Long post ... need advice about some concerns going into nursing (CNA then BSN)

[vtjane]

Hello, I might be crazy but I need some advice. Long story short I think I would make an excellent nurse, but I have some major obstacles (potentially deal breaking ones) to get over first. Brief background about myself - I graduated with a BA in Sociology from Virginia Tech in 2006 and am now looking into being licensed as a CNA to see if I might be able to eventually cut it as a RN, learn more about nursing, and get some hands on experience before looking into obtaining a BSN. I'm a very visual learner - if I see things first when I read about them later it would then make more sense, so I think this route would be best to prepare me to go back to school. My one concern with going CNA -> BSN is that in my area there are a lot of (part-time) openings in nursing homes but not hospitals for CNAs and I know being a CNA in a hospital would probably get me more varied hands on experience and since I would want to be an RN specifically in a hospital setting going this route might not prepare me in the way I would hope.

OK, so I enjoy taking care of people and I have always been interested in medicine and anatomy, but it wasn't until a few months ago that I even considered nursing as a career. I never seriously considered nursing even though so many people over the years have told me I'd be a great nurse (caring, patient, attentive, critical thinker, etc.) because of a couple major concerns. I'm looking for advice from current nurses / nursing students / anyone who might have some insight or advice about these concerns (read the bold titles for the abridged version of the post - it's really long).

concern #1 : Issues with needles:

I have done a lot of research on the subject and many people have said "it's better to stick then be stuck, just think of a happy place (distraction methods) etc." but I am to the extreme where I've almost always fainted every time I've had my blood drawn or been given a shot. I've tried to watch videos to see if it would help me get more comfortable with that whole situation but it's still a little hard to watch. I honestly don't know if I'd be capable of setting up an IV or drawing blood without getting really squeamish (maybe in time it would get easier ... or after training it wouldn't be as bad but I'm still worried). Something I wanted to know specifically about that would be is there a) something during school in your training that specifically helps you get over issues like that (other than just practice practice practice?) or b) is there something I could do now to prepare myself or even to test myself to see if I would be able to handle these situations before going through more schooling? Another concern relating to that is that I know some schools do have you practice giving shots to fellow students (not all do) but if I did go to a school where they did that and opted out of being someone to be stuck during a class like that, would that forgo my learning opportunity that day or would I most likely be able to practice on a fake arm / body like with other procedures in nursing school?

--> This concern brought me to the conclusion to not get my BSN right away but to look into being a CNA, the training isn't long or normally that expensive but would it even be worth going into with these issues? I know CNAs sometimes need to remove IVs or draw blood .. so I'm a little concerned.

concern #2 : I have a crying problem and can be 'jumpy':

I'm the person who could go to a complete strangers funeral and be balling my eyes out even if no one else is. I'm not sure what it is but despite how hard I try to hold my emotions in I always sob uncontrollably at funerals (in real life or on the TV ....) because I will think about the family and friends of the person who died and how sad they'll be, or I imagine that person being my mom / grandparent / family member and lose it then. I know most programs probably have some part of some class devoted to helping you figuring out how to cope with these situations, and I know after time you normally become hardened to these situations (or at least are supposed to), but can really emotional people make good nurses? I don't have issues with depression or mood swings or anything like that, I just see people that are hurting and I really feel for them and it becomes very clear by my reaction. In the same light though it helps me better put myself in that persons shoes to see how I can help them whether it be listening to a story that they might want to tell, or assisting them in any way I can. I'm also slightly jumpy - not sure why - but things like if people step on bubble wrap or pop a balloon when I'm not expecting it, it normally makes me jump. =-/

So I know those are 2 huge issues, there are other minor ones that I would deal with as well, but I kind of wanted an inside opinion of whether or not someone with these types of concerns / issues would be able to succeed in a nursing career or career or not, any feedback about any of this would be really appreciated thank you so much, and I apologize that this is a long read (I have a lot on my mind - and have done a lot of reading and video watching about "days in the life" etc.). No one in my family is in any kind of medical field but I have looked into volunteering at a hospital though I'm still working on the logistics of whether or not I should start taking pre-reqs etc. Thank you so much for your time!! :redbeathe

[Syntax error]

Call me crazy, but of all the things in your message that you speak of, the one that strikes to me as being the biggest challenge for you to overcome is the crying thing.

But I'm not qualified to speak from personal experience so take it with a grain of salt.

That disclosure being given, one of the most common methods of helping yourself to cope with a fear is through immersion therapy. If it truly is as bad as you imply in this message, I'd seek out the help of a therapist.

In regards to the crying thing, I am sure the fact that your job as a Nurse would be to care for them or to help them would give you something to focus on so you don't turn into a big blob of tears on them.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

You have described me down to a TTTTT. And I have been a successful nurse in ER for 6 years now. Also travel now. I am jumpy, I used to cry up a storm. Still tear easily. And used to faint at the sight of blood.

