Help! School and work burn out, and I just started!

Nurses General Nursing

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Please, I hope someone can help me! I am completely stressed and overwhelmed! I had a miscarriage in Oct '09, which triggered my desire to go to nursing school. I was obsessed with the idea for months before I enrolled in school. I am now in my 3rd semester, found out I am pregnant again, and just started a CNA job. I am SO overwhelmed, all I have been doing is crying all morning. I don't know if I like the job, and have been working lots of hours because of training. I was trying to study this morning and thinking that I HATE it!! I am terrified that I will have another miscarriage, and the stress is not helping. I have a previous degree and considering trying to find some sort of job in that area, because I don't want to be a bedside nurse or work holidays (well, Christmas anyway). I'm probably just being a big baby because I am tired, but I really don't know how much more I can take without seriously considering quitting or dropping out. I loved school until I started this job, and now I don't know. Please, some advice!

Oh, my instructors in school all strongly recommend working as an aid before becoming a nurse, which is the main reason I applied for the job. It is in a wonderful facility that I was lucky to even get considered for the position because I don't have any previous experience, and would really help me get a job in the same facility in the future.

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Specializes in Cardiac Step-down Unit.

good morning!

first breath!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nursing school will take you through those emotions even without all that extra stuff you have going on in your life. so it is not uncommon to feel the way you are feeling. now let's focus on how we are going to work through this. what type of support do you have? husband, boyfriend, teachers, friends, or family members? use them all. your unborn child is your first priority!

i have seen quite a few pregnant women in my class so i know it can be done. take it one day at a time. find a study pattern that works and stick to it. if all else fails try to take a leave of absence from your job if you feel like you might lose the baby.

don't give up!!

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Specializes in LTC, SICU,RNICU.

This is very normal to feel this way. Nursing school is an emotional rollercoaster. Plus, you have pregnancy hormones on top of that.

I have seen several women pregnant in nursing school. I had one friend that had a baby and never missed a class.

When I applied for nursing school, I did it because my husband thought I would be good at it. I cried the first month of school then again the first time I went to a nursing home. A couple of tests made me cry too! Believe me, it's very worth it. Nursing is a respected profession by others and financially rewarding. Plus, you get to see and do some cool stuff! Don't give up!

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Specializes in ER.

It sounds like you have some significant stressors on you right now and need more support than can be given here. Talk with your school's infirmary about counseling services that are available to students.

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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.

So, let's see..... you're in nursing school, and you just started a new job, and you had a miscarriage a year ago, AND you just found out your pregnant again? My goodness, with all of that on your plate, it's no wonder you're stressed out! Give yourself a break -- you're not a "big baby", you just have a lot to deal with!

Do you need the CNA job to make ends meet financially, or is it just to get the experience, as recommended by your nursing instructors? If it's the latter only, I would strongly consider quitting -- you have enough other things to deal with without adding another stressor/time sink. Going to nursing school while pregnant and a new mom will be challenging enough without the added stress of a job on top of that. The experience isn't going to help you if you're totally stressed out or flunk out of nursing school.

Congratulations on your pregnancy, and good luck with whatever you decide!

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

Honestly the CNA job is horrible I know what its like (i did it last summer). Right now I'm my 2nd year in the BScN RN program. I don't even know why people think you should become a CNA before a nurse they are so completely different.

And being a CNA you get overworked underpaid and in your situation being pregnant and in school?? I wouldn't let this possibly hurt my baby.

If you are financially alright or if you can find a job in another area (retail) then do it!

Its NOT worth the stress and tears...

Hope you figure something out :)

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Can you postpone joining the class? I've seen pregnant students join a class -- and I see them again the following year REPEATING the same class because they had too many medical absences. If you get a C-section, you're automatically done for the year here because you'd miss too many clinical days. Definitely forget maternity leave, so forget the early bonding. And if you're at risk for miscarriage & having a baby is important to you, you need to think about the baby first. Nursing school will be there in a year or two.

One thing I was troubled by was my nursing school not caring at all about preg students. Students weren't introduced to the ideas of teratorgens until 3rd semester! So there they are at clinicals caring for patients positive for a teratogenic infection, and the student has no idea to use extra precautions or to request a different pt?! You'll also need to be aware which drugs & cleaning products at your hospital to handle wearing gloves. Don't count on your nursing instructors to look out for your pregnancy.

Nursing school is crazy stressful, too. Don't count on being able to eat right or take care of yourself the way a preg body needs. I'm due to graduate in May to become a RN myself; even know I started out with a 3.98 GPA and no job to worry about, I am so stressed out now. Nursing school is a HUGE time & resource commitment.

