Is there ever a time where it's okay to give up on nursing?

[AddisonLawrence03]

What happens if you feel like it will be years of getting waitlisted and rejected just to get into RN school? I feel like that's where I'm going to be headed. Is there another field that students can go into so they won't waste years of chasing after something that may not happen? I looked into Radiology Technology but there is no demand for that job. I have no idea what else to do and I feel hopeless

[midlife101]

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

--Calvin Coolidge

[JettRNurse]

Have you looked into private colleges? It was 12 months between starting my first pre req and starting nursing school. Tuition was about 22,000 a year, but I figured better to get in today, pay 44,000 and have a degree, and a job than to wait years and years on a waiting list. I suggest looking into private, yet more expensive schools.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

He's got a point, but you've already dropped some $ and got nothing. BSN schools are easier to get into than ADN. This whole thing is only because there is such a cost savings. I knew several whose only hope was to go apply for BSN they were instantly accepted into their programs. They couldn't get into the ADN. Of course, several are in high debt and unable to gain employment now that they have their licenses. I paid cash for mine, because it's an ADN and I was able to work for much of the time I was back in school. The job market sucks, but I am not in debt for school...

[diva rn, BSN, RN]

Right, that's the point, be in debt to the tune of say, $40,000 and not have a job, or no debt and still not have a job...nursing is a tough profession to get into right now. If she has other interests, I would advise looking into them and pursuing nursing at a later date...if nursing is a BURNING desire, then don't give up....she's only 21, so how long could she have been trying to get in to school? and how many schools did she try before thinking about giving up?

If it's a passion, I don't think you decide to give up so soon.

[llg, PhD, RN]

It's OK to give it up. And certainly, it's OK to give it up for now. There is nothing wrong with delaying a goal when necessary.

Do what you need to do to get yourself a decent job and become financially self-supporting. You can pursue nursing later if it still interests you.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

My relationship with my parents are not the best right now. They helped support me financially and are tired of it because it hasn't gotten me anywhere. Im pretty sure that if I apply one more time and don't get accepted, they will no longer be supportive of my goal to pursue nursing. And I cannot afford to chase this dream on my own because I don't have the skills to find a better job to fund it. My school changed the admissions requirements and nursing applicants have to take the TEAS test and I have anxiety about it, mostly because of the math portion, it's timed and we can't even use a calculator. Oh and word math which I suck at. If I don't pass the TEAS, then I will consider Radiology Tech, and see where that leads me...hopefully a job. :) I need to do something because I cannot spend my life in college going around in circles, and putting things on hold. It's really heartbreaking because I passed all of my classes with good grades, and I'm still no closer to my dream than I was a two years ago..it doesn't make sense. It's so competitive with nursing that even if you do everything right, you still can get denied acceptance.

Your only 21 so your parents shouldn't be tired of helping you, your still so young. As far as trouble with math you just have to take the time to study. There are such books as Math made easy, Algebra made easy. I know I used those books in the beginning to review all the math I had forget. Plus as I said you can get a solutions manual for whatever math book your college is using. They might not offer it at the college bookstore, but most likely if you look at the inside of the book it will show various supplements available and then go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble online and order the Solutions study manual.

If you already know what your weak on then you find supplemental books like Algebra made easy or Word Problems made easy and study and practice, practice, practice and you will succeed. Math is just learning and knowing the rules and then lots of practice! Almost like learning a foreign language.

Instead of putting all this stress on yourself about performance, passing the exam, take the time to prove to yourself that you can master this. Make that one of your first goals to master the math and your weak areas. That will give you added confidence and help you pass the nursing entrance exam if that's what you choose to do.