Help!..I need some nursing advice

mhy12784 · Mar 6, 2014

Dont change your dream off of one experience.

Youll have to try different environments, and see what works for you.

Getting paired up with a person that seems like they "dont want to talk to you" doesnt sound like the best way to start you off on the right foot either.

If you try out several different units, maybe even hospitals, and still think its not for you thats one thing. But its way too early to quit

klone, MSN, RN · Mar 6, 2014

I agree with the previous poster. Also, you could look into radiology tech.

TU RN, DNP, CRNA · Mar 6, 2014

Spend more time in the hospital shadowing nurses and experiencing what they do. If that goes well maybe try working in a hospital for a bit. Also keep in mind that, although you were there for a 15 minute procedure, that nurse most likely had another 11 hours and 45 minutes left in their shift. There's also 30-45 minutes on top of that for report and catch-up documentation. Then multiply that times 2 more days a given week, and that's what you'll be doing. It's true that not all nursing is exactly like what you witnessed that day, but most grad nurses are expected to start out in a hospital environment and put their bedside time in before moving on.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2014

If you are getting straight As in sciences, you should recognize the difference between a convenience sample of one and real data, of which you have pretty much none. :)

Don't give up on it so easily! There's a lot more to nursing, which you will learn when you are in actual nursing school. Your ability to look at things more dispassionately will also improve as you mature (I am guessing you're less than 20 years old).

Good luck!

coffeebean13 · Mar 6, 2014

Thank you guys. Yes I know that I need to do more shadowing to decide on my career path. I just do not know if I could take the stresses involved with nursing. I was thinking of doing nursing case management but I would still have to do clinical procedures. :no:

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2014

You want to see stress, take a look at social work. :) Much worse, IMHO, and comparatively fewer long-term options. I know it's hard for you to take the long view at your stage in life and education, so you'll just have to take my word for it. Good luck.

sbostonRN · Mar 7, 2014

When you have more experience you'll understand that the painful procedures will help the patient feel better. For instance, putting in an IV will hurt for a few minutes, but the patient may need an antibiotic to heal their pneumonia, or a steroid to help them breathe. Helping them walk on their new hip replacement will hurt, but it means they'll get back to living their lives sooner. It's hard for an outsider to understand that, which is why we're constantly educating the patients and families.

Keep your grades up and your options open. It's never too late to change majors! Don't let this one bad experience change your opinion. I could never work in pediatrics...adults are much easier for me!

coffeebean13 · Mar 7, 2014

What exactly do you mean by fewer long term options and imho?

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Mar 7, 2014

If you went on the get a BSN and then a Master's in Social Work, it could open many doors to different paths. I would have conversation with some different social workers--in both hospital and LTC settings. Shadow them and see what it is all about.

It is really odd to be in a position where there's a lot of stress and/or what seems to be inflicting pain on people. For some, it is shocking. The first time anyone sees this it is difficult. We are human. As time goes on, we learn to seperate attaching unchecked emotion and making it personal from what it is that we need to do for a patient.

Take this time to look at what jobs are available around you. Shadow a psych nurse and see what that is like. Talk to a case manager.

You are young, at the start of your professional life, and have the world before you. And good for you that you are getting such wonderful grades--plan your next step like you would an experiment--hypothesize, gather information.....think in scientific terms, and don't internalize what you see (easier said than done). But it can and should be done.

Best of luck to you in your endevours.

twinkerrs · Mar 7, 2014

Look at other areas of nursing. I roughed it through nursing school because I knew I wanted to work in mental health. I work in child/adolescent psych and graduate with my masters in May. I am thankful for what med surg nurses do but it wasn't the right option for me. I knew during my rotation for pediatric med surg that wasn't for me. I think taking care of kids and doing procedures on them is tough. So that might have been part of the problem you faced.

UnbrokenRN09, BSN · Mar 7, 2014

Nursing is stressful, but you also have no experience and haven't had any training. I'm sure it seemed very intimidating. Once you jump in and get your feet wet and have some knowledge, you will look at it much differently. Plus, this nurse was working on a kid. Pediatric nursing is a completely different world than adult nursing is. You can jab adults with needles left and right and they usually won't cry....there is that rare exception though.:) I would suggest exploring more health-related careers, but don't completely rule out nursing if it legitimately interests you. Other than going to PA or med school, there's really not any other health careers I can think of that involves all the anatomy and pathophysiology that seems to really interest you, other than respiratory therapy. Respiratory therapists are specialized in the respiratory system and give breathing treatments, perform respiratory function tests, assist with code blues and intubation, and also manage advanced respiratory equipment, like ventilators and Bipap machines. They don't really have to deal with all the bodily fluids and do anything that causes pain to the patient, except if they are drawing blood gases....which you do a lot of and usually in an emergency type situation.

Plus keep in mind that there are other careers in nursing that are more administrative than clinical, like home health or hospice. Usually it's just a basic physical assessment, paperwork, VS check, and educating pt's about medications and disease processes if needed. If they need anything more than that, they probably need to go see their physician or to the ER for further evaluation. There are people who get wound care at home, but usually there is an actual wound care nurse for that, this is more of a specialized area. Wounds can get complex and it requires someone with the appropriate knowledge and skills to treat it.

There are also nurses who work in forensics and research. Also legal nurses who help conduct investigations in the case of a medical lawsuit. You can work in a clinic setting or in an administrative setting. Most hospitals have panels of people who analyze data for risk management, infection control, safety, disaster coordination, etc. Very very wide open career field.

I would suggest getting a job as a nurse assistant at a hospital. You don't even have to have your CNA, this is an entry level job with on-the-job training in most cases. You will know very quickly if nursing is something you would like to do. If you not, it's ok. Nursing definitely isn't for everyone! It will chanellege you both mentally and physically.