Help? I regret this career choice?

[katie6126]

I really regret choosing nursing and lately idk what it is but I have been having breakdowns dreading the brutal schedule I'm going to have as a new nurse if I ever find a job. I'm going to have no social life or time for myself. I know this profession is a bit about being selfless but I really don't want to play a martyr. I know the deal in the hospital is weekends and holidays but after much thinking this isn't something I want to give up either. Please no "well uh why didn't you realize this in nursing school?" truthfully then I had a passion for it and probably didn't think too much on how big of a sacrifice it was going to be. Is there ANYTHING else I can possibly do in the healthcare field that would accept me when I get my bachelor's in nursing? Or is there any bachelor's program I can look (allied health) into that will accept most of my science credits & I could finish it relatively soon and leave this horrible profession behind? Or just any program in general that you could recommend cause I have no idea what I want to do, I was even thinking turning to finance or marketing but that is going to take me another 3-4 yrs to complete.

[ShelbyaStar]

I'm not sure what OP is looking for here. People to say yes, nursing sucks, run don't walk? How DARE people suggest that maybe nursing isn't as sucky as they perceive it to be? A few responses were rude but there were a number of reasonable ones that got nothing but defensiveness from the OP.

Nursing isn't for everyone, this is true, but the post is a bit puzzling considering their main complaints. Schedule? I don't know many people that do work a "normal" schedule. I guess my husband does as a teacher but even then he has a lot of work he brings home. I do hope to eventually become a school nurse so that I can have a similar schedule to him, but until then a 3 12s shift sounds ideal for preserving free time. Even accountants are slaves to the schedules of the people they serve, as are bankers, customer service managers, etc. I am hard pressed to think of jobs guaranteed to have a "normal" schedule from the get-go.

Meanwhile a friend of mine graduated with an ADN and her first job was telephone triage for an office, normal business hours. I almost think you have a better chance of having a livable schedule as a nurse than many professions- provided you put in some dues, in most cases.

I did leave horse training largely for this sort of reason, but that involves working EVERY weekend at least 6 days per week if you know what's good for you and not getting a whole lot of pay for it, and forget benefits.

Take what I say with a grain of salt as I am not a nurse yet, but it seems to me that if you are assertive about your breaks that you will get them. Running around like a chicken with its head cut off and nearly peeing yourself does no one any favors. Granted you can't drop everything whenever you please.

Surely there is something else going on here? Anyway, when you find the ideal job, let me know.

[Anonymous1257]

Find a clinic job, they're usually 9-5 m-f gigs, though the pay is on the lower end. You can also just do PRN and sign up for whatever schedule you want, though it'd be hard to earn a full time living this way. Why not just hunt around? I know plenty of nurses who do m-f 6-2 or 2-10 schedules. There's plenty of opportunity out there, just have to look for it.

[gb8852]

Why are you so easily deterred from this profession simply by what other anonymous posters have commented? I would encourage you to give it a year, but from the tone of the original post and your responses to what others have suggested, it is clear you have already made up your mind. Unfortunately your decision is not based upon experience which may lead to regret in the future. From what you've heard/read you have fixated on very few aspects of nursing care which are all manageable. Nursing is far more than working weekends and holidays. It may not have been your intent to offend, but calling this profession "sucky" is very offensive. We all have worked very hard to attain the RN behind our names. It comes with great responisibilty and pride and far from sucky.

[NanaPoo]

Wow.

I'm a nurse and I work M-F, 7:45-3:15 and have summers off. It doesn't get much better than that but I still do miss those three 12's/week sometimes. I loved having 4 days off to myself. I absolutely loved all that time home alone getting things done and the free time to myself, not to mention empty grocery stores. I was able to get renovation projects finished in our fixer-upper house completed. It was fantastic!

[astormofswords]

Totally agree with you. She's a right moody little madame with a big attitude problem and some of her responses were extremely off the mark.

Everyone has doubts and worries, sure maybe this isn't the job for her, fair enough. But her attitude towards other people and life in general really needs some adjusting, that's for sure.