I just turned 20 and just started nursing school to become an RN. I worked really hard to get to into the program ( I got all A's in my pre reqs and got an 88 on the net test). I always thought i wanted to be a nurse and my parents always said i'd make a great nurse. However, as i got closer to applying for the program i started to doubt whether I really wanted to be a nurse. Even with these doubts I still took the net and applied for the program, despit these doubts and feeling pressured by my parents. To my surprize I got accepted. I paid for a backgound check, physicals, shots, etc. The first week (which was the drop/add week) I started to freak out and panic and thought that i shouldnt have even started it. i was ready to drop out seeing as this was the only way I could get my money back. I felt as though i'm doing this more for my parents and less for me. However, A few other nursing students talked me out of it and I decided to try it for a semester.
Now i'm REALLY regretting this decision. I know everyone in my class is just as nervous and stressed as I am but I'm feeling like maybe this isnt the career for me. I knew what nurses had to do and what they had to deal with physically, emotionally, mentally, etc. but i think the reality hit me after the first week. I dont think I can handle it emotionally and do all the things they have to do. I' very sensitive and cry easily and nurses can't be sympathetic. If I don't like it after the first semester, should I drop out? I really want to work in the medical feild and help people. I was thinking of a radiology tech,dental hygieinst or an OT as an alternative? I think nursing appealed to me because of the flexibility, helping people, the pay and the potential for advancement. I just dont want to regret either staying in it if i dont like it or dropping out and not knowing if i would have been a great nurse. Has anyone else felt like this? Did you stick it out and like it/not like it? Everyone tells me that you can't base it off of the 1st semester..is that true? If I drop out my parents will be so disapointed in me, I'll loose all the money for tuition and books, i'll be behind in credits, and my gpa might go down. I really dont know what to do. I really want to like it, so maybe I just need to give it a chance. Have any of you ever been in a similar situation? Is it common for people to drop out after 1st semester? I don't want to continue with it after the 1st semester if I dont like it. My professor told us that it is normal for everyone to be stressed and doubtful but i feel like i might have take up a seat that someone else who was REALLY passionate about becoming a nurse could have had. I dont want to quit and regret it for the rest of my life because i worked so hard to get here and payed all this money or stay in it and regret it if I dont like it. HELPPPP? :)
Is your program a two year program? If it is- maybe you should stick it out. What's two years in the grand scheme of things? But only stick it out if you are not sure about what you want to do-and think that maybe you DO like nursing after all.
But- if you really, really DON'T like it- try something else. There is nothing wrong with doing something else. It certainly won't make you any less of a person if you decide that nursing is not for you. It could be that you are meant to do something else. There is no point in doing something that makes you miserable. There are a couple different kinds of miserable. There is "I am so sick of care plans and studying (but I still want to be a nurse)" kind of miserable-like me!-and then there is "I am so sick of care plans and studying" (I really DON'T want to be a nurse) kind of miserable.
But above all- it needs to be your decision. If you really want to, by all means do something else. But my suggestion is-since you are already in the program-don't leave unless you have something else definite lined up. It's always a good thing to look ahead.
But in the end, whatever decision you make will be fine. As long as it is your decision.
i don't think 20 year olds are in their right mind to determine which job they want for the rest of their life. with that said, i would ride this wave out and finish the program and get your license. You've invested too much time to just throw it all away. besides, you might actually find out that you love nursing. and, if not, at least you will have something to fall back on if it's ever needed. just
I consider myself to be very much in my right mind.
I think that right now is the best time to determine which job/career a person would like. It saves waking up ten or fifteen years down the road and then making a decision.
I also think that it shows maturity on the side of the OP that she is seriously evaluating what she wants to do. I also suggested that she "ride the wave out" but only if she WANTS to.
I believe that I have heard somewhere that most people change their major at least three times before deciding what they want to do? If that is the case, so be it. We live in a world of endless possibilities.
A person is allowed to change their mind at 20. Sometimes, that is not the right thing to do, but other times, it IS the right thing to do. It all depends on the person and the situation. I think, that in some instances, not all of course, 20 is when a person is in the best mind of their life.
I think, that in some instances, not all of course, 20 is when a person is in the best mind of their life.
