I quit nursing school

[curiousrainbowfan]

I just quit nursing school. My main fear was of making a mistake in the real world. I feel incompetent because after one year of the nursing program, I can't even give a satisfactory bed bath; in fact, I couldn't even button one of my patient's gowns because I couldn't find the snap to match. I feel stupid; maybe I am too stupid for this. I am afraid of needle sticks, open cuts on my hands, holes in my gloves, accidentally not using sterile technique, relentlessly poking a patient's arm to find a site for an IV and having him become exhausted and angry, forgetting to do an important task and putting my patient in jeopardy, etc. I used to be a waitress for about 7 months. I compare it to nursing, but instead, in nursing, we are dealing with lives, not food. I felt bad enough spilling drinks on customers' laps.

I am now in a completely different major, something completely unrelated to health care, but I am still wondering if I could possibly go back... I was in agony over my decision because I did not know what to do. I only chose nursing because I had two friends who were interested in it, and because I needed to choose a major, I was determined to prove to myself that I could get into the program. I did not hate the nursing program, and I was hoping that I would love it intensely, but I guess I was scared. Should I attempt to go back? Or is it too late... Has anyone ever dealt with this kind of problem? Or is there a specialty in nursing where I don't even have a chance of accidentally hurting the patient?

Thanks for reading.

[softstorms]

CNA, LPN, RN, all carry great responsibilities. And the work is hard and many times thankless. The people who take these jobs work hard and love the work (at least most of them do). I look at social workers and I am in awe of them....to work with people who have nothing (or next to nothing) and be able to filter thru the paper work and get them help? I would never touch that job LOL. There are so many jobs out there that I would never be able to tolerate. So, never be afraid that this one job is not for you....there are so many other options out there. Move on to something else...if nursing still draws you later? then go for it.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I still can't snap those darn gowns, and it doesn't make me incompetent.

[neatnurse30]

Don't go into nursing. I would not recommend it to anyone. Current nursing shortage is the result of poor working conditions in the hospitals. There is high stress and lots of liability. There is not much money in it, either, unless you work night shifts, weekends and every holiday. I don't mind doing nursing, but the conditions of the job are horrible. I think with years, it will only get worse. If you still cannot decide, please work as nursing aide on the floor and watch the nurses. You can then make an informed decision.

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

What makes you wonder if you can go back? Why would you? Because two of your friends chose nursing is not a good enough reason. Choosing a career in nursing, or in any field for that matter, isn't like drawing straws. I attended nursing school with a friend who just wanted to know she could do it. She did it for the sheer challenge. She discovered very early on that it wasn't in her to be a nurse though she did great in school. She dropped out. It sounds like you too have discovered a reality about yourself. No harm, no foul, move on.

BTW, on my first night working as an aide while in school, I dropped a vase of roses onto the leg of a patient who was in a hard cast for her newly set broken leg. All thumbs. I wound up in critical care.

[WhitePillow]

To me it sounds like you are young, right out of high school maybe? If this is the case, you have all kinds of time to figure out what you want to do as a career. We have a girl in class who is 18 who said that she likes numbers better than nursing so she is going back to accounting. That's what is best for her and I applaud her for knowing what she wants to do! If I were you I would talk to a career advisor and let them do some tests on your personality to see where you would be a great fit and then go try some classes. Even if you sit in on them for the first two weeks and decide they aren't for you, at least you've tried! You will find the right fit and it will just click. I wouldn't get a nursing degree just to get a degree though. I would choose something you love and get a degree in that. It just makes sense. Good Luck!!!

[accessqueen]

There are two ways you can fill your brain when confronted with a task: oh my god I can't do this what if t his happens, what if that happens, this will go wrong, that will go wrong, my patient's gonna die, i'll get fired, etc, etc, etc. If that's what's going through your head, there's no room for problem solving, and correct information. When you approach a problem there's two options "I CAN do this" or "I can't do this it's not gonna work". It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's all up to you.

[mrsraisinkain]

Good luck with what you decide. Your decision is going to come from within yourself and I don't envy you for what you're going through. I think nursing is great but I'm not going to encourage you to continue to pursue something that you may have gotten into without considering everything.

