How did you know nursing was for you? Is it for me?

[kaytheauthor]

Hello everyone!

My name is Kay. I've been on allnurses.com for a long time. I would usually just browse around and read what everyone has to say about nursing. I am 25 years of age, African-American, and I currently reside in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I just completed my A.A. degree, and have been thinking about going into nursing. I always wanted to be an RN, but I got discouraged along the way. Living in poverty, having a mother that battles drug addiction along with other family members sometimes can make it seem there's no way out. I don't have any experience in nursing. If I did the BSN I would have to do 6 pre reqs and then if accepted complete two years of nursing school. If I got my ADN I would have to do 6 pre reqs, and if accepted 6 classes and I could finish my BSN at another time. I want to go into nursing, but I think I'm not smart enough. What if I complete the classes and not get accepted into nursing school? Is ADN OR BSN the way to go? Am I running out of time just thinking? How would a person truly know if nursing is for them? Thank you for reading this. Does anyone have any advice for me? Peace and love! Thank you.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Only you can say....

[nlitened]

First of all, don't ever doubt that you are smart enough. You will never know if you can make it through nursing school until you try. With that being said, you aren't going to make it if it's not something you truly want to do. Why do you want to be a nurse? Have you ever shadowed a nurse? What kind of nursing do you think you would be interested in?

And no, I don't think you are running out of time. You are only 25. Give it some thought. It doesn't have to be a rushed decision. Maybe even get your CNA first. Only you know if nursing is for you, and you aren't truly going to know that until you get exposed to the healthcare setting and really see what nurses do.

[Libby1987]

For me, I didn't know until I actually had some nurse experience, all I did have was potential aptitude. I liked managing all aspects of my horses incl their medical care, I could get dirty, give injections like it was no big deal and treat wounds. Other than that, I didn't really know. It was just a sensible decision at the time.

One thing to think about is what kind of role do you like to play, which can vary in the field of nursing. In my case, even though I perform tasks and have a passion for wound care, what I'm really inclined for is being the coordinator and manager of my patients' care. I love helping solve problems, I do it directly as the nurse and behind the scenes with my team as case manager. Orchestrating, that's what I love to do. Throw in some complex healable wounds and I'm happy.