Just got accepted to nursing school and I'm not excited.

Scottishtape · Mar 18, 2018

Eh. I wasn't excited when I got accepted to an LPN program. But, I did it, and I found myself excited when I was accepted to a bridge program for me RN.

Then, I was excited when I got accepted into my bachelors program, and now I'm super excited I got accepted into my NP program.

Give it a shot, see how you like it, and go from there. It's hard to be excited about the unknown.

mom2twins9909 · Mar 18, 2018

I've been a stay at home mom for 12 years now, and I homeschool my kids. When I first got into nursing school, I was so happy, then I wasn't. I was actually really, really scared of all the changes that were going to happen.
I'm now over halfway done with my first semester. It's been tough - and some days my heart just isn't it in. Most days are good though. I've had some really amazing experiences, and my family has adjusted just fine.
Losing that freedom is an adjustment. I'm up at the school/in class/at the hospital a LOT and even on my days off, I either sleep or study. But I'm doing it, and I'm making it work.
If you really just don't want to do it, don't do it. If you are scared, everything is going to work itself out.
Best of luck.

YES. I'm scared of all the changes that are going to happen. I am sure everything will work out. Thanks for replying.

ICUity · Mar 18, 2018

I understand where you're coming from. I graduated in 2005 with dual degrees in fields that I was pressured into by my parents (wish I had a bit more wisdom during my undergrad years). I had no idea what I wanted to do after college (originally had been preparing for LSATs, but realized I really didn't want to be a lawyer), so I went overseas, and worked for 12 years in an unrelated field while also getting married and being a full-time mom. After coming back to my hometown because I was dealing with a bad marriage, I did a lot of soul-searching and realized I really wanted to do nursing and work in the medical field. So here I am now, single mom to a 3 year old and a 4 year old, and trying to hurry my way through prerequisites so I can apply. My first semester back in school was terrifying. I overprepared (and still do) for every single class, and find myself studying in all my spare time and every night until 3am once the kids are in bed. I really enjoy the studying, especially the science prereqs, but the thought of nursing school is scary for me, more because I worry I'm too old or won't be accepted into any programs.

Maybe it really is because you were accepted, so now the choice is up to you, and that is scary. If you hadn't been accepted, maybe you could have made a passive decision due to nursing not being in the cards, but since you were accepted, now the ball is in your court. How long do you have to make a decision? Are you and your family in a position where you are able and ready to spend much more time away from them?

RNsoonNP · Mar 18, 2018

Hi there, the advice I would give is do whatever makes you feel comfortable. Now you know you are capable to getting into nursing school, but are you willing/ready to pursue the degree? That is a question only you can answer for yourself. If you feel like this isn't the time, then enroll in the future or not at all; all up to you.

Just a heads up, nursing is difficult and requires a lot of studying and time dedication. A few of my classmates have families and were able to complete the program successfully. One of my classmates has 5 kids!! I also know a few people who want their kids to grow up a bit more and go to college, before they go back to nursing school themselves.

Best of luck to you on whatever you decide =)

airasalia · Mar 18, 2018

Here is one thing I know for sure.....

You will never know if you don't try. Being accepted gives you an opportunity to make a change and do something different. Think about how your decision will show your children how you can change your path and how your work will show them what that looks like. OR...you can show them that you can say NO to opportunity and that will likely open up a door to another yet to be seen opportunity. One answer is not better or more right than another so long as you answer it truthfully to yourself.

Only you can make this decision. I would start by asking yourself, WHO do you see yourself being. Have you always dreamed of being a stay a home mom and that was a satisfactory dream or did you dream of being a nurse one day?

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS.

When you do this, you open up the opportunities that have aligned for you because they are made for you.

TRUST your higher self. What would your best self advise you to do?....or to put it in a different perspective...What would you say to your best friend or someone who was coming to you with this same type of dilemma?

AnnieNP, MSN, NP · Mar 18, 2018

Congratulations on getting into Nursing school. I was more afraid than excited when I started nursing school. The same with Graduate school, only then I was terrified!! It was all worth it. Wishing you the best.

Alex_RN, BSN · Mar 18, 2018

Do you want to work? Do you need to work? Nursing is a good job and being a nurse just for that reason is perfectly OK, despite what you might hear otherwise. It is a hard job, especially for the first few years and you need to believe in yourself and not be afraid of hard work. You need a compatible personality, I think. Even if bedside nursing is not for you, you can transition to something else, like case management or insurance work, in a few years. I love being a bedside RN but I made the decision based upon stability and opportunities in the job market.

Also, nursing school is hard, by far the hardest thing I have ever done. Make your decision based upon your needs and abilities and a realistic expectation of what it will be like for the next 2-5 years. Nursing school will be hard on your family now but having a good job down the road means something, too.

hillyhills · Mar 18, 2018

It sounds like you're too attached to your kids & home.

If you need a job, attend. If you don't, then don't deny another student, who's on the waitlist, a chance.

Also think about this:

-Your kids won't always be as available to you as they grow older anyways.

-On the otherhand if you want to salvage your last few years of them being 100% dependent on you, again, don't go. If you're thinking more about being with your kids, don't go.

-If you're uncertain of what's coming, go.

MEMERN2BEE · Mar 19, 2018

You should go. What happens when you get tired of being a stay at home mom?

37changes, ASN, RN · Mar 19, 2018

Well, I think there are different interpretations of "excited".

I knew I was going to make it into my program because I worked my ass off to get a top score. So when I got the acceptance letter, it was pretty much a non-event. I wasn't "excited" because I knew it was going to be a crap-ton of work and take absolutely everything I had. (stay at home, homeschooling mom here for ~16 years at the time I went back to school)

I think those who were really, truly "excited" were in for a huge wake-up call.

We all had a good laugh at the ID tag they made for me on orientation day: My pic looks like a mug shot. Lol. It's because I had done my research and I knew exactly what I was signing myself up for.

I think, really, what it comes down to is: Are there other things you could do that you would be perfectly happy doing? Do you have a lot of different directions you could go in life?

Because, I can tell you this: You can 100% have your heart and soul in this program because you know it's what you *need* to do or what you *have* to do, and still not be "excited" about it. But you really will have to be committed to it fully... or you probably just won't make it.

3peas · Mar 19, 2018

I say follow your gut. Sometimes you need to prove to yourself you can do something versus actually doing it. Nursing school is brutal with kids ( I did it with three) and if you are not 100% sure you want it, it will be torture.

bailyoneohnine · Mar 20, 2018

please don't get discouraged. i was the same way! trust me, before nursing school i literally did the same thing at the same time everyday (it was comforting)

so the thought that i wouldn't be able to was terrifying! you'll eventually adapt to your new routine and be just as intimidated when you graduate and then have to find work. changes happen and you just adapt. luckily for nurses though, the final adaptation (graduating and getting a job) is always worth it!