I don’t know if I want to be a nurse anymore

[Vigirl465]

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!

[Leonardo Del Toro, RN]

2 minutes ago, 2BS Nurse said:

I feel sad when I read this reality statement.

I'm not exaggerating one bit. It was so bad, I only was able to survive and stay in nursing because I made a point of doing so. In other words, the harder it got the more determined I became to find a way or simply get a job and find work. It is sad that there had to be so much fight and conflict when it should have been different. I knew nursing wasn't easy, but I've never thought I would find man made create obstacles on top of the obstacles that are already inheriting in the profession. I think nursing has a self hate identity problem, where they brutalize their own. Not sure but I'm glad I only have a few years left in this profession since I'm 63 and got in nursing at 50. However even with all the heartache nursing has been good for me providing me a stable source of income and performing meaningful tasks, helping others. 

[Emiliaaa2266]

@2BS Nurse

On 6/17/2021 at 1:59 PM, 2BS Nurse said:

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!

Well obviously you didn’t read what I said. A doctors office is 1 to 1 patient care and I never said that it would be a slower pace. I stated that it would be less patients at a time and it would be less stressful than working in a hospital. This was just options for her so she could keep an open mind into the medical field. There’s no need for your “heads up” assumptions. Thanks ? 

[Susie2310]

On 6/4/2021 at 2:42 PM, JKL33 said:

IMO nursing is most definitely not a profession to enter without some significant motivation and without being pretty sure that it's what one really desires to get into.

 

I agree, and I would add to this that in my opinion/experience, without a solid support system, I.e. supportive family, sufficient finances, stable housing, food security, and reliable transportation, spending years taking pre-requisites for nursing school and then more years in nursing school is a highly impractical choice and one that for most people will result in the inability to complete or succeed in nursing school.  Nursing school is very time intensive and demanding due to the sheer volume of course work and clinical rotations (at least when I was in nursing school).  And at the end of all that there is a realistic chance that it will not be easy to find employment, especially if one desires to work in a hospital.

[Nurselexii]

22 minutes ago, Susie2310 said:

I agree, and I would add to this that in my opinion/experience, without a solid support system, I.e. supportive family, sufficient finances, stable housing, food security, and reliable transportation, spending years taking pre-requisites for nursing school and then more years in nursing school is a highly impractical choice and one that for most people will result in the inability to complete or succeed in nursing school.  Nursing school is very time intensive and demanding due to the sheer volume of course work and clinical rotations (at least when I was in nursing school).  And at the end of all that there is a realistic chance that it will not be easy to find employment, especially if one desires to work in a hospital.

I would say also add that the motivation doesn’t even need to be 100% caring since healthcare is 100% business , find a way to the end of the tunnel by thinking how nursing can work for you, stable income ? Pension (usual city jobs or state I.e schools)? Then find the nursing specialty you can deal with , skip the hospital at all costs go for the slower paced nursing guys go part time and discover your passions 

[TriciaJ, RN]

I agree with the others who said it was time to step back for a bit a focus on the baby.  No one ever regretted prioritizing their baby over a pile of added stress.

The best way to deal with a big student loan debt is to not add to it until you're rock- solid sure of what you want to do.

Nursing is not the only way to "help others".  Hell, even a Walmart greeter does that.

OP, with a little time, rest and soul-searching, I have no doubt you'll find a career that works for you.  Maybe it'll be nursing after all, but it doesn't need to be.  A caring and helpful attitude will make a difference in peoples' lives no matter what occupation you're in.

But for now just focus on being your baby's mother.  There's nothing more important than that.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

On 6/5/2021 at 8:10 AM, macawake said:

I agree 100%. It’s amazing how certain some posters are about the conclusions they can draw about another person’s personality and life based on a single post on the internet.

I can agree with you that one certainly can't judge a person on one post.  But it's all we have.

The poster failed nursing school twice, quit a CNA job because they hated it, and now hate their current hospital job.  Obviously this wasn't all PPD since the child is only 3 months old.  

