I failed nursing school twice. I always thought I had a love for nursing! I was kicked out of my nursing school in 2019 and have been waiting to get back into a program ever since. I have the opportunity to apply for a program that starts in December; however, now I’m having doubts about entering the nursing field. During my weird break from school, I worked in a hospital as a CNA right at the start of COVID. I became soooo burnt out after a year and a half that would call out constantly and finally decided to resign. I got my EKG certification and am currently working as a telemetry technician on a PCU unit. I hate it just as much. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I love helping people and I love the art of caring. I would consider myself to be highly empathetic, understanding, and patient. I’m an introvert who tends to tire easily from a lot of constant stimulation. I hate stressful situations and environments and I’m worn down from the patients that complain their food is too cold and management reprimanding us for not making their stay as lovely as possible. I hate the abuse and being short staffed. I love caring for people; but, I don’t think I could work for a big corporate hospital. Not only that, I’m $80,000 in school debt, have a three month old baby, and just want to get a degree. I just don’t think nursing is for me... but, I have no idea what else I would do. I’m stuck and confused! Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!
Awh! Isn't that the truth!! Thank you! Yes, I agree! The continuous bowel movements and naked people don't necessarily bother me... it's more of the angry patients we have to restrain, the stressful situations, the patient-to-tech ratio, etc.. I just get exhausted. I also would like to spend more time with each patient, but know I cannot. I also lack MAJOR boundaries... so, I find it hard to stand up for myself (but, I'm currently going through counseling for this).
I suggest you get some career counseling and personal finance as well. The student loan debt is an albatross around your neck that will drag you down for decades! Best case scenario get a job at the VA and use their tuition reimbursement to pay down your student loans, while applying for the public student loan forgiveness program. This is not a given though because it currently has a 99% failure ie rejection on technicalities and the response was to start the ten year clock over. Also all student loan payments must be made on time for the whole ten years and you have to recertify each year that you work for a non profit eligible for PSLF.
But the VA or even the military could help dig you out of the student loan debt hole the fastest! They have the most generous reimbursement programs. If you join the military you could get free training for another job. If not use the tuition reimbursement to start over and go to the cheapest public school you can find. Such as your local community tech school. I recommend ultra sound tech as an alternative to nursing that pays as well if not better. There are other ancillary health jobs out there you can research if one would suit you better. Honestly I think nursing is one of the hardest healthcare jobs out there due to all that you already mentioned, combining high responsibility, high stress, short staffing and volatile patients. Ultrasound techs deal with patients one on one usually in an office or clinic and more likely to have normal hours without holidays and weekends.
Your dislike for all the things you mentioned comprise about 85% of what we do every shift. The nice thing about nursing though is there are hundreds of different settings you can work with the degree, if it's a BSN.
You might look into going to school for a physical therapy assistant degree. You already have all the prereqs from nursing. If you go to a community college it will be very economical. It's a lot less stressful and very rewarding, and once again lots of different work settings, ie sports, geriatric rehab, joint clinic, occupational rehab, and so on.
You're right. Nursing isn't for you. Good luck with your future endeavors.
Put a little bluntly, but maybe that blunt approach is what the OP will needs to hear.
You're not wrong. Pretty much everything in there says nope, nursing is not for me. I might have thought different if OP hadn't already had two different health care related jobs and hated them both.
If the stress of being a CNA and a telemetry tech is too much to handle no way is OP going to deal well with the stress of nursing school much less the stress of being a nurse. Add to that the stress of being a parent to a small human!
It's unfortunate that OP is already $80,000 in student debt. I don't think it was ever said what program that debt originated from. Hopefully it's from a reputable school and many of the credits gained can transfer to another school when and if OP decides to continue their education.
"I failed nursing school twice." Time to quit banging your head against THAT wall. Consult with a school counselor to figure out how your credits could transfer. Social work seems like an option.
Post partum is a fragile state. I hope you can take some time to make a new plan.
