I don't know if nursing is what i should do.

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I was accepted to nursing school and received a 3,500 scholarship for this year and a 2,500 scholarship. I got all my titers, equipment, uniform, vaccines, etc ready for it but lately I'm been questioning whether I really want to be a nurse. I wanted to know if anyone else felt this way before entering. Before I switched to nursing, I was a psychology major, and I only need one year to finish that degree so I could graduate this year versus being at nursing school for another two years to finish my rn. I don't know if it's an issue of confidence or that I might be doing nursing more for the money and security or that I'm just feeling not ready. I want my psych degree and maybe do nursing school closer to home but then I lose out on scholarship money and it take me 6 yrs versus 5 yrs to get my nursing degree. I want to be a nurse one day but lately I've been questioning it and scared and I'm thinking of just relaxing and finishing up the psyc degree first. I don't know what to do.

I mainly am going in between counseling and nursing and that's why I'm considering the psychology degree, but I still can go into academic counseling with a nursing degree. It also sucks because I'm losing scholarship money

This is one of those questions that only you can answer. Do you think you're just getting cold feet as school approaches or do you really think this isn't what you want to do? The scholarships are the least of the issue, just try to put everything aside (including your nerves) and try and figure out what you really want to do.

Best of luck in your decision!

Peace,

CuriousMe

I would ask the tough question regarding how you want to spend your day when you are done with school/working. Psych is a lot more about theory, and in reality practice is much different from what undergrad psych majors realize (I know some people on this track). I'd try to shadow or interview psychologists regarding their experience and also find statistics about psych majors/what they end up doing, etc.

Depending on why you are interested in psychology, nursing does offer psychiatric nursing as an option. For me, I want to eventually be a nurse practitioner, and I anticipate that "psychology" will be applied as part of my everyday experience. That's part of nursing-considering the "whole" person.

Good luck with your decision-making. Also, don't get stuck on the money/tuition issues-in the end a "few" dollars will be a forgotten issue if you're in the right career...you'll make up for it in no time!

Specializes in none - hopeful student.

Just a couple thoughts here. First, I think it is normal when embarking on a new journey to have some ambivalence. It is the unknown, after all, and nursing especially is a profession that demands complete dedication in a way that other undergrad degrees do not. That said, I agree that you should take all the scholarship concerns off the table, and ask yourself if this is a fear issue or if you truly do not see yourself as a nurse. And remember that you can always complete your psych degree after you are a nurse, and/or look into psych nursing as a specialty. Remember you have lots of options and no matter what you choose now, you are free to change your mind later. Good luck!

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

one thing nursing has taught me is that nothing is written in stone. not all answers to questions are precise and defined. this is the challenge of life: to make decisions and live with them. people who run companies, actors and actresses, do this all the time. getting married is taking a risk. you never know what the future result of your decisions is going to be. the best you can hope for is that you've considered all the things that could go wrong and covered the bases. always have a plan b in case plan a doesn't work out. part of nurses training is this problem solving and decision-making. it is loving called "critical thinking". after years in this profession (and other professions engage in this as well) this ability to think rationally, make decisions and solve dilemmas and problems becomes a regular practice. no matter what profession you go into, this thinking and decision making will be a part of it because that is what is expected of college educated professionals. what is left, then, is will you like the nursing aspects. check this out: http://www.discovernursing.com/jnj-specialtyid_128-dsc-specialty_detail.aspx (psychiatric nursing). nurses can easily cross over into other professions and are often welcomed with open arms because of their problem solving abilities and cool demeanors under stress. nursing is one of the ultimate service professions and ranks up there with police officers and social workers when it comes to actually working with people on the worst days on their lives.

Specializes in Psych..

I had my doubts, and still do, as to whether nursing is the right career for me. I never felt it was my "calling" to be a nurse. I wanted a career in forensics, or as a medical examiner, but those careers were just not realistic for me and my current life.

I switched to nursing because I love science and the human body, and I wanted a career where I felt I could be serving the community while I was earning a paycheck. I also needed a portable career.

