Is nursing right for me...?

[NYCNative21]

Hello everyone,

I'm not really sure how to start this thread other than to start off by saying I am currently working as a paramedic with a Fire Department. At first, before I attained my paramedic my plan/goal was to go to nursing school from a bridge program and achieve my associate's degree in Nursing and then go back to school online to get my Bachelor's in Nursing. After achieving my Bachelor's degree the plan was to do travel nursing since I've always wanted to travel. Well, recently I have been having second thoughts about my career path. Not because I dislike healthcare and the field but because I do not believe my personality matches well for nursing. Majority of the time I am a pretty shy person and it takes me a minute to open up fully to new people and I know the nursing majority of the time requires individuals to be open. Let me give an example. Working as a paramedic you are the ultimate authority on all medical calls majority of the time and sometimes I struggle in that role. Running cardiac arrest's can be a struggle at times not because I do not know what I am doing but rather because in "stressful" situations I can get tunnel vision and sidetrack which I know it's horrible and it's my biggest weakness. In un-stressful situations I'm good. My ultimate fear is becoming too stressed out that I may get tunnel vision and forget a medication dosage or procedure that needs to be done and I end up killing the patient. This has led me to second guess my career choice of becoming a nurse because I am not sure how I can handle the stress of a Trauma patient or Code that comes into the ER and every nurse and doctor running to the room. I may forget or worse fail my colleagues. I love healthcare but I am not sure if loving the field is enough to be a part of it.

Has anyone has similar situations like myself or is it safe to say that this career path is not the right choice for myself and I should focus on changing my path? I want complete honesty. The last thing I ever want to do is harm a patient. Has anyone ever had similar thoughts and if so, how did you overcome them?

Any advice? Thank you to anyone who has responded and read my thread.

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

It sounds like you want to be an ER nurse but don't feel you have what it takes. You don't have to work in the ER. You can always try the ER or step down (to something less intense) and back up to get to where you want to to be. It is a matter of figuring out if you need time and confidence versus the position will be more a of headache for you then it is worth (it will bring you such stress that you will want to quit nursing altogether). There are many options as far as what you do. I am a psych nurse but for the majority of my career I did med-surg type work. Psych works best for me. I know what to do, how to respond and it isn't as stressful as what I did before. I like to be able to do things really well and in situations where time is limited. I felt like time was always limited in the med-surg type positions and I didn't feel like I made a difference. I also didn't feel motivated and kept feeling like leaving the profession. Now since I have my med-surg background, psych is tons easier for me. I can handle any medical situations and psych situations without a thought. This area of nursing is a natural fit for me, plus I have previous experience so I know I am making the best choice. You will find your fit or realize nursing as a whole is not for you. Nursing is not a race it is a marathon. Do what fits your life and works best for you so you aren't super stressed and can stay with this work for as long as you need to.