Hesitant to enter nursing..but why?

Nurses Career Support

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Hi all!

While I have been accepted into a BSN program in the fall (and i'm very eager), I must say that I hope that I am making the right choice. As an INFJ, I question if I am "too sensitive" for the profession. I want to feel appreciated and feel as though I am making a difference in someones life. I genuinely believe that everyone should enjoy their career and feel as though they have purpose every single day. I think nursing will do that for me, but will it suck the life out of me in the process..I often wonder.

I am very protective of my well-being mentally and physically and no job is going to take that away from me. I would hate to go through this and end up having to switch careers. Has nursing changed you for the better or for the worse and why?

Thanks nurses for your thoughts and input!

-Kylie

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Hi Kylie!

You have some valid points. And you are right in that nursing can be draining, and some days it does suck the life out of you. But the good thing about it is that there are so many avenues to go down once you are done with schooling. If one thing doesn't work out, try something else. My best advice to you would be to get the most out of your clinicals. Have an open mind and give 100%. You will probably be surprised what you like.

I am very sensitive and I spent nursing school trying to develop a thicker skin to deal with the tricky and sometimes heartbreaking situations that are pretty much every day occurrences in nursing. I worked as a tech, and when I got to pick my clinicals in my last semester I chose what I believed was my weakest area to challenge myself. There were days during that clinical where I literally left sobbing. I still have hard days, and I'm sure I always will. Remember that you can't control what people do but you can control how you respond. I think you will find that the gratification that you get from helping patients makes it all worth it. Being sensitive is a quality that can make you a very good nurse, you just have to make sure you take care of yourself. Good luck! And know that when you feel like the world is crashing down around you while you're in school there is an end in sight!

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I'm a recent graduate of a BSN program in the Philippines. I'm also INFJ and had wondered how I'd deal with situations I might find highly stimulating, sometimes uncomfortably so. I encountered such situations more often during classroom group activities than I did during my clinicals. The latter went smoothly for the most part, but this might have had something to do with the fact that Filipino culture tends to be a little more subdued, and less immediately gregarious, than perhaps American culture is. At the same time though, I did have CNA training in California, and my clinicals with that went well, too. I think it might have something to do with the "nursing role" I step into when I am with a patient. Somehow I forget that I am a sensitive "INFJ," and just immediately immerse myself in the interaction with the patient. In any case, while it may be true that nursing is predominantly an extraverted profession, I do think that there is a place for the more sensitive, mellow, patient, soft-spoken and gentle manner that an INFJ.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

ENTP here. While I do believe in the power of self-exploration and introspection, personality assessments are only designed to provide you with greater insight into your motivators and vulnerabilities --- they are not intended to serve as boundaries or limitations on what you can accomplish. Knowing what you do about yourself - you will be better able to anticipate situations in which you may experience difficulties. Your coping skills are enhanced since you have a better understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses.

I encourage you to take advantage of some other personality assessments as well as MBTI in order to get a more balanced picture. Another Jungian assessment is the one in "Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Buckingham - the assessment is included in the (inexpensive) book. Now, Discover Your Strengths: Marcus Buckingham, Donald O. Clifton: 9780743201148: Amazon.com: Books Another favorite of mine is The Eneagram, Personality Online - Online personality, relationship and apptitude tests, find out who you are today!. I have done a jillion assessments, but I discovered that my results on the Eneagram felt like the most accurate for me.

Don't accept artificial limitations - even those imposed by psychological assessments.

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