So even though I have doubts, my interest in nursing hasn't waned, so I'm sticking with it!

Specializes in MSN, FNP-BC.

I think we have all had that feeling at one point or another. I will finally be starting actual nursing courses and right after I signed up I freaked out and wondered if this is really what I want to do with the rest of my life.

It has helped working as a nurse tech on a tele floor and an ICU floor. I'm not as nervous as I was when I first started my pre-req's in January 05.

I think that once you get in and and see the overall picture it will be better. I've seen people go from nursing student (doing clinicals on our floor) to being a very successful RN. Sure they struggled in the begining but in the end they have ALL told me that it is worth it.:nurse:

Working in healthcare is such a rewarding job. It's the little things that can make or break your relationship with a patient. Just yesterday I had a patient in the ICU who was there for attempted suicide and the only thing she wanted all day was a bath and her hair washed because there was vomit in it. I came in and I could see the desperation in her eyes so I told her that I was in the middle of doing some rounds but as soon as I was done I would be right there to help her bathe and wash her hair. I've never had a patient who was as thankful for that as her. It made me feel good that I could help her feel better. The whole time I was in there all she kept saying was thank you over and over again. :redpinkhe

It's moments like that when you know that you are doing the right thing by becoming a nurse. :heartbeat:D

I am not sure I want to be a nurse yet either, and that is after one semester completed! I haven't had enough patient interaction to know if it's really my cup of tea or not. I don't think it's one of those jobs that you have to be "called to" to do well in. If you have compassion and basic care for fellow human beings I think that qualifies most of us (if the brains are on board too!). It's just really different than I imagined it would be. I say dive in and give it a shot, you may find it to be something you really enjoy. Or if you don't, you can take a different path.

Specializes in CICU.

I just wanted to chime in and say that I have doubts about lots of decisions I've made in my life. I think we all do.

For me, I just finally made a decision (quit everything else and become a nurse) and am sticking to it. If I later on decide it isn't for me, I'll try something else - wouldn't be the first time ;)

Again, only you can answer that question but in the real world, psychology majors need a masters or phd to get any sort of really secure position. (At least from what I've seen although I could be wrong) whereas nursing can get you into a position that you would have a more secure position, better pay, and maybe a bridge into an area that you are interested in...the hospital paying for your couseling degree as you work for them? Just a thought.

Here's a little real life experience that may help you...

My son had ADHD and had some emotional issues due to his father's abandonment quite a few years ago. We saw a pediatrician who watched my child bounce around and prescribed ADHD meds but didn't ever really sit and talk with us (focused on the body). We saw a psychiatrist who literally gave us 7 minutes total (split between talking to our son, myself and my son's step dad) before doling out more/higher dose ADHD / ADHD side effect countering meds. We saw a counselor, who talked and talked to my son and always tried to find the behavioral/situational reasons for his behavior and wanted to work on that (she couldn't address the medical issues and so chose to just work within her parameters). Then.... my son saw a Psychiatric Nurse Practicioner... she spend 30-45 minutes with my son, working on problem solving techniques, anger management, listening to him talk about his feelings/his struggles/etc as well as a good 10 minutes with me before and after. She was able to address BOTH the physiological issues and the psychological/emotional issues that are a part of mental health. Not every patient has ADHD, but a lot of psych patients have both physiological and psychological issues to deal with, and being able to deal with both not only makes it easier for all involved as far as how many appointments they need, but it also gives the practitioner a much better idea of the whole picture, and allows you to not feel as though your hands are tied in one aspect or another.

As for questioning becoming a nurse... sometimes I do when I'm in a panic. After something happens that shakes me to my core, I just want to run the other way as far as I can. But once I calm down, I remind myself that there are just so many ways that I can use my degree that it doesnt have to be all or nothing. Currently I am having a lot of trouble coming to terms with being around critical and acute care situations, particularly in regards to children, and I think that I may just put in my mandatory year there (to have some acute care exp on my resume) before moving on to something less intense.

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