Just a few weeks into first semester of nursing school and having second thoughts.

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I've been in a nursing program for about 3 weeks now, and honestly I feel ridiculous to say it but I'm not sure this is the field for me. I haven't even started clinicals yet, but for some reason just doing the reading about proper patient care, watchings vids and modules about skills and assessments, and doing simple drug calculations and med administration, I just don't feel jazzed about it like I feel I should. I don't feel excited to go to class and learn. It's not that the information is boring or it's too hard, and the workload (while insane, yes) is definitely doable. I am a good student and can prioritize to get all of it done, but I just don't feel the passion like I feel like I should.

Honestly, and I feel really bad for saying it, but the job security and pay was the most attractive part of this career. The more I read from current RNs, the stress and high demand of the job may not be worth the pay, at least not for me. I know that anyone can post anything they want on the internet, but it's pretty odd that there are an OVERWHELMING amount of people who HATE this field. Some people can hack it, some people can't...and my gut tells me that I will regret it if I dedicate more time/money into this education. I don't know how or why, but I just feel it in my GUT that this maybe isn't right for me.

I feel ridiculous for doing the 2 years of pre-reqs and dedicating so much time, effort, and so far a decent chunk of change into this program (books, supplies, tuition, all others costs) and it only took 3 weeks for me to have second thoughts.

Should I tough it out or just throw in the towel? I honestly feel alright about the workload and the stress of school, but I feel like I will truly not like this job.

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

Eh, most of us feel or have felt that way. I'm a 2nd semester first year student, and I think about quitting every other day. It's mostly when I've just spent 8+ hours on a careplan or some other such b.s. paperwork that these thoughts are the most prevalent, but then I do well on a test and feel good about nursing again, and those thoughts pass, and I think, "yeah I can make it!"

If I had quit at week three I wouldn't be here now. I say try the first semester all the way through, then quit if by the end you really don't like it.

I hate class, but enjoy clinical because you get to interact with real people and it can be exciting, and after clinical everything in the classroom makes a heck of a lot more sense and it all comes together.

About nurses hating their jobs - well from what I've seen you can find a lot of people that bemoan their profession in a lot of different areas. Unlike most people, I don't believe it's wrong to go into nursing for the money, you have to eat after all!

Good luck.

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If you aren't passionate about nursing, and it isn't what you want to do with your life, then I suggest you quit now. Nursing school is hard enough even when you love it, but if you don't enjoy it, and you are no longer passionate about it, then you will have an even harder time. Also, if you make it through nursing school, you will become a bitter, burnt-out nurse very quickly. Job stability and pay aren't enough, and those shouldn't be the reasons that made you decide to attend nursing school in the first place.

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I do not want to be discouraging...but if you are doing this for the money and you seriously are not doing for any other reason...get out. It will never be enough money if you dont love what you do. I remember being really jazzed for the first year of nursing school. Then it got a little less jazzy. But I always knew that was what I wanted to do. And clinicals can suck sometimes...early mornings...having to do skills in front of your instructors. Very stressful. Maybe you are just going through a funk. Starting school is a big change. So take a look in the mirror. Someone else might just want it more.

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I would stick with it, at least for now! I don't know about your school, but my school wouldn't give out any refund for classes at this point, so it would be pointless to drop it. Use the rest of the semester as a learning experience. I can also say this to you. How many people do you know that went for other college degrees and didn't necessarily have a passion for what they were doing? TONS! There are some people that don't have this great big passion for some career. That doesn't mean they can't make great nurses.

I finished my 1st semester in December. Throughout the entire semester, I struggled with whether or not I wanted to be a nurse. At one point, I had actually signed up for classes at a community college so I had the option of going there if I decided to quit. Then I really started to get into my clinical rotations and I was loving it. Then everything changed when I started winter break. During my last week of break, I finally decided to leave my nursing classes and pursue a degree in communications. Right now, I'm taking a general education course at my nursing school that would transfer as a gen ed at the new school.

I'm not sure if I'm upset or not about the decision I made. The semester started about 2 weeks ago, and all of my friends from my 1st semester class are posting things on Facebook about how much they love clinicals (peds and OB started today). I am feeling so jealous that they are doing all of this. I feel like I should be there with them.

