Quitting nursing school?

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I am at the point where I am truly considering quitting nursing school. I love helping and taking care of others, but I do not feel I am enjoying what I am doing. I've worked so hard to get here, but I just feel so miserable and depressed. I don't feel competent, lack confidence in my skills, I'm always afraid to speak up and participate in class/clinical, and I'm always thinking I am going to make a mistake. I am always anxious so I dread patient interaction sometimes, and my clinical instructor makes me feel I am not doing what I am supposed to do even when I truly am trying. I have been feeling so down lately and lost my motivation, and I failed my first Med/Surg exam. A classmate always asks me if I am okay and I put on a smile and say I am. I keep hoping something will click and I will snap out of this funk, but each day I feel worse. I was thinking of changing my major, but not sure what else to do at this point. I am losing sleep, developing poor eating habits, and just feel so crappy. I think a career indirectly helping patients may be better for me, but I am so afraid to take that step. I know I will disappoint so many people, especially family. I'm also afraid that I will drop out of nursing school and have so much regret. I read so many stories and posts about people hating nursing and wanting out. The stress, the demand, the lack of resources and staff, the overwhelming documentation just to save the facilities a**. I try and picture where I see myself working after graduating, and which area of nursing will be least stressful but still allow me to care for patients, but I haven't even graduated yet. Instead, I am here in my second semester thinking of all the ways I dislike what I am doing and my performance overall. I started counseling on campus, but it has been ineffective thus far. I wish to reach out to one of my professors, but I feel they may send me to the chairperson of the program or something for seeking advice and in turn, dismiss me from the program.

Am I the only student who feels this way? How can I get my motivation back? Is it my lack of confidence preventing me from succeeding, or is this profession just not right for me? Has anyone else considered changing their major?

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

The harsh reality is if you are only interested in an OR position the odds of getting that job right out of school are fairly slim unless you know somebody. If you already know you will be unhappy in any other setting as a nurse I'd advise against continuing on a career path you will not be satisfied with. I think you mentioned in an earlier post the possibility of switching to surgical tech and this may be a very good option for you if jobs in that field are plentiful in your area. If you already know the surgeons you are working with getting that OR job right out of nursing school should you decide to continue on your nursing path will be much easier. I went to nursing school with a student that was a surgical tech and already had the job as an OR nurse before she even started school as the MD she worked with offered to keep her on his OR team as an RN if she would go to school.

Specializes in Flight, ER, Transport, ICU/Critical Care.

OP, what are the main issues? Write them down on note cards (if necessary) and rank them.

Lay the cards out & work through them. Get some perspective. It matters.

It helps. I've done this. I still do when faced with big things.

Name the "fear", concerns, issues!?!?!

Likewise, are there any parts you enjoy NOW!?!?!

Concerns —

Is it mastery of the material and concern over mistakes?

Being a failure? Lack of economic support? Wasted time? Hate interacting with patients?

Enjoy —

Learning new things. Seeing a patient get well. Looking at how far you've come!!!

Knowing that you're tough!

Now, imagine you have graduated and are working your "dream job" envision what that might be like -- what do you think the top 3 negatives & top 3 positives might be?

Take these to therapy.

It's also totally okay to ask for another therapist. And if you happen to have insurance check other available providers in your community. Better may be out there. Learning good self care & strategies now is a gift to yourself.

*****

I don't believe that all good nurses have to be "born" to do it. Malarkey. Caca! I might be the least hand holdey therapeutic nurse (only what's vital) in the history of nursing. But, if you are critically ill or dying I will move heaven and earth to do everything possible to see that you get the best level of care possible. I was NOT born to be a nurse. Anything but.

I enjoyed being a nurse. I loved being a medic. I loved nurse money. I was good at what I did and took pride in doing in well and made every patient interaction better than the last one --- vowed to never STOP LEARNING!!!!

Point.

I actually thought I was going to fail out of PARAMEDIC school (I was within a week) because I just could not figure out the electrical pathways of the heart as they related to ECG's (seems silly now, but 6 weeks in and and I was pulling a big bonehead with an otherwise 98+% average). I would have been out had I not figured it out. No amount of tutoring seemed to matter. Finally one Sunday afternoon at home, it just made sense. It was one of the few things I actually had to work at & study in 3.5 years of paramedic/nursing school. Sometimes, it just works that way. Something's are more intuitive than others.

