · Dec 23, 2007

Recently another member posted about her decision to quit nursing school and a few weeks later, posted again her regrets. If you are going to quit, you should do so now, but insure that this is the right decision for you. My only input is that, job satisfaction aside, nursing offers an employment potential that not a lot of other jobs offer. You never know when you might end up in a situation where you absolutely need work and you will wish that you had that nursing license. I would encourage you to obtain the nursing license and keep it current for just that reason. There is no commandment written in stone that states you have to work as a nurse once you get the license. The nursing license is good job insurance. Nice to have as a backup, especially when you have a family that depends on you. Good luck with your decision. Just don't be hasty.

Yes, absolutely. And I wanted to add that when you are finished and working as a nurse, you will have a much broader financial capability for capita to start something different, perhaps to find what it is you really want to do. I have a friend who graduated as an LPN and very much disliked it. She disliked it through school, disliked working as an LPN during the first few months. But she saved her money and while she worked she went to fashion design school and now, her nursing days behind her, she has just launched her first line of clothing. We are all so proud of her, she is very happy with what she is doing--and the funny thing about it is, when I tell people she is actually a nurse, they say, "are you serious?" but she would never have had the funds to be where she is today had she just put it behind her and started from scratch. Another thing I wanted to point out, is in 2001 I graduated with a Computer Science in Networking Degree. Towards the end, I started realizing that it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do. I studied and passed my MCSE (kind of as serious as NCLEX but for Computer people) and never did anything with it but tag a short line about it in resume's and such. The thing is, I still keep my MCSE license card in my wallet, because heck, I am actually still quite proud of that even though nursing is far off. I am glad I didn't quit, even though it seems like it was a complete waste of time, in fact it is proof that I am able to accomplish difficult things. I really hope that you find the answers you are looking for this holiday season. I wish you the best.

MySimplePlan · Dec 23, 2007

I really hope that you find the answers you are looking for this holiday season. I wish you the best.

Wow, Desert Rain, what an ending. You have a beautiful way with words. Your two posts were really, really well-written.

barbaratruth, RN · Dec 24, 2007

Hang in there, one day at a time.

I just finished my third semester and I felt like quitting every other day. Those were my feelings and my rational mind talked me out of it because I had so much invested. I wound up with one of the highest grades in the program. I'm starting to get excited about finishing the program.

The first semester gives you an idea of what to expect as far as the curriculum. Moving forward, you can plan better. It is a lot of work that requires time management. Just remember the program has a beginning and an end.

If you really hate the nursing aspect, you may want to rethink school. If it is just about managing the pressure, you can think about techniques to work more efficiently. Time management is really crucial.

Pray on it.

Good luck to you.

NoviceRN10 · Dec 24, 2007

Are you single? Do you have family to help with your daughter or spend time with her when you are busy with classwork? What kind of schedule did you have to contend with during your first semester? I start next month and I'm a little freaked out by posts like this. My first eight weeks I will only be at school on Mondays from 12-4:30 and Fridays from 9-3. That leaves me 5 days a week to study and do assignments. My second eight weeks I am on campus Mondays for 4 hours of lecture again, and then 4 hours for a lab in the middle of the week, and I have a clinical from 7-3 on Fridays. I'm hoping that leaves me plenty of time to do what I need to do, plus care for my family of six. (But what do I know yet :uhoh3: ?)

Are you trying to carry the load of school and work? Is there any way to reprioritize your schedules to better suit your needs and leave you more time with your daughter? Do you have a support system that helps you study? Maybe if you identify some things that you can tweak school won't seem so overwhelming. I wouldn't give up. If you made it through the first semester that's a great accomplishment! I think your daughter will survive, and if you are doing this to be able to support the two of you she will benefit along with you in the future.

Anyone else not sure if they want to back the 2nd semester?? I worked so hard for 4 months. No life.. just school and studying. My little girl (11 yrs) felt like she never spent time with me. And the stress... unbelievable stress (a lot of which the instructor brought about). Just don't know if I want to put myself thru that again. And they say the 2nd semester is harder and MORE time consuming.
I'm ruining my break going back and forth trying to decide. I would hate to throw away the 4 months of hard work. People tell me just to hang in there...it will be worth it. Does everyone here think the same thing.. Will it be worth it?? What if I end up hating nursing and then it was for nothing.
I want to be a nurse to help others...but I don't want to be a stressed out mess my whole life. I've been out of school for a week....and finally my stomach is getting back to normal and I'm feeling my old self again. Nursing Student Veronica isn't much fun.
Thanks in advance for your input!
V

lilyteen · Dec 24, 2007

I really can relate to all of the posts within this thread. Many of us are going through the exact same thing. I, too, have just finished the first semester and I'm also debating whether this is all worth it or not. I must be VERY lucky, because to be perfectly honest, I am the exact opposite as the OP when it comes to setting aside study time. I am only a B student, I will readily admit that. However, I have never allowed myself to become so focused on study time that I chose to study over spending time with my little children. I don't know---I just don't think there is anything in life more important than my children and that certainly includes nursing school constraints. I have 3 sons in high school, another in middle school and three little ones in elementary school. I attend f/t during the day while they are in school. I have never had family members to send the kids off to so that I would be able to focus strictly on the task of studying. As a matter of fact, my hubby works 2nd shift so the vast majority of my time to look over the material was primarily on the weekends. But the reason why I say I must be dog-gone lucky is that, despite the fact that I did not have time to memorize large portions of material or to allot significant periods of study time, I am no worse off for it. I passed my courses with a comfortable margin above the minimums...and I placed my time and enjoyment with the kids above any occupation. You only have one life to lead...you walk down this road of life only once...please do not allow the pursuit of a nursing career bog you down so much that you must resort to shunning your children in order to devote yourself full-time to the pursuit of a career. If it requires that large a chunk of your day-to-day time, I would wonder if it was for me or not. Just my opinion...but I am able to spend much time with my kids AND pass nursing school. On a final note, I do not see how anyone could be of the mindframe that our kids needs us more as teenagers than at other ages. I have children of all age groups and I can honestly say that our children need us at EVERY stage of development!