Had a doctor give me great advice the other day. Something to think about.

[SummerWertz]

The other day I had an Anesthesiologist give me great advice. I told him I was feeling uneasy about choosing to become a CRNA vs. an Anesthesiologist and I was trying to figure it out before next semester. He pulled me to the side and he said,

"Don't rush your life into this hospital. Do what you want to do with your life before you start working, because there's plenty of time for it. It used to be that you needed to major in Biology to get into med school. That's no longer the case. If you like Art History, take art history classes and major in art history. If you want to study abroad, study abroad. Do everything that you want for your life before you rush yourself into this hospital, because once you're in here, you may never get to do the things that you wanted to do. Sure, I make great money, but I rarely have time off to use that money. I can't just take off and travel. One of the main reasons my first marriage ended was because I was in this hospital, doing clinicals and residency. It came down to choosing between my family, or my career. There's plenty of time to work in life, so do what you want first. I had a 52 year old woman in my graduating medical class, and that gave her, what? 20 years to practice? It's never too late. So enjoy your life now. Just try to have it figured out by the time you're 30 and moving forward on your chosen path."

[IXAKMI13]

That's awesome. Thanks for sharing that. I think many people have a misconcepton of how their career with ACTUALLY be. Its not always pick your own hours, make great money.

[MrsStudentNurse]

I think this is so true of many surgeons and doctors. I can think of a far more successful surgeons or retired surgeons who have had divorces, family issues than those who have successful marriages and families. Take time to work out those areas and figuring out what you want before diving in head first. At the end of life it's not a career that'll be there as we pass away but the people in our life. Great advice from that doctor. Thanks for sharing!

[SnowShoeRN]

This is wonderful advice. I've actually been in the position where I've found myself saying to doctors - a few times - "sometimes I wonder if I should have gone to medical school." Because I honestly think I could have enjoyed nursing and medicine equally. I just don't know if I could have hacked medical school emotionally-speaking. Anyway. Sometimes they tell me something like, "It's never to late! Do it!." But most of the the time, they shake their heads, and say "It's not worth it," and proceed to tell me how nurses have it so much better in terms of their personal lives and being able to explore and pursue outside interests. And I think that's what it boils down to for me. I like having a life. Sure, working as a nurse can be really hard and time-consuming. But it also offers a hell of a lot more flexibility than being a MD, especially a anesthesiologist. Thanks for sharing this great anecdote. :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

My father was a physician ... and I grew up around his MD friends. I was a great student in high school and could have gone into any career. When they heard I had decided to be a nurse and go to graduate school in nursing (instead of an MD), they all thought is was a great choice and told me so. It was other people (high school teachers, etc.) who thought I should go pre-med.

llg, PhD, RN-BC

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

Awesome. Same goes for any career. Remember, it is there to finance your LIFE.

[Walnutt]

This actually hits home with me. I've been trying to rush into everything, trying to get everything done at once and start my career that I want for the rest of my life. But in the meantime, I have forgotten to actually live and enjoy my life. It's very important not to put everything that is important to you on hold because, when you come back around for whatever you ignored, it may be gone; whether that be a relationship, your family, or travelling.

[SunsetButterfly]

Thank you for this post.. I have also wondered if I should go to med school instead of nursing school. But I don't want to lose my family life & social life to become a doctor!

[WoundedBird]

This reminds me of a magnet my mom gave to me one birthday that says, "Take Time to Enjoy Life". I had been working nursing-esque hours for a company that oversaw the food operations for sporting venues and convention centers while completing my pre-reqs. Was it cool to work events like NFL games, the hottest concerts, Presidential Events, and varied conventions - of course. But my blinders were up so high at times, I missed some pretty awesome things. Looking back, I'm now thankful for the boss that took my two cell phones away from me, handed me a beer, and sent me off to enjoy the end of my first major concert as a manager. Will this ever happen as a nurse? Nope. But I've learned to make time for the small things because one day they'll be big things.