:angel:

I'm in nursing school right now, in the med/sug II class, third semester.

I have to say, if I hadn't worked as a CNA in a LTC facility, and thought nursing was only being a floor nurse at a hospital....I'd be in the same boat you are. Med/surg is not "my thing", and that's ok! I'm not sure how it is at your school, but at mine, you don't get to do clinical rotations in other "flavors" of nursing (hospice, mental health floors, etc) until your 3rd semester. I felt VERY burned out 2nd semester.

Personally? I love the elderly. I love comforting and getting to know patients and their families. I no NOT feel the rush other nurses describe when they get a n interesting patho or a difficult case. I could see myself working in LTC, Hospice, or in mental health. Most of my classmates are interested in just the opposite, and that's ok too!

Then again....this is my second career: I taught English for one year previously. There is no shame in looking around and finding yourself in a career you cannot find any joy in and deciding to change tack.

Take care of yourself, continue to talk to people, and make the best decision for you.

Specializes in School Nursing.

I felt this way throughout nursing school. It was a hard 2 years!! Don't give up. Just keep giving your all, you'll find your niche!

Specializes in School Nursing.
I'm in nursing school right now, in the med/sug II class, third semester.

I have to say, if I hadn't worked as a CNA in a LTC facility, and thought nursing was only being a floor nurse at a hospital....I'd be in the same boat you are. Med/surg is not "my thing", and that's ok! I'm not sure how it is at your school, but at mine, you don't get to do clinical rotations in other "flavors" of nursing (hospice, mental health floors, etc) until your 3rd semester. I felt VERY burned out 2nd semester.

Personally? I love the elderly. I love comforting and getting to know patients and their families. I no NOT feel the rush other nurses describe when they get a n interesting patho or a difficult case. I could see myself working in LTC, Hospice, or in mental health. Most of my classmates are interested in just the opposite, and that's ok too!

Then again....this is my second career: I taught English for one year previously. There is no shame in looking around and finding yourself in a career you cannot find any joy in and deciding to change tack.

Take care of yourself, continue to talk to people, and make the best decision for you.

^^^^ This

I knew I never wanted to work in a hospital.. I worked in skilled, ltc and hospice until I could get my foot in the door where I wanted, and that is school nursing. There is a LOT you can do that isn't hospital medsurg!

I would recommend you to change your major to something else other than nursing before it's too late. Nursing is not for everyone unfortunately.

I chose nursing because I loved to learn about human body. I still read nursing/medicine books in my free time. I love to study it.

I'm quiet and introverted. I became a nurse and started to work on med surg for my first job. I was disappointed and regretted that I chose nursing. If med surg were the only available option in the area where I live, I would definitely leave nursing all together.

After a year of med surg, I transferred to the OR. I was thankful that nurse was short in my area and getting into the speciality was not hard. I feel working in the OR is much better than med surg. I would say it fits my personality better. Yet, I feel a different kind of stress. A surgeon, physician's assistant, CRNA, or surgical tech can be nasty in a closed operating room. Some people are immature and lack of professionalism. Lack of self-control.

You may have to work with a surgeon who is lack of ethics. I know a surgeon who schedules cases like crazy because he wants money and he has done a surgery on a patient without consent. He is not yet fired and he will not be fired, I guess. You know why. The hospital wants money too.

I feel the OR is better than med surg, but I don't want to spend the rest of my career only in the OR either. I'm thinking to go back to school. Just thinking about going back makes me feel good because I don't have to do this forever. Working in the OR is definitely not easy either.

Specializes in Ortho.

It's a stable career. I knew a nurse who used her earnings to support her passion of owning her own business not related to healthcare. Once she earned enough in her business to support her family, she left her job. If her business was to ever go belly up, she will always have her nursing career to fall back on.

