Is Nursing for me? (Im an older male)

[freedom4the]

Is nursing preying on my inability to turn off my empathy gene as a kid that was used against me as childhood? Should I dissuade from Nursing possibly because of it?

So, yes, I felt the need to state I'm a male when I see tons of women around me in the College I may be attending. It's a statement of fact, and I don't see much in the way of Feminists to make things equal for the man. Anyhow, the point of me making this post is mainly to highlight where my motives are. I did some of Jordan Peterson's future self-authoring program, and Philosophy is obviously something I prefer overall, but I'm scared that there wont be any stability to raise a family in terms of job prospects.

I'm afraid that if I get into nursing though Ill end up dropping out because I disagree with giving patients drugs unless they really need it and would rather advise them to read and write more or some kind of more natural alternative. I'm sure your typical nurse would say that will change upon experience but my schtick is what if it doesn't?

Just to be clear, when I was younger I also chose nursing as a profession (im 28 now) in School but my family got in the way and I had to leave. It's just, the people who I've come to admire most have their degrees in history of Philosophy, and I can see why they are so successful in their online careers making mostly Youtube videos and doing huge speaking engagements. These things have sort of got me interested in studying the field in it's own sense of Philosophy, because I've always been in front of my own camera and have had a relatively small to very limited, if no audience almost my whole life aside for a few videos that-- mainly because of their title, garnered a few ten thousand views or so.

I have already chose Nursing as a major in School and would start my first year this year, but I'm worried I will regret it and end up dropping out somehow. I'm worried about the history of Nursing and what it means to be a Nurse in the Practical sense of the word. Wont I mostly just be dolling out medications under Doctor's and NP's orders? The place where I have an interview right now as a prospective CNA also does tuition reimbursement if I go to complete my RN or even become an NP if I need it and get approved for it (doesn't seem that complicated to get approved). I'm just scared that it wont work for me because I'm in it for possible career stability.

Yeah, I'm an empathic person, and the main reason I'm worried is that nursing seems to be an extension of what my parents and siblings used against me in family in order to get me to care for them. They used to use my empathy against me to get me to care for them even if i didn't want to, and I'm worried that as a Nurse I will be preyed on in a similar fashion, which will be far less likely to happen if I choose the History of Philosophy as a profession. Curious what you strangers might think. My mom would also prefer me to be a Nurse. I know that I'm doing it for me, so it matters what I think the most, I just don't know, I think it's something I could do if i work hard towards it -- I don't think it would come easy for me because I naturally am an introverted type when it comes to being around people all the time with no actual standards of interaction (people shouting at you, yelling down at you, etc.) so It's just kind of nuanced for me. This make any sense to people?

[EmDash]

Honestly, man, it sounds like you've got to decide what you can live with and what's realistic because we don't have all the information to really help you properly sort out all your feelings or even offer good advice of what would be best for you going forward. Like my advice would depend a bit on who you are, what you feel like you would actually enjoy about nursing, etc.

I will say that with what I've seen of nursing, you don't just give meds that the physicians order and only that. You do have some ability to assess and then talk to the doctor about what you found and can ask for certain meds or plans to be ordered. (Whether that physician orders that though depends on them.) You can also make some judgements and certain interventions yourself without orders. But depending on the extent that you prefer non-medicine alternatives to treat illnesses, there might be some unhappiness there. You know, there's always going to be a desire to try to have the patient make lifestyle and diet changes but there'a also a lot of medication you are going to be giving. So someone who's super into more non-medicine methods for everything may not like nursing.

You also have to figure out how realistic it would be for you to be some big name if philosophy that gets millions of views, etc, and if you would be satisfied with not being famous but still being in that academic arena. Do you want to be a professor or whatever other career options you would have?

Lastly, this IS a profession were the majority of the workers are women. Is that something you could deal with?

[djksjdalksjf]

So, yes, I felt the need to state I'm a male when I see tons of women around me in the College I may be attending. It's a statement of fact, and I don't see much in the way of Feminists to make things equal for the man.

I'm not 100% sure what you mean by this. You are just as equal to the female nursing students. The fact that there may or may not be more male or female nursing students in a cohort has nothing to do with feminism. In fact, as a male nurse, you will likely make more money than your female counterparts.

