Is nursing for me? Can anyone who is already a nursing student or registered nurse tip me?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 2, 2017

I am 19 years old and am getting ready to be in the actual nursing program next year. I have a few questions and do not have anyone around me who is a nurse to answer them, so I am all on my own. First of all, I am very compassionate towards helpless people. That is why I think I would be a good nurse. I react well in emergency situations, I am an advocate for good health, and could definetly see myself doing patient care. However, I am not the best student but I am willing to quite working while I go to nursing school, just to focus on my studies. I am currently trying to transfer to a job in my hospital with patient care so I can get experience with patients. Something I worry about is, what if I can't handle wiping patient behinds? I already work in the lab at the hospital with urine, feces, and blood all day and it does not bother me. The only time I think it's gross is when a sterile cup opens and I can smell it. But how often do nurses have to actually wipe peoples behinds? I don't think I would enjoy doing it everyday... Another issue I have is the schooling. I am a decent student. So far I have an A in my pre nursing class and an A in english. Stuff is really going to get hard in my upcoming semesters with 2 biology classes, anatomy, and physiology. I feel like I'm going to be fine... but right now I am really busting it and stressed. But again I am working 20 hours per week too. If I didn't work I would probably not be as stressed. I was told nursing school is not that bad if you make usage of your time, which I am willing to do. Another note, I am wondering is being a nurse teamwork? Teamwork is something I am very good at, but I am also good at working alone.

Wiping people's behinds isn't a part of the job very many people actually look forward to, but it's a part of the job and most of us get used to doing it. It isn't really a big deal. MOST of the time. You will smell the smells -- but most of us get used to that, too. Many people are afraid to enter nursing because they "can't stand the sight of blood." You get used to that, too, although I'll admit that while a chest tube full of blood or a saturated dressing don't bother me anymore, seeing blood somewhere it ought not to be (like in puddles on the floor) DOES. Then there's urine, sputum, emesis and all kinds of other bodily fluids. But again -- you get used to it.

Compassion is a good thing in a nurse, but it isn't the first thing I'd be looking for. Advocacy for good health is important, but you'll have to understand that the patient is the one with the disease and they're the person that has to manage it. Or not. Many will not, and you take care of them anyway. Nursing is teamwork -- the better the team functions as a team, the better the patient care.

Many of us worked 20-40 hours/week while going through nursing school. It can be done. But school debt can be crushing, so carefully consider how you're going to afford to live and pay tuition if you don't work.

The schedule is flexible, the pay and benefits are good and employment is stable. Those are all good things in my book. But for some, "flexible scheduling" means working nights, weekends and holidays and they don't want to do that.

Here's a link to an article about some of the other things to think about before embarking on a career in nursing. I hope this helps.

https://allnurses.com/nursing-career-advice/for-those-considering-653061.html

ashley_bird · Dec 4, 2017

Thanks for sharing that article! It was awesome

guest517 · Dec 4, 2017

I'm not a nurse but I'm currently a nursing student. Nursing has a very broad field of careers so its really up to you to decide rather or not you want to work as a nurse where it entails wiping behinds. From my experience as a patient in a hospital, I think that job is mainly for CNAs, and STNAs. You dont have to work in a hospital to be a nurse. There are careers with much less hectic environments. For the schooling part, I think after you take A&p, you'll understand the pace much better because those courses are designed to weed out the weak. Having a passion to help people is awesome but it isn't enough to become a nurse, the schooling is very intense and even if you don't do well, you can consider a number of other health careers with easier coursework than Nursing.

Good Luck