Then again, I am biased. :)
Aaah, yes, I remember feeling that same way at 20 too. Not to discredit your feelings or anything. I was very mature for my age at 20 (and still am today) but I am a completely different person now (4 years later) than I was at 20. I was 2 years into an HR degree at 20, finished, and realized I wanted to be a nurse instead. I don't regret getting the HR degree because now I'll have two degrees in a couple years. Finsih the RN, if you don't like it, you still have your whole life ahead of you. Making career decisions this young isn't going to make or break you.
I know how you feel I felt the same way too:redbeathe. Changing my major after completing all the pre-reqs except one and boy do I regret it. Now I cant apply til next fall. I couldnt find anything that I wanted to do. I thought I wanted to be a speech pathologist but after doing more research in the Speech dept at my university, I knew it wouldnt be a good fit for me. I just could not find anything that I wanted to do and when I thought I had it figured out I still was not satisfied and held doubts. But now that i am sure that I majoring in nursing again...I have NO doubts and am very happy with my decision:yeah:. Good luck in whatever you choose:D.
Short story shorter- nursing school sucks. They take your life, make (what you perceive to be) totally unrealistic expectations of you and quite frankly scare the hell out of you. After a little hindsight, you realize it's to your benefit.
I'm 41 years old, been an LPN for 15 years and am entering 4th semester in the RN program. I wish I had been as mature at 20 that this young lady seems to be. As fas as "being too sensitive", I'm unclear if that means you feel unable to take critisim, being yelled at by doctors, ect. Or, if you mean that you really care about pt's. One does get desensitized over time and you find that things don't bother you quite as much as you they once did.
Being unsympathetic and letting your emotions control are two entirely different things. You do however, have to check your emotions at the door, otherwise, you loose your objectivity and you are unable to provide the best possible care to your patients. You do your crying on other nurses' shoulders after your shift or on your husband's shoulders when you get home. And you think "what the heck was I thinking getting into this". And then you get up and go back to work the next day.
You did not mention whether or not you have worked in the healthcare profession before..if not, my suggestion would be to take a job as a CNA or tech or whatever they are called in your area. Yes, it's the bottom of the ladder, but at least it might give you an idea as to whether this is for you.
Whether or not to pursue this career MUST BE YOUR CHOICE. Not your parents, not your friends, YOURS.
One point to ponder....you will NEVER be unable to find a job. And in today's world, that's something to consider.
No nursing school is not fun, nor is it meant to be. Hang in there. But, if you really feel in your heart of hearts, that this is not for you.. then by all means, get out. But at least give it a chance.
I've been in your shoes before and I did dropout. I was 19. Actually, I stopped the semester before I was going to apply to nursing school. At the school I was attending there was an inpatient facitlity that we got to tour in a&p class. I realized that I was not emotionally ready to be a nurse after watching what would be expected of me the next year. I felt too young and awkward. The funny thing is I still feel awkward and I'm 32.
I've had another career and realized nothing is ever going to feel easy going in when you don't know what you're doing. I really wish I would have stuck it out and gotten my degree in nursing. I may have done something else with it for a while, but it's always something you can come back to.
The only reason I would say to drop out is if there is something else that you know you want to do in life that you are so passionate about. Don't worry if you're not sure if nursing is what you want to do. You can always explore other career options after you graduate. At least you'll have that degree behind you. There's also a chance that you might not be able to make it back to school if you take time off to work and figure out what you want to do. That's what happened to me because I got married a year after dropping out and I'm just now able to make it back to school.
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Is your program a two year program? If it is- maybe you should stick it out. What's two years in the grand scheme of things? But only stick it out if you are not sure about what you want to do-and think that maybe you DO like nursing after all.
But- if you really, really DON'T like it- try something else. There is nothing wrong with doing something else. It certainly won't make you any less of a person if you decide that nursing is not for you. It could be that you are meant to do something else. There is no point in doing something that makes you miserable. There are a couple different kinds of miserable. There is "I am so sick of care plans and studying (but I still want to be a nurse)" kind of miserable-like me!-and then there is "I am so sick of care plans and studying" (I really DON'T want to be a nurse) kind of miserable.
But above all- it needs to be your decision. If you really want to, by all means do something else. But my suggestion is-since you are already in the program-don't leave unless you have something else definite lined up. It's always a good thing to look ahead.
But in the end, whatever decision you make will be fine. As long as it is your decision.