going back to school after BSN w/ 1 yr experience

[Lorelai22RN, RN]

I graduated last May and have worked on med/tele about a year (on June 12th). I have just gotten a new job as a precertification nurse that will be 8-5, M-F, no holidays or weekends......I start in a few weeks........I would like to go back to school. I am thinking of taking a few classes in August but I am not really sure what I want to study. I dont think I want to get my MSN...........the whole nursing thing isnt exactly what I thought. I want to be more careful about what I want to study this time........nursing isnt for everyone and it isnt something my heart is in, I want to feel excited and love my career more than crying and having anxiety about going to work......I have always like english and writing and have wanted to learn a foreign language. A part of me would like to do MSN only because I have some nursing knowledge already and I dont want to "waste" it and I feel less intimidated by it (now, lol) but the other part knows my heart isnt in it. I am TERRIFIED! But I want to go back to school and be excited about life again. I dont know many nurses who went back to school for something other than nursing. I am thinking of taking evening classes......I do not like bedside nursing at all.......I want another degree in something that isnt nursing. It doesnt have to something fancy........I have been thinking about 1-2 year programs at community colleges for different careers........like wedding planner, paralegal, massage therapist, etc. I know that every job has its ups and downs.........this is a thread looking for support and ideas guys! But my heart was never really in nursing.........but I have learned from that. I want to try something different.........any ideas or advice? Anyone done this?

[llg, PhD, RN]

First of all, let me say that I applaud you for the questions you are asking yourself, etc. Too many nurses who hate nursing "solve" the problem by going back to school and into nursing leadership positions. That's not a good solution to the problem -- the individual remains in a discipline that doesn't satisfy them and the profession of nursing gets a "leader" who doesn't like nursing. Nobody wins! Thank you for understanding that.

That said ... you might want to try another emplyer and/or another type of nursing before you decide that the entire field is not for you. You may not be being fair to yourself to base such an important life decision on one bad job situation. Give 2 or 3 jobs a try (that are very different from each other) before you dismiss the whole field as something that you don't like. Even if you end up leaving nursing altogether, at least you'll have a chance to find a job you can tolerate while you work your way through school to prepare for a different career. ----- and -- Who knows? You might find something that sparks your interest that points you in a direction that will build on your nursing background for a future career in a related field.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Lorelai22RN, RN]

First of all, let me say that I applaud you for the questions you are asking yourself, etc. Too many nurses who hate nursing "solve" the problem by going back to school and into nursing leadership positions. That's not a good solution to the problem -- the individual remains in a discipline that doesn't satisfy them and the profession of nursing gets a "leader" who doesn't like nursing. Nobody wins! Thank you for understanding that.

That said ... you might want to try another emplyer and/or another type of nursing before you decide that the entire field is not for you. You may not be being fair to yourself to base such an important life decision on one bad job situation. Give 2 or 3 jobs a try (that are very different from each other) before you dismiss the whole field as something that you don't like. Even if you end up leaving nursing altogether, at least you'll have a chance to find a job you can tolerate while you work your way through school to prepare for a different career. ----- and -- Who knows? You might find something that sparks your interest that points you in a direction that will build on your nursing background for a future career in a related field.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

This is wonderfu advice! I am going to try out being a precertification nurse......which is my new job and see how that goes. Nursing is a broad field.