How DO YOU KNOW IF NURSING IS RIGHT CAREER CHOICE!!!

it's difficult to find out while still in school,after a few months on the floor,you would know exactly if nursing is what you want to do.

i really think you are very close to your goal of getting into nursing school. with one class left i think you should definitely try to get to that finish line. nursing school is really hard and you have a lot of responsibilities but it seems you are dedicated enough to finish. i have heard some hospitals pay for nursing school if you work there and want to continue your studies. have you looked into that? good luck!

I know that CNA work is not like Nursing, but i have been told by many of the Nurses I work with that I would be make a great Nurse. I continue to work where I am at now because the Nurse Manager says that the patients and Nurses think that I am great to work with. It's just getting through all the academics ( I do love school), also the drama at home. I have to make a better wage for my family. I don't make very much as a CNA and know I would if given the opportunity would make a great NP. I just have to keep plugging away, with this despite what will happen. My daughter is just adding more to the problems in my house. I am so concerned with her taking meds for pleasure not pain.

I don't think the hospital will pay for me to go through school and finish. I will look into that though. Thank you I know I will have to stick this out despite of what problems I am going through. Thank you for replying.

I definitely can relate. I am married with three children, and family responsibilities play a huge role consuming my time. I had to repeat A&P also. I tried to take the class online. I do not recommend it unless science is a natural for you. I am taking A&P II this fall. What is pushing me to continue is that I know this is what I want to do. I first thought that my A&P 1 grade will stop me from entering, but I said I am going to keep going and apply. There are many schools, so you have many options. If this is something you want to do, then do it. Many people can get straight A'S in nursing and can not really apply the knowledge on the floor. I am a CNA but currently stopped working at the hospital for my son's health reason, but working in the health field has been the most rewarding job ever.

Awww! Bless your heart! Listen, I am a single mother and I had a 10 year old son when I went to nursing school. I left a very well established career (outside of nursing) to pursue nursing school full time. I worked 40 hours a week and went to school 3 nights a week to get my pre-reqs out of the day. I even ended up with an Associates of Science degree before attending nursing school full time.

I own a home and have great financial responsibility. I still had to run my household while attending nursing school full time and raising my son. Yes, it was hard, but it's doable. Your 22 year old daughter is gonna have to help you out more, either by working and contributing to the household bills, or moving out and getting her own place.

I admire your drive and you seem very determined. If I were you, I'll take my C and run with it. I had a C in Chemistry and still got in to a very prestigeous nursing school in my area. I graduated in May with my BSN and I passed NCLEX in July. I am now working as a RN in a new grad residency program for the ICU at a Level I teaching hospital.

Don't you dare give up now! You've come to close. When life throws you lemons, make lemonade.

Good luck to you!

Thanks for the reply. You are so motivating!! You are doing a great job. I am not a quitter. I will make the best effort to try to do well my last three weeks of class. I have 3 exams left and a practical. My daughter does help, but she has been doing drugs. I am so worried. I am even afraid she will be so far gone she won't wake up.. I don't know what to do. Good luck to you. Carla

Since you are so close to getting into the program do not give up. Are you in an area with several programs you can apply to?Is it possible to apply to a private school program that accepts more students? That is assuming you are not already doing so. The reason I am asking is the grade you get in A and P might be substantial for the private school but not the public school associate degree programs. I wish you the best of luck and hang in there! I just found out I have to wait until May 2010 to possibly start my program and I have been working on getting into a nursing school since 2007. I've been in college with pregnancy/parenting breaks since 2002. Life happens and the best things that we will value the most takes time, if you have to repeat A&P its only a short setback. Good luck!BTW summer A&P has got to be extremely tough, it might be best to just take it in the fall where you don't have to rush yourself.

Thanks so much for replying to my post. Yeah, it has been extremely rough will all that I am going through and your so right about getting into a program. My daughter though is addicted to pain meds. She is always wanting to pick a fight with me. She has said just today that she is going to have a nervous break down. I am so upset about this. She started this when she had her first child. She was given pain meds for a C-section she had. I don't know what to do. She almost fainted today. i know i can't talk to her dr, due to her being over 20. I am so upset. I can't even write. i told her she needs to find her own place to live. I worry so much about my Grandkids. I have about 3 weeks let in school! Man why now???

Original poster- it seems like you have a LOT on your plate right now. I suggest getting your LIFE (personal issues) taken care of FIRST and then worry about school. We all have dreams... mine too was to be a RN and I did it. I went back later in life also... graduated with honors, passed boards first time and landed a RN job two weeks after getting my license. I am blessed. On a realistic note, I will tell you.... RN SCHOOL IS HARD AND TAKES LOTS OF DECICATION AND BRAIN POWER. You must study (be able to focus) and devote your life to it. Simple as that. If you cannot do that at this time, then do not do it. Focus on your life FIRST, then do RN school; as RN school is a life in itself and it will take all of you to succeed. Good luck to you!!!

Thank you for replying. I have seemed to always put my life on hold. It seems to be a taboo or something that something always happens just as soon as I am finishing out my classes. I know that RN school will consume most of time and will power. I have been at this for many years. Is my true calling Nursing or am I just setting myself for failure. I just don't know. Best of Luck to you too!!

HI,

I didn't read your entire post, cause i need to run, but i would like to say something to you as an idea. Since you mentioned you have a family...

First of all, when I was in nursing school in the 90's, all 60 of us in our classes were making FAILING grades on our exams (which tells you that the teachers actually needed to re-think their strategies). I was always an A student, but now I was making D's and C's. ONE little genius in the class, however, would make A's. So the entire class was then rounded up only to low B-C's because of her. If she had not made A's, we would have been rounded up higher. Moral of the story is...A and P is the hardest of your classes. You may be doing fine, if EVERYONE else is also making low grades, or, you may have to take it twice. Not unusual to take it twice.

Having said that....here's what i REALLY want to tell you. If I had to do it all over again, I would go to an Associates Degree Ultrasound program. Some states allow you to just do Ultrasound, while other's make you do two years of Radiology, and then a year of Ultrasound.

Why should you consider this?

Nurses deal with vomit, pee, poop, snot, and spit. Ultrasound techs deal with some "cold gell" on their patient's stomachs..

Nurses work terrible hours, holidays, and on call. Ultrasound techs work M-F, no call, no holidays. Occassionally, some hospitals have weekend ultrasound schedules but it's fairly rare.

Nurses have to see and do terrible things, under the scrutiny of doctors and angry or sad or schizoid patients. Ultrasound techs work ALONE in pretty rooms, with ugly little floral wallpaper, pretty music playing and in the DARK! 90% of what they do is visualizing new fetuses. So the happy parents are crying and....happy. The other 10 % is spontaneously aborted fetuses; cancers, etc....

Nurses, since the world isn't fair, make at least $25,000 less a year than Ultrasound techs....... yep, you heard me right. Where RN's make 50K a year...Ultrasound Techs make 75K. And for basically the same amount of schooling.

So, how does nursing look to you now? What if....you are failing A&P so you could get on this forum and hear about a possibly better option for you and your family????

just a thought....