I don't want to be a nurse

MrNurse(x2), ADN · Dec 14, 2016

Not sure of your age, but something that will take you far in life: your attitude is most of your experience. I can pretty well predict that you will most likely hate nursing given your attitude. This is not fair to yourself, your patients or your co-workers. Why did you decide to be a nurse? What have you done to experience nursing outside the confines of nursing school? What do you want to accomplish as a nurse? Altruistic answers to those questions like wanting to make a difference in someone's life or saving a life may leave you disenchanted and miserable. Be realistic in your goals and best of luck. I never regretted my decision for this career path, despite difficult times.

ottersloveoysters · Dec 14, 2016

In my experience, being a nursing student is NOT the same as being a nurse. I did not particularly enjoy nursing school (I was a second degree student, as well) but I pushed through and I'm happy I did.

RNperdiem, RN · Dec 14, 2016

You went back as a non-traditional student in nursing for a reason.

If nursing was a way to better yourself- get a well-paying, stable job, then why appreciate what this can do. What kind of work did you do before nursing? Why did you leave it?

ItsThatJenGirl, CNA · Dec 14, 2016

Why would you think that your nursing school experience would be a reflection of your nursing career?

OldDude · Dec 14, 2016

I don't recall a moment of nursing school I enjoyed. With a few exceptions, I hated every minute of it. I felt like 5% of it was for nursing education and 95% of it was about fluff, group projects, and general waste of time. But, I felt it was a rite of passage and the only way I could get the "paper" was to endure it...and I did. I felt shackled by nursing school and very apprehensive about seeking a job because I felt like I was ill-prepared to seek nursing employment. But I put in applications anyway and it worked out. I walked the graduation stage on a Friday and went to work as a GN on the following Monday in a Pediatric ER and I haven't regretted it since.

StudentA-- · Dec 14, 2016

Thank you for your input! I am glad that you are happy you did!

roser13, ASN, RN · Dec 15, 2016

Thank you for your input! I am glad that you are happy you did!

Please use the quote feature so that we know to whom you are replying.

Davey Do · Dec 15, 2016

I felt it was a rite of passage and the only way I could get the "paper" was to endure it...and I did.

I felt the same way about the RN program, however, I truly enjoyed the LPN program, probably for a variety of reasons. For example, clinical/classroom time was about 50-50 and there were so many superfluous hoops to jump through in the RN program. I continue to enjoy providing care to patients and the basic documentation but I never liked the extraneous BS with which we have to deal.

amoLucia · Dec 15, 2016

You went back as a non-traditional student in nursing for a reason.
If nursing was a way to better yourself- get a well-paying, stable job, then why appreciate what this can do. What kind of work did you do before nursing? Why did you leave it?

I was thinking this too. OP, if your previous schooling was so rewarding, why is it that it was NOT enough to keep you in whatever career it prepped you for?

Remember also that you were YOUNGER then and full of enthusiasm - less influenced by the realities of the real working environment.

PP MrNurse alluded to something call 'self fulfilling prophecy', that is, if you believe something will happen, it most prob will. It's like you're already setting yourself up for failure and blaming you nsg school educ for the failure you're expecting.

It's NOT any instructor's job to imbue a student with career passion and enthusiasm. I might guess that nsg is not to your liking just as your previous career endeavor was NOT. And prob NO amount of education/school has been responsible for your dissatisfaction with both.

Pick something you like - even if it's working with pets, or opening a tearoom or a consignment antique boutique. I do sympathisize with you though - nursing is difficult. It does have to fit to be a career.

Harveyslake · Dec 21, 2016

I went through an accelerated BSN program. I had a previous degree in a hard science. I also hated every nanosecond of the nursing program. It was vapid. The instructors were one page ahead of the students. They were often blatantly wrong and became defensive when you called them on it. THIS IS NOT HOW ALL OTHER HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE RUN!!! I actually apologized to my traditional added classmates and told them so. Nursing education needs to be burned to the ground, the earth salted and a new, intelligent design implemented. Just my 2 cents.

Buyer beware, BSN · Dec 21, 2016

OP,

I won't get lugubrious here but your feelings at this right of passsge are pretty common.

Many people today as in the past become a nurse because they surmised that sick people weren't going away. That's the unabashed reality of it.

Those folks who always dreamed of being a nurse with all the compassion and the rest seem to have their feet firmly planted in the clouds to me. To each his own.

So for now learn as much as you can and become a competent person, forget about the nurse part. The OTJ learning experience while stressful should help you transcend the BS of school and help you move on past that.

Also know, and I used to know what the approximate time intervals were, that many people at one point or another want out of nursing. They call it as you know disillusionment or burnout. Also commonly known as "this sucks."

I'm always amazed at those nurses who claim they would never want to be anything else because in my book they're either very blessed or very crazy.

You'll be OK.