I'm afraid that if I get into nursing though Ill end up dropping out because I disagree with giving patients drugs unless they really need it and would rather advise them to read and write more or some kind of more natural alternative.

Nursing may not be for you. It's really not your call, especially not as a student during clinicals. So you will likely drop out if that's really going to be an issue for you. My cousin is getting her masters degree in oriental medicine. Maybe give that a try.

Yeah, I'm an empathic person, and the main reason I'm worried is that nursing seems to be an extension of what my parents and siblings used against me in family in order to get me to care for them. They used to use my empathy against me to get me to care for them even if i didn't want to, and I'm worried that as a Nurse I will be preyed on in a similar fashion, which will be far less likely to happen if I choose the History of Philosophy as a profession.

No one is going to "prey on your empathy" as a nurse. You are there to do a job, so you do it.

Overall I think if you want to be a nurse, you should be a nurse. If you don't want to be a nurse and you want to be a philosophical youtube star, you should do that. No, it's not something that will make you a reliable income to raise a family on, but neither will nursing if you quit because you hate it. Have you considered teaching? You get an audience and you do get to help people.

[MiladyMalarkey, ASN, BSN]

IMHO, it sounds like you should stick with philosophy.

[TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN]

I'm afraid that if I get into nursing though Ill end up dropping out because I disagree with giving patients drugs unless they really need it and would rather advise them to read and write more or some kind of more natural alternative. I'm sure your typical nurse would say that will change upon experience but my schtick is what if it doesn't?

Let me solve this one for you: If the doctor ordered it, the patient needs it. Now if it's something like an anxiety medication, you could have an argument, but you can't read and write away a heart problem. Medication is an important part of nursing because these people are sick. They need antibiotics because their immune system alone failed at preventing that infection, it's not going to suddenly get better. They need that heart medication because they have a problem with their heart. Doctors aren't just randomly giving these drugs out, there's always a reason. Even if it seems pointless, there's always a reason. An example: Yeah, you can solve swollen legs by elevating them, but if you're at a high risk for CHF, you kind of want to completely get rid of that fluid, so a diuretic has importance.

Most doctors will try to avoid drugs if they can. If it's safe to use an alternative, they will. But they have to balance the risks. Someone with a heart problem can't be waiting to lose weight and get fit before lowering their blood pressure, they probably need to be on a pill until they can get themselves to the point of not needing it. But a 30 year old with a healthy heart that's only "pre-hypertension" or barely into stage 1, his doctor is going to tell him to get a gym membership and go a couple times every week, he might even have a prescription for a specific training program so that his insurance covers it, and he'll tell him to start eating right.

[caliotter3]

Based on what you have said, it looks as if nursing is not for you. There are few jobs that allow for the worker to pick and choose which aspects of the job they are going to comply with and which they will refuse to do. When you refuse to follow the direction provided by the patient's physician, you are putting your judgment above that of the physician, practicing medicine without a license. No nursing employer is going to accept the liability of employing you under such circumstances.

[Medic_to_BSN, BSN, RN]

I'm just a student myself, and an early one at that, so I won't speak to whether nursing is "for you" or "isn't". In fact, it would be difficult for anyone (other than you) to come definitively to a conclusion either way, based on this one post you made. I've worked with nurses for over a decade (in hospitals), but this doesn't mean I can speak as to "what it's like as a nurse."

However, I did want to point out that there is an entire field devoted to the "Philosophy of Nursing." Just Google it, and you'll find plenty to read. There is also a doctoral level degree (Ph.D.) specific to that field. You could always look into bioethics and medical ethics and see what you think of it, and then compare it to a career in nursing.

For what it's worth, I am also an "older male student". The LAST thing I am worried about is being confronted by whatever gender inequality you were hinting at. I didn't quite follow that. I am much more concerned with my classes and clinicals and doing the best job possible for my patients, peers, employers, school, and self. I'm far more worried about being "new" than I am about being "male" or "older".

Lastly, having a preconceived notion that patients are there to "prey" on you is probably going to be pretty self-defeating (and defeating for your potential patients as well), and could hinder you from showing empathy when you should be. I mean, empathy is part of the job - that's kind of the point.