I'm not sure nursing is for me anymore

Jedi of Zen · Oct 2, 2009

As a recent graduate, I will tell you this:

I don't think anyone really likes nursing school Even for people who are "meant" to be nurses, it is still a very difficult road.

If you're doing okay grade-wise, I'd say to try and tough it out at least for one semester.

Are you doing the LPN or RN program? The school I went to gave RN students the choice to switch to the LPN program at the end of 2nd semester if they wanted to, and provided there was enough space left in the LPN program.

There were times that I vaguely wondered whether I was in the right field myself. I had several difficult nurses to work with during clinicals, difficult students, etc.

I went to school for massage therapy several years ago...completed school with flying colors, but slowly realized after graduating that it was just not what I wanted to do. I guess the fear of repeating that mistake kept me determined to complete nursing school no matter what. lol.

I will say that working as a nurse is VERY different than being in school. In school you have tons of information thrown at you 24/7 that you have to learn as fast as you can...whereas with the real world of nursing, you don't always do things with the precision and demand that you are taught in school. Also, even after you graduate, you are NOT expected to know everything, or to be ready to take patients entirely on your own right away.

Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck in your journey :)

BellasMommyOBRN · Oct 2, 2009

oh boy do i know how you feel!

the previous posters' response is pretty much identical to what my grandmother and aunt (both are rn's) told me:

nursing school sucks but, it's rewarding in the end. and that as much as i may feel like giving up sometimes, to remind myself that this isn't forever.

give yourself a break. they know that you are new to this and that you can't possibly try and memorize every little thing. they are just testing to see how you handle the pressure.

give it more than 6 weeks imo.

-melissa

rickelli · Oct 2, 2009

I agree with the others. You are probably stressed out and it is getting to you. I haven't even started the program yet (Oct. 26th) and I am wondering if I can do this LOL. I always get nervous before any class that I am taking but nursing scares the you know what out of me. I am doing this because I really want this. When I first went back to school and took anatomy I dropped out of the class a few days in and decided that maybe nursing wasn't for me. Anatomy scared the heck out of me LOL. But I took it a few years later after moving to another state because all that was on my mind was being a nurse. I actually took anatomy I and II in the summer back to back and passed with an A and B. I don't know why I was so scared. So I know that nursing school is going to be a lot harder than anatomy but I am going to do it and that is it. I am going to find a study group and work my A$$ off to graduate because I want to be a nurse. I think that if your not liking it because it is hard that is one thing and you will get over it once your done but if you think that once you graduate your going to be miserable in a nursing position then I would find a different path to take. But if you feel nursing is in your heart I would continue with it for at least awhile longer and see how you feel. It is all new right now and maybe you just need to get the hang of it. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you deside. But believe me I think a majority of nursing students have felt the same as you at some point in nursing school. :)

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Oct 2, 2009

The novelty of it all might be wearing off now as well and the reality is setting in and it can be a tough adjustment. Many of my classmates and I have felt the same way very recently and we are about the same time in as well, thankfully we all realize we are feeling this way so we have pulled each other through, but it's a very overwhelming and stressful process. I would say to try and hang in there is you can, at least finish out the semester.

Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN · Oct 2, 2009

I agree with the others to hang in there.

Even though I feel a strong draw to nursing, many, many times I wondered what the heck I was doing and what I got myself into, but I kept trudging through and now after graduating, and getting my RN I'm more than happy I stuck it out. Now if I could just get a dang job! :chuckle

But I always thought that I would have all of these awesome experiences during clinicals that would sort of "cement" it that nursing was for me. I must say that happened *maybe* a handful of times. More often than not I'd come back from clinicals wondering what the heck I was doing, maybe having a warm, fuzzy moment with a patient a month instead of every clinical.

It wasn't until the end of my first year and the acute rotation that I felt a strong pull and knew w/o a doubt that nursing was for me. And even after that experience, I'd still have days where I'd wonder if this was right etc...but I'd hold onto that feeling that I had and sometimes I was even blessed with another patient encounter that left me feeling like ...yes, this is undoubtedly the right career choice.

They didn't happen that often like I said, but when they did.....oh, no other career is going to bring that sort of internal happiness for the most part. I recognize now that it won't always be days like that, but the days that are....even if they're few, make it so worth it.

Good luck, it'll be over before you know it

pca_85 · Oct 2, 2009

I agree with the others to hang in there.
Even though I feel a strong draw to nursing, many, many times I wondered what the heck I was doing and what I got myself into, but I kept trudging through and now after graduating, and getting my RN I'm more than happy I stuck it out. Now if I could just get a dang job! :chuckle
But I always thought that I would have all of these awesome experiences during clinicals that would sort of "cement" it that nursing was for me. I must say that happened *maybe* a handful of times. More often than not I'd come back from clinicals wondering what the heck I was doing, maybe having a warm, fuzzy moment with a patient a month instead of every clinical.
It wasn't until the end of my first year and the acute rotation that I felt a strong pull and knew w/o a doubt that nursing was for me. And even after that experience, I'd still have days where I'd wonder if this was right etc...but I'd hold onto that feeling that I had and sometimes I was even blessed with another patient encounter that left me feeling like ...yes, this is undoubtedly the right career choice.
They didn't happen that often like I said, but when they did.....oh, no other career is going to bring that sort of internal happiness for the most part. I recognize now that it won't always be days like that, but the days that are....even if they're few, make it so worth it.
Good luck, it'll be over before you know it

Well, once a month is better than what I was expecting. This might not be so bad lol.