Is this right?

[57Academics]

I desperately want to go back to school to become a nurse. It's all I've ever wanted. But I got a good scare over it this week.

I have an acquaintance who's an ICU nurse. I'm not sure which path to take, so I asked her whether it would be smarter to become an LPN for now and then step up to RN while working as a tech, or just go ahead and go for the RN. She advised me to do the former. And then she gave her reasoning.

"You should dip your toes in the water to see if you actually like it, because over 60% of nurses quit within the first 2 years."

I later overheard her tell someone that she used to have compassion, but nursing sucked it out of her.

One (or more) of you lovely nurses, PLEASE tell me that stat isn't right and she's just totally burned out.

I really don't want that crap to be true.

Gracias!

[llg, PhD, RN]

A lot of nurses do leave their first jobs in the first 2 years -- but that doesn't mean they leave the profession entirely. Many just switch jobs. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries before you feel comfortable in a job and want to stay a while.

Yes, some people who think they would like a career in nursing find out they really don't like it as much as they thought they would. However, there is so much difference between being an LPN and some types of RN careers that I don't think liking/not-liking one would indicate mush about how you would feel about the other. There are some jobs in nursing that I would absolutely hate and can't imagine having to do for a living. There are other jobs in nursing that suit me just fine.

If the types of jobs that appeal to you are the jobs that LPN's have, then by all means, become an LPN to see how you would like it. But if those LPN jobs don't appeal to you and you are only attracted to jobs that require an RN (or an even more advanced level of eduction), then trying out the LPN role won't tell you what you want to know. In fact, it may turn you off to nursing altogether when, some RN jobs might work quite well for you.

The answers are not as simple as your friend made it seem. You need to figure out the type of career you want and then decide whether or not you are willing to do what it takes to be successful and happy in that career. Nursing can be highly demanding and stressful -- but many of us have been satisfied with our careers. But most of us are satisfied because we were willing to do what it took to succeed and make ourselves happy. Happiness did not always come easy.

[Sour Lemon]

Well that's odd, because people working in fast food absolutely love their jobs. What are your alternatives? If I could be the Queen of England instead of an RN, I'd do it ...but picking tomatoes is less appealing and comes with its own set of challenges.

[Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B]

The truth is. You should have some good idea of what nursing ACTUALLY is. I'm sure it's not what you THINK it is. There have been many posters here over they years from people who entered nursing with the best intentions and beliefs, only to be ground into the dirt by the reality of the daily grind of nursing. Most of my job isn't what Nursing school focuses on, or what people envision when they think of the kind of nursing I do.

[Kallie3006, ADN]

There are SOOOOO many avenues you can venture down as a nurse. Think about what is drawing you to want to be in this field, what would you like to accomplish? There are days that may make you question why you chose this field,, then there are days when a patient or family member will remind you why you wanted to be a nurse and it's this feeling that will reassure you that you are right where you are suppose to be.