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Some good advice has been given here. You are definitely dealing with some huge stressors and you need to give yourself a break. it sounds like somewhere along the line you had so much going on that you hit a massive pile up of stress and now you're having trouble pulling things apart and figuring out what is most important.

What is most important of course is your well-being and that of your baby. The rest of the world can wait, and it will wait. Stepping back from all of this will not do any harm and it would be a good idea to talk to your school about your future options. There are always options!!!

It can be helpful to some to work as a CNA before becoming a nurse but in no way is it something that will have a huge impact on you professional and academic development. It is a very hard job both mentally and physically. Why put yourself through all of that?

I was a CNA for two years before becoming an LPN and I hated it so much when I started that I thought I was going to lose my mind.

I am still trying to locate that pesky organ.

I stuck with it due to financial necessity but if you don't need the job there is no harm in quitting, and if you do need a job, see if you can pick something else up, maybe temping or retail now that Christmas is looming.

Please take care of yourself. Nursing school is hard but I don't think they are so cruel that they will just end your career possibilities now that you have come so far.

I was 43 when I went back to nursing school, I had a very full and satisfying and occasionally difficult professional life before that and even though things did not always go as planned I don't regret anything. It's all been good.

You deserve to enjoy your pregnancy, and have fun with it. So please take care of yourself.:heartbeat

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I have been in your exact position almost 4 years ago. I hope you don't mind reading my story; I'll try not to make it too long.:yawn:

Four years ago this January, I was actively going for nursing school. I had my CNA and was working a CNA job. I was also going to school to complete my prereqs while waiting to get into nursing school. I was even taking Spanish to make myself more marketable. At the end of February, I found out that I was pregnant. After having gone through 2 miscarriages, I didn't want to lose this baby. I had to step back and make some major decisions under the same circumstances.

First of all, at the time I didn't NEED the CNA job. It was just for experience and since I had my CNA for NS, I thought, hey, I don't want that to go to waste, so I got a horrible, demanding job working with other CNAs who just didn't care. However, when I got pregnant, I knew I wasn't going to stay at a horror-job and risk my baby's life. So I gave my two weeks notice and quit.

Second, I decided that I didn't need to go into nursing just then. I've been working as a doula, childbirth educator and certified breastfeeding educator for the last 20 years, so that helped with the bills and gave me an outlet to care for the population I had the most passion for. I knew that I had a responsibility to my baby, so we decided to live frugally, and I would stay home with my little girl.

Plus, with the nursing job situation being the way it is, it may be good to wait a year or so before trying to get in. I searching on the website of a local hospital, and I see that things are a little better than they were a year ago. This is a large hospital system with many satellite clinics. Last year they had only 40 positions. This includes several clinics, hospitals for a 100 mile radius, and the jobs were for EVERYTHING nursing related: educators, floor nurses, home health, offices, management... pretty bad for this system. I was on the same website last week and now I see they have closer to 100 positions open. If you have the chance and finances aren't a worry, I suggest consider staying home for as much as you can.

I WILL go back to finish what I started, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I did what was right for me and my family. My little girl is three today, and I can't believe how fast the time has gone. When I was 12 weeks postpartum, I thought to myself that if I were with a good company/hospital, that my maternity leave would be over, just when my baby was getting interactive. The very thought broke my heart and I CRIED, even though I didn't have such a job.

Of course, this is what has worked for me. I just wanted to share my story as someone who has had several miscarriages and was working on NS when I got pregnant. Good luck to you! :)

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Thank you all for the wonderful advice! I have had a day to readjust my attitude, and although I am still feeling pretty stressed, I am not panicking (at the moment, anyway).

I was actually hired on as a PRN CNA, but the place is short staffed so it hasn't exactly turned out that way, and I am not exactly sure how to approach the subject to my boss. I am not sure WHY I don't like the job, or if it just because it is all so new and I am tired and stressed. I am also planning on finishing out this semester, but after reading all of your posts, seriously considering taking off next semester and the following (I am due during the beginning of summer semester). I can always go back to my previous job (NOT STRESSFUL), and only took the CNA job for experience. I would much rather enjoy my pregnancy, than not even seem to know it is there.

I have an ultrasound next friday (might as well be a year away), and if all goes well (fingers crossed) I will seriously consider quitting. How do you suggest I approach the subject? I would feel terrible for quitting right after they finished training me in!

Thank you very much for the story BabyRN2Be, I enjoyed your story, and glad it all worked out for you!

Thanks again for calming me down, and making me feel like I am not overreacting. Any more advice would be awesome!

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