Whenever I get discouraged I remind myself that It's truly a privilege to even be in a nursing program now that they are more competitive (and expensive in some cases) than ever. It's one seat that could have gone to someone who really wanted it. It's a temporary stage in your life. Try to hang in there. If you're absolutely miserable to the point you're considering the unthinkable then it may be necessary to reassess what you want to do with your life career wise.

Two things jump out at me - You state you are anxious and depressed, which you attribute to your perceived troubles in nursing school. Let's flip the statement- Are you struggling in nursing school because you are anxious and depressed? Mental illness can cloud anyone's assessment, and can be treated.

Two things jump out at me - You state you are anxious and depressed, which you attribute to your perceived troubles in nursing school. Let's flip the statement- Are you struggling in nursing school because you are anxious and depressed? Mental illness can cloud anyone's assessment, and can be treated.

I feel so, but I feel that the minimal anxiety I had increased once in NS. I do believe if I was less anxious, I would have a better attitude and not feel that I just can't do this. Walking onto the unit for clinical and telling yourself today is going to suck because you're so nervous is what stinks. I think the depressed state manifested each time I'd tell myself I can never be a nurse like this.

It's a stable career. I knew a nurse who used her earnings to support her passion of owning her own business not related to healthcare. Once she earned enough in her business to support her family, she left her job. If her business was to ever go belly up, she will always have her nursing career to fall back on.

Whenever I get discouraged I remind myself that It's truly a privilege to even be in a nursing program now that they are more competitive (and expensive in some cases) than ever. It's one seat that could have gone to someone who really wanted it. It's a temporary stage in your life. Try to hang in there. If you're absolutely miserable to the point you're considering the unthinkable then it may be necessary to reassess what you want to do with your life career wise.

You wouldn't believe how I was able to obtain this opportunity and that is what kills me. Nursing is such a rewarding, remarkable, respected profession that I have wanted to be a part of for so long. I guess realizing I don't have the best people skills, and me being anxious often etc makes things more challenging and makes me tell myself this would never work for me.

Ok, first of all - nursing school is the worst. It's just the worst. There is nothing wrong with wanting to pursue a different career, I've considered it many times. Part of what makes nursing school so difficult is not just all that must be learned, but the rapid changes you are going through as a person- because the process of becoming a nurse absolutely changes you as a person. Oh and the same can be said tenfold about the first year working as a nurse- WOW was that hard for me. However, it's also incredible to see what you become capable of in such a short amount of time. I knew I wanted to be a nurse, but becoming that nurse caused me an enormous amount of stress and considerably lowered my general enjoyment of life for years. That's a fact. I have even said that I felt shell shocked in my first year working as a nurse - depending on what you go into, witnessing so much human suffering and death, getting your hands bloody like that can really be very traumatic. But I wouldn't go back and change it, because it has made me so tough, so fast-acting, able to process information so much more quickly than ever before and act appropriately with decisiveness and confidence. These days I don't work bedside and I'll admit that I am glad. I no longer have panic attacks before work, I like my job, and I feel comfortable in my role as a nurse - it got better. I guess my point is, if you feel that you may want to continue nursing school, I think it's important to realize it probably will not get better right away, it may get worse for a while, but it may be very much worth it in the end. You just really do have to be committed to the long haul, I think. Also, I wanted to quit over and over and over, not so much in nursing school, but definitely in my first job - I wanted to leave the entire profession! I'm glad that I didn't. Just my two cents!

Specializes in Emergency medicine.

I made an account just so I could respond to this post! I needed to tell you that that's exactly how I felt my second and third semesters. I remember crying of stress and feeling like this was not for me. I wanted to drop out so bad, but due to financial issues, I knew I had no choice but to finish what I started. Everyone kept saying if you can get through your third semester you will make it. They were correct. Today was my first day of my internship, and it's the only time I have been truly happy and known that this IS for me. I'll be honest, I never looked forward to going to class or clinicals even after passing the third semester, but now that I am on the floor working one-on-one with a nurse I'm so glad I did not drop out. Regardless, nursing is such a huge field you are bound to find something you will enjoy with it whether it is direct or indirect patient care. The one thing that motivated me to learn was being able to help my family if they ever needed me medically especially my parents when they get older. I hope this helps and I hope you push through!

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