I recently decided I wanted to be a nurse. I'm 20 and have changed my mind many times about what I've wanted to do, but I know the medical field is for me and I have what it takes to be a good nurse (I hope ). Of course I still have doubts like if I will be smart enough, compassionate enough, if I can get through school, if I can do everything and work and not give up... but I try to keep positive. I have been keeping really quiet about this decision and have only told a few people, but I'm not necessarily receiving the most positive feedback. These remarks include:
-A nurse? Oh... well... you know what they have to do, right? You know you have to clean bedpans and deal with all that gross stuff!
-I think you could do it but I don't know if it fits your personality
-Isn't it really hard to find a job?
-Are you sure you can deal with people dying?
-What if you end up not liking it... I thought you liked working in a lab why don't you stick with that?
I can understand where the people who replied like that are coming from. Before I decided on nursing, I was wandering and taking school off/on, but this last summer quarter I took my first round of pre-reqs while working full time and received a 4.0. I am naturally an introvert, and patient interaction may be draining for me, but I am also naturally a caring and helpful person so I know I could do it and feel rewarded.
Like I said, I obviously still have doubts (even if I am determined to stick with nursing), and though I know close friends and family with support me, there are still people who make me feel like I am making the wrong decision.
My question to the allnurses community is if you had these kinds of responses while you went through pre-nursing and nursing school, or maybe you are currently in the same situation. How did you deal with it? Do you think these responses come from people who are uneducated about what nursing is really like or have a stereotypical or outdated image of a nurse in their mind? What would you respond to things like, "nurses just feed patients jello and clean their messes."
). Of course I still have doubts like if I will be smart enough, compassionate enough, if I can get through school, if I can do everything and work and not give up... but I try to keep positive. I have been keeping really quiet about this decision and have only told a few people, but I'm not necessarily receiving the most positive feedback. These remarks include: