Honestly, is nursing really what I want?

G to The P · Apr 26, 2007

Are you wanting to be a nurse for you or for your parents? Nursing takes a strong commitment, and you need to make sure your ready to handle it before pursing it.

bellarosa · Apr 26, 2007

If you think you might like your new job, you might want to give it a year. You will meet nurses and get to see firsthand what they do. You might decide then that you really want to go for it or decide it isn't for you. You will have been able to build up a little savings and get some experience in a hospital setting to get you on your way too.

I have two pieces of advice for you:

1. You are young and will be working for a long time. Don't feel pressured to find the career that will lead you to retirement. So many people (myself included) switch careers.

2. Nursing school is hard and not fun. You probably won't like it. So, get out there and talk to nurses about what they do. Maybe try to imagine what kind of nursing interests you the most. Then talk to one of those nurses to give you a better idea.

Good luck. You will figure it out.

middleageNP · Apr 26, 2007

The question is, do you want to be a nurse because you WANT to be a nurse or because you're obsessed with this site?

Nursing school is not easy, but obviously not impossible. You can go part time, work and still finish school within the same time frame as the traditional full time program (if summer is included). Do some research.

futurecnm · Apr 26, 2007

If you are questioning yourself then I think you need to really put a lot of thought into it before starting school. I really want to be a nurse and I sometimes questions why I am going through nursing school!!! It is the hardest thing I've ever done and I already went through one tough 4 yr degree program when I was much younger. I think you have to be really sure before doing it and that is what gets you through it. It is demanding, mentally and physically. YOu will get done with clinical and feel just beat up. It is something you need to be mentally prepared for and if your heart isn't in it then it won't work out.

Ann RN · Apr 26, 2007

If I go to nursing school I will continue to live at home for 2 more years with no social life...but if I decide to keep my great job at Kaiser I would be able to increase my social life, independence and move out!!!

Why would you have no social life if you went to nursing school? Yes, it takes a lot of work, but not 24/7. Some of my best times were in nursing school. It takes hard work for any good career. Sacrifices & compromises are made. What will benefit you the most in the future? A good career where you will most likely make more money or a bigger social life now?

I agree that you should not go to nursing school until you are sure that is what you want to do.

Kanani_Ikike · Apr 26, 2007

Hi everyone I am obsessed with this website, but I am starting to have reservations about going to nursing school. I have applied to around 10 adn programs for fall 07. I already have 2 assoc. degrees and I just got a great full time job as a clerk with Kaiser Permanente. To be honest I am not sure if nursing is really what I want...how do you know? I am afraid that if I do get accepted into nursing school in the fall, I will give up everything, including this new job. What if I don't like nursing school? What if it gets too hard and if I am not 100% positive that I really want to become a nurse, I might not be that motivated to finish nursing school???!!! Help, I am really stuck! I want to make my parents proud of me, (I still live at home and I am 23 years old)...If I go to nursing school I will continue to live at home for 2 more years with no social life...but if I decide to keep my great job at Kaiser I would be able to increase my social life, independence and move out!!! Any suggestions or advice is welcomed!!! Thanks so much for understanding me!!!

Please, please, please, don't go into any career just to make your parents proud. If YOU want to be a nurse, then research it, maybe even shadow a nurse for a day if at all possible. That way, before you waste your time and money, you will know what you are getting yourself into and if it's for you. And your parents will love you no matter what route you take. Just don't do it just because they want you to.

I fell into that trap when I chose nursing as my profession. I really wanted to either be a Social Worker or an Accountant. But my dad kept talking about me being a nurse and I was afraid that I would let my parents down if I didn't choose nursing. Well, needless to say, I didn't get into nursing school the first time I applied. And my pre-nursing academic advisor kept talking about Plan B and an alternate career path. Now, with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, I believe that God was trying to tell me something then. I believe that He was actually giving me a chance to change my path before I ruined my life. Well, I was so afraid of offending my parents, I kept on, perservered until I got into nursing school.

Now, I hate myself for not listening to all the signs. I am so miserable as a nurse and I've wasted four years of my life for nothing. Now, it's sooo hard to get another job in another field. It's because you are overeducated and they don't even consider your application. I can't even get a job at McDonald's if I wanted to. So, now, I'm stuck doing what I hate and all for what? My parents? I tell you, it's not worth it. Please do what's right for you. I can tell by you coming here that even you are having second thoughts. Well, I beg of you, please, please, please listen to your instinct. Nursing probably isn't for you. If you have to, like I said earlier, research it a little more to be sure.

And last but not least, I can't reiterate this enough: please do what's right for you. If you decide to become a pooper-scooper, trust me, your parents will still love you. Their love is unconditional. And if they get ill about you choosing something other than what they want, then it's time to move out and live your own life. I can relate you because I once was you. Now my dad, the one that decided I was going to be a nurse, is dead and gone. And I'm back here on this planet living in misery, going to a job everday that I absolutely despise. I hate it so much that I wish I could go to jail instead of work some days. But, of course, I have to make a living, so I have no choice. You still do. Please make the right one.

One Love,

Kanani:balloons:

cedavid22 · Apr 27, 2007

i think you have to ask yourself what you really want in life...are you doing this for yourself or to make your parents happy...are you doing it only for the money, etc. etc. it definitely takes a certain type of person to be a nurse. in order to put up with the stress of being a nurse, you have to seriously be a caring and compassionate person. even though you may feel overworked & unappreciated at times, the only thing that got me through my shifts was the ones that i helped get better & that's the most rewarding part of the job. as for not having a social life...that's not true. you may have to study a lot, but you do have time to go out & half the fun is meeting new classmates. you'll have to make some sacrifices for a few years, but the rewards can be great. you'll make good money (esp. in CA), you'll always have a job, you can travel, & you have a lot of choices in what you want to do. we're not all pooper scoopers...for instance, you can work in mental health or in OB. the beauty of it is that there's a ton of things you can do with it. & if somewhere down the line you realize its not for you, you can always have a career change. its not the end of the world. i know someone that made enough money as a nurse to buy her own home, travel the world, & pay for herself to go back to school to follow her real passion.

with all that said, i have to emphasize that its not for everyone...some love it, some hate it. you should take advantage of working as a clerk & ask the nurses what they think. maybe your manager will even let you help the nurses out if you're not busy & you can experience it for yourself firsthand. hope this helps.

Kanani_Ikike · Apr 28, 2007

i think you have to ask yourself what you really want in life...are you doing this for yourself or to make your parents happy...are you doing it only for the money, etc. etc. it definitely takes a certain type of person to be a nurse. in order to put up with the stress of being a nurse, you have to seriously be a caring and compassionate person. even though you may feel overworked & unappreciated at times, the only thing that got me through my shifts was the ones that i helped get better & that's the most rewarding part of the job. as for not having a social life...that's not true. you may have to study a lot, but you do have time to go out & half the fun is meeting new classmates. you'll have to make some sacrifices for a few years, but the rewards can be great. you'll make good money (esp. in CA), you'll always have a job, you can travel, & you have a lot of choices in what you want to do. we're not all pooper scoopers...for instance, you can work in mental health or in OB. the beauty of it is that there's a ton of things you can do with it. & if somewhere down the line you realize its not for you, you can always have a career change. its not the end of the world. i know someone that made enough money as a nurse to buy her own home, travel the world, & pay for herself to go back to school to follow her real passion.
with all that said, i have to emphasize that its not for everyone...some love it, some hate it. you should take advantage of working as a clerk & ask the nurses what they think. maybe your manager will even let you help the nurses out if you're not busy & you can experience it for yourself firsthand. hope this helps.

cedavid, I think you misunderstood the term, "pooper-scooper". If you thought I was referring to nurses when I said that, you were very mistaken. To even think that I was talking about nurses shows what YOU must really think our job details.

What I was trying to explain to this young lady was that if she wanted to be EVEN a pooper-scooper (some one that cleans poop up out of the street after a parade, for example) her parents would still love her. Meaning, in other words, that whatever she chooses to be, her parents would love her no matter what. You got it all twisted. But don't let me be misunderstood.

cedavid22 · Apr 28, 2007

cedavid, I think you misunderstood the term, "pooper-scooper". If you thought I was referring to nurses when I said that, you were very mistaken. To even think that I was talking about nurses shows what YOU must really think our job details...

my mistake...so sorry for the misunderstanding. its very unfortunate that i have heard nurses on numerous occasions refer to us as pooper scoopers, so i took it within context.

MrChicagoRN, RN · Apr 29, 2007

I am starting to have reservations about going to nursing school.
I have applied to around 10 adn programs for fall 07.
I already have 2 assoc. degrees and I just got a great full time job...
I want to make my parents proud of me, (I still live at home and I am 23 years old)...
If I go to nursing school I will continue to live at home for 2 more years with no social life...
but if I decide to keep my great job at Kaiser I would be able to increase my social life, independence and move out!!! Any suggestions or advice is welcomed!!! Thanks so much for understanding me!!!

Why in God's name would you want a THIRD associates degree? One is enough. Beyond that you should be working towards a Bachelors if you continue schooling. You are currently in danger of becoming a professional student.

Won't your parents be proud of you if you keep your job, move out, and become a self-sufficient adult?

Your job includes an Employee Assistance Program. It's free. Call them up, make an appointment, and sit face to face & talk to someone about this.

Figure out what you want.

Nursebarebari · Apr 30, 2007

Hi,

To tell you the truth, nursing is not easy at school or at the job. So you realy have to love it to enjoy doing it. So make sure it is something you like not what your parent would be happy with. Beside that you said you have a great job that you like, do you really want to give that job up. The truth is I would not. I have been an RN for six years and this is my job # 4. Job # 4 is just ok.

wish you all the best