HELP please!!!!

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I'm currently a first semester nursing student and I am most definitely unsure about whether or not I want my career to actually be in nursing. I've been unsure about going into the field for the past 2 years and I just don't know what to do. Every since I was about 5 years old, I always told my mama that I wanted to be a "baby nurse," but I have realized over the years that I am in no way a people person. I get very anxious in front of people (very shy), am not able to explain things, I don't have good conversational skills, etc. i also am not able to think on my feet nor handle stressful situations. I feel like I'll be wasting my time and putting myself through heck for nothing if I continue with the program. Any input of any kind is most definitely welcomed, but especially from any RNs who have been through the same doubtful situation.

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Also, I've been considering medical transcription, vet tech, or ultrasound tech as alternatives...any thoughts on these?

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My guess is that you know yourself better than a bunch of strangers :)

You've obviously thought about the requirements of interacting with people....unless you REALLY want it, don't. And a 5 y/o's idea of playing with babies pretty well gets snuffed out when you find yourself admitting a 3 week old with fractures caused by mom's drunk boyfriend, and the brain bleed that will render the child vegetative for the rest of her life. It's not all rocking chairs and diapers...it's PAIN. If you can't swing that (along with the possibility that your first job may be in a nursing home, because that's the ONLY job in town), wait. Good luck :up:

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I was unsure all through school. I am still somewhat unsure even now that I have entered the profession. There is a LOT of pain in nursing but I can't imagine doing anything else. In fact, I have done lots of other jobs but I have never felt so fulfilled, for the first time in my life I do not feel like I am selling myself short. I don't know the answer for you but it sounds like you may have some anxiety issues that need to be dealt with first. You seem to be able to express yourself very well in writing. FYI, I have been where you are. I have had to work very hard on myself and still have to every day. I have social anxiety and I tend to be very shy at times. It can be really difficult. But every time I push through the hard times I grow and the next time I am faced with a tough situation it gets easier. I think that the anxiety you describe will be a hurdle for you to face regardless of the profession you ultimately choose. I have felt all of the things you describe but I still found my way through school and into a career. Maybe you need to take a temporary break and figure yourself out for a bit. It's not really a decision of to be a nurse or not, but more a decision to work on yourself...or not...Hope that makes sense. Good luck!

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Don't allow one semester of nursing be the deciding factor. Like you I didn't believe I had good conversational skills or thought well on my feet in stressful events. I use to be shy, anxious and unsure of myself. I have been a nurse for 8 years and over came a lot of these insecurities. Some of the weaknesses I thought I had ended up being my strengths. No one knows what you are capable of but YOU. I believe you might surprise yourself. I know I did.

I'm currently a first semester nursing student and I am most definitely unsure about whether or not I want my career to actually be in nursing. I've been unsure about going into the field for the past 2 years and I just don't know what to do. Every since I was about 5 years old, I always told my mama that I wanted to be a "baby nurse," but I have realized over the years that I am in no way a people person. I get very anxious in front of people (very shy), am not able to explain things, I don't have good conversational skills, etc. i also am not able to think on my feet nor handle stressful situations. I feel like I'll be wasting my time and putting myself through heck for nothing if I continue with the program. Any input of any kind is most definitely welcomed, but especially from any RNs who have been through the same doubtful situation.
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If you made it this far..... somebody thinks you can do it.

I think you need to talk to your counselor.. other students... or even an instructor .. if you can find one that is approachable.

If you do change your course of study.. thoroughly research the new field.

Vet techs make about 9/hr! Ultra sound tech seems like a good choice.

Good luck.. it does sound like it may be time to change before you get any deeper into nursing.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

Take it from someone who went into nursing after having other careers - if ur unsure re nursing now, you will hate it more as you get older, trust me.

You will resent the shiftwork; friends fall away as you can't attend functions due to shiftwork - they get sick of you saying 'I can't come as I have to work....' - the phone stops ringing aftger a while & people stop emailing; you miss out on special moments if you have kids, or with nieces/nephews; your feet kill you and as you get older ur whole body creaks & aches; you will be dead tired all the time and you will definitely age quicker. It will be very hard to maintain any sort of social life. You will prob'ly also come to resent humanity as the selfish, rude, sexist, ignorant pigs that - in the main - they are. I honestly can't say there have been many happy moments in nursing for me anyway, & it is definitely not the wonderful career it is touted to be on shows like ER and in the recruitment ads. You will be more tired than you ever have in ur life - I can guarantee you.

If u have nearly finished, finish your degree but if you feel it's a waste of time - and a waste of money - I urge you to study something else, as a back up career. You can always go into nursing later, and if ur quite young, I think that nursing is harder to take when u are young and green.

Either way, I wish you luck.

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Oh come on! You know what you want! For sure. Just spare sometime to think about it. :)

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I was unsure about nursing and took a 2 year break from school. I went back to my previous job outside of nursing. The idea of nursing always sort of nagged at me and I found myself missing it, and wishing I had finished, and now I am back in school. I am still taking my time and putting my family first, but I'm working my way through, and really glad I am. Sometimes you just need to step back and take a break to figure out what you really want. The other careers you mentioned are great, too.

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when i was faculty every year we admitted about 25% more students than we could handle, because we knew that this year, once again, about a month or so into the program our offices would be filled with weeping or angry students who had always wanted to be nurses but had no idea what that really meant. they didn't think it would be so hard academically, they didn't like seeing/touching strangers' bodies, they were unexpectedly totally grossed out by body functions, they didn't realize how much responsibility they would have, they thought they could be "baby nurses" and never have to take care of old people ... "my mother always wanted me to be a nurse," "i always wanted to be a nurse like my mom/my sister/my auntie," and so forth. tissues flew. we were sympathetic, and plotted nights to educate the public on what nursing really is and does, so the people who came to it really understood.

you know, it really isn't for everyone. if you don't like it but think you might later, then finish your semester and then do something else for a year or so, and come back if you want to (check with your registrar about the rule on that at your school). if you're really sure this is not for you-- and there is no shame in that at all-- tell yourself that ten years down the road this will all be remote, you'll be doing something else you wanted to do, go and do it, and life will be fine.

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Specializes in Hopefully ICU one of these days..
Also, I've been considering medical transcription, vet tech, or ultrasound tech as alternatives...any thoughts on these?

I can tell you from experience...extensive experience at that, vet tech is not a viable career option if you plan on not living in your parents basement forever. The highest paid vet tech I have ever met who worked at a specialty hospital in Long Beach California and had every certification known to man only made 15 dollars an hour. The ASPCA poison control center pays a little better but not much and you work in a call center buried in a cubicle and never see a patient. The other problem with being a vet tech is that you will inevitably work for a small privately owned hospital with a handful of employees where you will be offered no benefits of any kind or ones that are so expensive there is no way you would ever be able to afford them on your meager pay. long story short, while I LOVED being a vet tech, it is just not the kind of job that will pay the bills.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos183.htm#earnings

And trust me when I say, these numbers are GREATLY skewed due to some higher paying research jobs.

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Bols 27, I could not agree with you more! I'm currently employed as a vet tech at an emergency clinic and I LOVE it, but this is no where near a living wage! I would absolutely do this job the rest of my life if I could afford to, but there is just no way.

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