I'm needing some advice, feeling somewhat lost.

[Pinkman]

I've planned on being a nurse since my freshman year of high school when I wrote a research paper on how it was my dream to be a peds nurse. It's been years and years since then and a couple months ago, I got a job as a nursing assistant on a medical observation unit at a major hospital. I worked nights and hated it. My anxiety was out of control. I even had to leave work because I was having an anxiety attack and couldn't calm myself down. I ended up explaining everything to my nurse manager and she was very understanding and I left the position.

Now, I'm in my senior year of college as a Health Sciences major. My plan was to do a ABSN once I graduate but after my assistant job, I thought maybe nursing wasn't for me since I didn't like being a tech. However, I talked to some nurses and they said being a tech isn't really like being a nurse. Yeah, you still have to deal with all the "dirty" stuff but so much more goes with being an RN. Also, another thing is that I'm afraid I'll never be able to see my kids if I'm a nurse. If I work nights, I'll have to sleep during the day and if I work days, I won't be able to drop off or pick them up from school. Basically, my main question is how do you manage family life if you're a nurse? I have one child right now and he's three. I can't imagine having days where I wouldn't ever be able to see him.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

You really need to get a handle on that anxiety before you even think of becoming a nurse. It is different than being a CNA, but exponentially more stressful. I know because I was a CNA for 5 yrs pre-RN. I don't mean that you will hate being an RN if you hated being a CNA, but if the stress of that job was so bad you had to leave in the middle of a shift? What will you do in school when you have multiple tests in a week--and a C is a failing grade? Your clinical instructor practically interrogating you before allowing you to give meds to your pt? And that's just school!!

You wouldn't "never" see family. You learn to balance work and family, just like working mothers do the world over.

But don't worry about that at this point. First thing is to get some help for this anxiety.