We're all nurses and want to nurture the poster's hurting side, but nothing screams "do not get into nursing" than this one single post.  I also think the poster knows this.  

I really don't have anything further to add, but agree with Tricia above in that right now you don't have to decide anything, add to your student debt, and just take you're time.  

All the best.

 

[2BS Nurse, BSN]

14 hours ago, Emiliaaa2266 said:

@2BS Nurse

Well obviously you didn’t read what I said. A doctors office is 1 to 1 patient care and I never said that it would be a slower pace. I stated that it would be less patients at a time and it would be less stressful than working in a hospital. This was just options for her so she could keep an open mind into the medical field. There’s no need for your “heads up” assumptions. Thanks ? 

Not an “heads up assumption” but a fact. We’ve had many MAs resign due to stress and burnout. In my state, the MA is required to take on the RN role when she/he is on vacation or calls out sick. Many inpatient staff are surprised at the workload when they get to the outpatient setting because they don’t have a inbasket to address there.

[londonflo]

On 6/4/2021 at 1:49 AM, Vigirl465 said:

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.

maybe an art history or art degree? Someplace where you can contemplate by yourself?

 

[londonflo]

On 6/17/2021 at 12:59 PM, 2BS Nurse said:

r MAs. Get 'em in, take their vitals, reconcile their meds

not to derail the subject but yesterday at my MD visit there were two significant errors (one drug  omitted entirely and one  drug's start date off by 6 months (synthroid)  that truly made a difference) on my Medication Reconciliation list (involving 2 different providers) . the MA first told me "it didn't matter and she could not change it". Then I said "the reason I am seeing your specialist is because of this thyroid RX." she asked me if I wanted a glass of water.  

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

4 hours ago, londonflo said:

maybe an art history or art degree? Someplace where you can contemplate by yourself?

 

Total waste of money, OP can't afford to take on more student loan debt as it is.  My advice is to cut her losses, look to her local non profit community college for a technical degree that can help her start making an income. 

There are many other allied health degrees one can get with at a technical college, some pay as much or more than nursing such as ultra sound tech.  Others pay less, like medical assistant or phlebotomist, but will lead to a job with health insurance at least. 

 The local community non profit tech college is your friend as they are generally low cost and are geared to providing job training which as a single mother is vitally important!  I would meet with a counselor there, as well as pick up the next class handbook.  Then do a deep dive on the internet to research various allied health jobs or even business such as book keeping, accounting, computer science or software, or even real estate.  There are many different options.  I ran into an old colleague who had been a phlebotomist but got her mortuary degree and was doing well.  Not for me, but it just shows there are many other options besides nursing out there.

Whatever you do avoid for profits like Phoenix University as you'll be paying a mint for the same programs as you could get at a much cheaper price staying with your local tech or state college.  I've read some past workers from for profits are taught to press on a person's pain points to get them to sign on the dotted line and sometimes give untrue info such as a person with a criminal background being able to get various jobs where there would be disqualified automatically, esp given a FBI level background check is needed for such jobs as nursing, police, etc.

Lastly I advise her to speak with her loan company, see if her loans qualify for income based repayment and consolidate them if that is the case and start on income base repayment.  Not all loans qualify, so you have to be careful not to consolidate those loans.

[londonflo]

20 hours ago, brandy1017 said:

There are many other allied health degrees one can get with at a technical college, some pay as much or more than nursing such as ultra sound tech.  Others pay less, like medical assistant or phlebotomist, but will lead to a job with health insurance at least

Yes, there are programs like OTA. PTA,  Surgical OR tech, RT and many more..If your local Community College doesn't have the specific program you want. look at neighboring community colleges. I believe there (in my state) a way to do indistrict tuition if your district does not offer the program. Also make an appointment with the course registrars or counselors  to to find out about specific government programs like TRIO and Workforce Equity Initiative  that support non traditional students.

 

 

[londonflo]

If the OP is not interested in health care, then it is not in her interests to look for an allied health education. Community colleges offer courses in the arts, humanities and sciences at community college tuition prices. Exploring a new avenue such as art is not a 'total waste of money' because there is something to learn in every subject area!