I am thinking about going back into my nursing classes next fall because I miss it so much and I think I should have thought harder about my decision to leave. I'm almost not mad about taking the semester off though. I think that it has helped me to realize that becoming a nurse IS what I want despite the long shifts, too little pay, occasionally being abused, etc.

This is just my situation! I hope you do make your decision. Some people say that after 1st semester, you really won't be able to fully make a decision about whether or not you should quit nursing school. I think they are right. You don't get a lot of experience, but if you do decide to quit, at least you can say you gave it a try! Good luck!

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Nursing is a high stress, labor intensive job, and will not ever make a person "rich" so if you don't really want to be a nurse, then perhaps you should trust your gut and re assess what types of careers will fulfill you as well as pay bills. Having said that, why not at least wait until clinicals so you give yourself the chance to see if you really don't like it. School and paperwork are not the full picture... missing the patient interactions right? I don't think it is 'WRONG" to choose nursing just for job security, but I do think since it is such a demanding job that if that is ones only incentive, it sets up for failure and dissatisfaction long term.

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I've been in a nursing program for about 3 weeks now, and honestly I feel ridiculous to say it but I'm not sure this is the field for me. I haven't even started clinicals yet, but for some reason just doing the reading about proper patient care, watchings vids and modules about skills and assessments, and doing simple drug calculations and med administration, I just don't feel jazzed about it like I feel I should. I don't feel excited to go to class and learn. It's not that the information is boring or it's too hard, and the workload (while insane, yes) is definitely doable. I am a good student and can prioritize to get all of it done, but I just don't feel the passion like I feel like I should.

Honestly, and I feel really bad for saying it, but the job security and pay was the most attractive part of this career. The more I read from current RNs, the stress and high demand of the job may not be worth the pay, at least not for me. I know that anyone can post anything they want on the internet, but it's pretty odd that there are an OVERWHELMING amount of people who HATE this field. Some people can hack it, some people can't...and my gut tells me that I will regret it if I dedicate more time/money into this education. I don't know how or why, but I just feel it in my GUT that this maybe isn't right for me.

I feel ridiculous for doing the 2 years of pre-reqs and dedicating so much time, effort, and so far a decent chunk of change into this program (books, supplies, tuition, all others costs) and it only took 3 weeks for me to have second thoughts.

Should I tough it out or just throw in the towel? I honestly feel alright about the workload and the stress of school, but I feel like I will truly not like this job.

Three weeks in and you feel this way?? I'd say its too early to make such a decision about leaving with only being in nursing school for three weeks. Honestly, you need to do what is right for you. You're not going to like every single thing about nursing and/or nursing school. You need to accept the good with the bad. One doesn't enjoy every part of one's job or duties every single day, but one does them because one has to. What makes nursing different? It would be the same in any other field.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

You said you haven't done clinicals yet, correct? I would wait it out until them. I'm only in my second term of nursing school, and I second-guess myself sometimes...but I enjoy clinicals and being in the hospital helping out patients!

Finish out the term, and if you still feel that way, by all means, don't put yourself through anymore schooling. But I don't think three weeks and no clinicals is enough to decide whether or not you like nursing and think it is a good fit.

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Quit. If you are in it for the pay and job security, then this profession is not for you. I believe that nursing comes from within. To be a good nurse, you must be empathetic and compassionate. Nursing is much more than $$$$$. Just my two cents.

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Ya, I haven't done clinicals so I'm obviously going to wait it out and see how I like it. It's not that I'm not a compassionate and empathetic person, and I DO enjoy helping others, but I don't know if I feel like this is my calling. I do like people, and I doubt anyone would say they DON'T like helping others. I definitely do enjoy and feel good about helping other people. I guess just reading about all the BS that goes on and the conditions they work in (at least according to these people) is discouraging. I like to have a life outside of work, and on the surface working 3 12s with 4 days off sounds amazing, but all these people were complaining about how it took a day to feel "normal" after working these shifts and it just drains you mentally and physically...leading to burnout and people aging prematurely.

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Well, then give it some time and wait until you know what clinicals are like. Every career had its pros and cons :) Good luck

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