BUT

Please don't call yourself stupid. Just because nursing may not be your forte does not mean you're stupid; it just means you think your strong point may be in a different area. Your post is obviously too well written for you to be "stupid".

[Lori75]

A couple points:

- LPNs have a heavy burden of responsibility. Many places here can now have LPNs in charge (LTC) of a shift.

-Some LPNs have a harder job than the RN on shift (more back breaking, more room for pt. error & self injury)

- I was taught in nursing school that when I made the person in charge of me aware of a problem, I HAD to chart " ( Jane Doe, RN made aware) This does not apply to every detail of everything you witnessed just to cover your rear end. But it is put in my charting to cover my rear in many cases. Many things done in a day are done to CYA (cover your a$$) The previous post referring to this sounds like the LPN was abusing this practice. This practice refers to when you find something pretty unusual, and it could also be charting that another LPN was made aware. I usually do this when I put a new dressing a a new wound, communication is my responsibility, and I will chart that I communicated it, or when I need an extra brain on a problem, etc

-I am a totally perplexed for at least 1.5 minutes when I grab an IV gown (the kind with snaps) and all of the snaps are undone...the darn thing is a frikkin Puzzle!!!!!! I always leave the snaps done up on the IV -Free side of the pt when I remove their gown so that when it comes back from laundry the next person has an easier time with the gown. If one side if the gown is done up I am usually OK. This depends upon your laundry's practices though.

[ilovematt48]

i know how you feel. I just wish that I the guts to quit. Nursing makes me soooo nervous. What if i do this, what if i do that and they DIE? It drives me crazy. When you ask if you should go back, I don't know... i mean there was a realy reason why you QUIT. think about that.... did you have difficulty with your teachers too or was it just simply the anxiety you feel that brought you to your decision? i come home looking for other things to go to school for just about every day, but so far no luck so i am still in nursing. i hope you can find something that you truly love to do

[jchatlpn]

I think the most important question here is: Why did you want to get into nursing?

Is it because it's the new trend, because your friends are doing it, because of money? I'm gonna tell you now, if you don't love it, you'll HATE it. If your heart isn't into it, if you don't have a goal or an idea of what profession you are interested in and if you are not interested in the science it revolves around, then it's not for you. If you can't stand the smell....you need to go another direction. And if you don't know, start low.

I started out as a CNA. There are non-college related courses that are about 3-4 weeks that you go to to get your CNA. You don't have to take the 6 month programs, shop around. It took me 3 weeks: 2 weeks of skills and practice and 1 week of clinicals at a long-term care facility. I did that for two years. It was hard at first, I had shin-splints the first week after repeatedly going up and down the halls. But the grunt work prepares you and it also helps you from being a pain in the a$$ to the CNAs when you are a nurse. I worked long-term care and home health. Home health is awesome, you get to work one-on-one and make your own schedule. Most of the elderly I cared for just needed companionship. OR you can become a certified caregiver. Certified caregivers are able to be hired at places like assisted living facilities. We are trained to pass medications, do simple wound changes, check blood sugars and give insulin injections.

With both my CNA and cert caregiver experience, nothing in nursing school was new to me. I was like a pro for the first six months and when we went for our clinicals, I had about 5 students who just hung around me because they were so nervous with the elderly and I made them get in there. Pick up a spoon and feed that man! Go introduce yourself. Talk to them. And I had met so many nurses who gave me ideas of what I could do in the future. IV Swat, Psych, Corrections, School nurse, Cardiology offices, Methadone clinics, Hospice, Baylor shifts....etc. The opportunities are endless. You don't have to work in those hospitals with short staffing. You can work as a homehealth nurse, visiting pts in their homes.

My point is, there's so many ways to get your experience so you can be comfortable. But first: You have to like people, sick people, smelly people, young people, old people....people. You have to like caring for them and caring about them. If you don't, don't be a nurse. It's that simple.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

Incidentally, after 15 years of nursing, I STILL have trouble with the gowns!

[AngelaLPN08]

If it is not in you, then why make yourself suffer and have a career that won't make you happy.

I agree with others there are so many other "helping" careers.

Social worker! They do a lot and no hands on care! Its a great..Just so many different options out there! In the end it is what makes you happy! Good Luck!