To this day, as I unwrap injuries that come in I wonder if this is the BIG one that will make me pass out. So far, so good.

I deeply believe that almost anyone can do anything they have to. This was the defining difference for me.

After being laid off several times and worrying about money I believed that I had to become a nurse to save my life.

Yes, I went into nursing for all the wrong reasons, foremost money and job security.

But a real cool thing happened. I went from hating it to loving it. It is very rewarding on too many levels to list. I wish I had done it long ago.

After a while you learn and accept that you don't need to cry, you need to take care of patient, and maybe cry a little later. That said, when the day comes that I don't care enough to cry I will get out of nursing. I have heard many people say this. It is okay to care and to cry.

As people bleed in front of you, you will go from scared and queezy to curious about what, why, how to fix.

The whole IV thing will make you a better/kinder IV starter.

You have nothing to lose by trying to be a nurse and everything to gain. Getting a CNA first is a great idea and no matter where you practice that at you will learn/see and lot.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

i had some of your same concerns. i am not being belittling, but i finally took the plunge and after 30 years can tell you that you are worrying over nothing.

(1) if you want to do what a doctor does, go to medical school. (2) in today's world, there are needleless iv systems in use to decrease accidents with ivs. (3) we are so busy getting our work done that there is no time to cry. if you do, no one is going to notice because they are too busy. (4) i am jumpy too. i will jump at an unexpected noise and continue on with what i was doing. people just apologized and learned to be more careful around me.

what an rn does do is manage and supervise patient care. nurses: assist people with bathing, dressing, transferring from bed to chair, walking, eating, use of the toilet or grooming and how to order, administer and read certain tests, know all about the diseases and conditions the patient has, make physical assessments, determine what kind of nursing problems the patient has, note any potential changes in the patient's medical condition, know the actions and side effects of the medications and treatments the patient is receiving, assess the effectiveness of our nursing treatments as well as the patient's progress with regard to the medical plan of care, teach people many things, advocate for patient rights--and i'm sure there is a bunch of stuff i'm forgetting. rns are primarily problem solvers and leaders not just pillow fluffers and hand holders. i spent much of my workdays stamping out proverbial fires. i started my career as a nursing assistant in a nursing home and i wouldn't change it. why? because as a hospital rn i seldom got a chance to do actual patient care. i loved taking care of those little old people, doing their baths, cleaning the pee and poop, changing the beds, holding their hands, hugging them. there's no time for that as a hospital rn unless i make the time in my busy day. i am too busy on the phone calling doctors to clarify orders, notify them of changes in patient's conditions, straightening out problems with the dietician, getting test results, finding out why a certain x-ray didn't get done, answering dr. zs questions, hearing visitor's complaints, admitting 2 patients from the er, and taking care of mrs. xs sudden shortness of breath. you can't learn how to deal with all of that as a cna in a nursing home or a hospital. you need to go to rn school--that is the only place you learn to handle those kinds of things.

[Race Mom, ASN, RN]

I had a fear of needles. Of course I didn't like getting shots, but it was worse for me to even "see" the needle. One day of clinical lab, going over giving injections cured me, suprisingly. I didn't even want to touch the needle and jumped slightly when the instructor supplied our tables with the shiney silver pokers.

By the end of the lab, I was addicted. hee hee

[vtjane]

Thanks for the help and advice from everyone, I'm going to start looking for a CNA program near my home now. =)

[queenjean]

Get a job in a nursing home, then start applying at hospitals. Be honest with them-you want to be a nurse, and you want the hospital experience. Hospitals like to hire CNAs with a little experience, and they like to grow their own, so they like to hire CNAs who are nursing students.

Needles--I work myself into a frenzy every time I get a shot. I get teary and panicky. My coworkers love to tease me (kindly). I can give shots and start IVs til the cows come home, but I can't get them without crying.

I'm a teary gal. I get teary when my pt's die, or when I attended births (I worked for several years in L&D). I find that people appreciate that I care so much that I get teary. I cry at movies and commercials; but I find that I don't get as teary at work as I expected I would.

I'm actually a tough kind of gal. I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, have been in my share of fist fights, have a temper (hey, I'm Irish!), have more than my share of tattoos, and used to be able to drink the biggest guy under the table. I've worked in tough situations, I've calmly done chest compressions on a coding baby on the bed next to the hysterical mama, I've helped deliver dead babies and stayed with those parents for hours, that sort of thing. I find that *during* the situation, I'm calm and grounded. It's *afterwards* that I get teary and weepy.

For me I'm sure it is simply an emotional release. It's just how I am. There's enough room in nursing for all of us, including those of us who fear getting stuck with needles and who cry a lot.