Nursing is brutal. I have met the nicest people, but also the most aggressive in nursing. It took me a while to find my footing. After I developed a thick skin I was able to spot the assholes and bullies and keep them at distance. It was terrible in the beginning but now I feel comfortable. And no one, and I mean no one gives me *** anymore. I had to literally fight my way into nursing, dealing with all types of discriminations against me. Yes, nursing is brutal. One has to develop a thick skin. Good luck.
Hey! I think possibly medical assistant would be a good fit or possible LPN. That way you can work in smaller clinics or doctors offices and have 1 on 1 patient care. They typically don’t pay as much as in the hospital or as registered nurses, but it’s a start and you can always go back to school once you are completely ready.
I think you would like private duty care. Try looking at care.com many families do not want to place their families in nursing homes and will take experienced caregivers. The only draw back is no insurance , usually cash .
Why did you fail? Did you give up in school because you hated it or were you just not understanding the material. A lot of your classes are geared towards nursing but you could use those science credits towards radiology, sonography hell even dental hygiene. On the flip side you could buckle down and try again once you find that spark you had in the beginning for nursing in the first place.
I knew inpatient nursing would not be for me. I hated my inpatient clinicals, but loved school nursing, public health, outpatient mental health, etc. (I've found people who work in these jobs to be generally more kind). I took the outpatient path right out of school and have been very successful. With that being said, I understood that certain jobs wouldn't be available without floor experience (travel nursing) and was willing to accept that reality.
I agree with Smiling Blue Eyes... you've invested so much time and $. From this post, it sounds as if you were a CNA through your pregnancy. That would be exhausting! Make sure you aren't suffering from post-partum depression before making a major life decision.
Nursing is brutal. I have met the nicest people, but also the most aggressive in nursing. It took me a while to find my footing. After I developed a thick skin I was able to spot the assholes and bullies and keep them at distance. It was terrible in the beginning but now I feel comfortable. And no one, and I mean no one gives me *** anymore. I had to literally fight my way into nursing, dealing with all types of discriminations against me. Yes, nursing is brutal. One has to develop a thick skin. Good luck.
Hey! I think possibly medical assistant would be a good fit or possible LPN. That way you can work in smaller clinics or doctors offices and have 1 on 1 patient care. They typically don’t pay as much as in the hospital or as registered nurses, but it’s a start and you can always go back to school once you are completely ready.
Just a "heads up", most clinics are extremely fast-moving and do not involve 1-1 patient care for MAs. Get 'em in, take their vitals, reconcile their meds and get 'em out! There is money to be made!
I knew inpatient nursing would not be for me. I hated my inpatient clinicals, but loved school nursing, public health, outpatient mental health, etc. (I've found people who work in these jobs to be generally more kind). I took the outpatient path right out of school and have been very successful. With that being said, I understood that certain jobs wouldn't be available without floor experience (travel nursing) and was willing to accept that reality.
My path was the same. Hoo boy I knew off the bat inpatient/bedside was not the job for me. I know that I'm lacking that floor experience and that will cost me opportunities in the future (as well as the better bedside pay) but I've traded that for the relative comfort and stability of regular working hours and a decent salary.
brandy1017, ASN, RN
2,910 Posts
I suggest you get some career counseling and personal finance as well. The student loan debt is an albatross around your neck that will drag you down for decades! Best case scenario get a job at the VA and use their tuition reimbursement to pay down your student loans, while applying for the public student loan forgiveness program. This is not a given though because it currently has a 99% failure ie rejection on technicalities and the response was to start the ten year clock over. Also all student loan payments must be made on time for the whole ten years and you have to recertify each year that you work for a non profit eligible for PSLF.
But the VA or even the military could help dig you out of the student loan debt hole the fastest! They have the most generous reimbursement programs. If you join the military you could get free training for another job. If not use the tuition reimbursement to start over and go to the cheapest public school you can find. Such as your local community tech school. I recommend ultra sound tech as an alternative to nursing that pays as well if not better. There are other ancillary health jobs out there you can research if one would suit you better. Honestly I think nursing is one of the hardest healthcare jobs out there due to all that you already mentioned, combining high responsibility, high stress, short staffing and volatile patients. Ultrasound techs deal with patients one on one usually in an office or clinic and more likely to have normal hours without holidays and weekends.