Regret becoming a nurse

tmcdaniel · Apr 29, 2009

Sweetheart, although I am not currently a nurse. I work in Labor and Delivery of a small hospital as surgical tech and I am about to apply to nursing school. I wanted to post a reply because I know a bit about working around nurses, what they do, how it can be and how tough school can get. The old saying goes "nurses eat their young" you are finding out what that means in school. It seems you can get into a program where the instructors abuse their students and that is why they say they "eat their young" not all programs are like that but unfortunately, yours is. My advice to you is to finish what you started because you are almost done. Get a job and see if you like it. It depends on where you work. I work with some great nurses and that is why I am going to stay where I am at when I graduate nursing school. If after you get a job you hate it then you can consider something else but if you just quit before you finish, you won't know if you made a mistake and it will have all been a waste. And if you like your job you will be in a better position to think about the bridge program and have time to take a breath before you jump back into nursing school again. I wish you all the best in the world and hope all goes well for you. It sounds like you will be a terrific nurse and we need nurses like you. :heartbeat

MerrieCNA · May 1, 2009

Just starting first quarter lpn school, I don't know if my opinion will help much... but we (a few of us on break) were talking about this in class as to what we wanted to do after school. Most were going to bridge over, but 2 of us wanted to work in doctor's offices because it is 8-5 m-f no weekends, something you would never get in a hospital or long-term care.

It sounds like you really need a break and some new teachers might help but I do think it's nursing school that's killing you. This first quarter has been hard on me alreadly and I fear what is to come. I'am impressed with what you have accomplished and the fortitude to stick it out. Don't quick, you are so close to the end, you may really end up liking being a nurse when you have your own freedoms.

sunray12 · May 1, 2009

just wanted to see if others feel this way,too. i only have four months left in my lpn program, and even though i enjoyed the theoretical part and have had mostly as and a few bs in all my classes, i absolutely hate nursing now after my first clinical rotation, which happened to be med. surge. i dreaded going in every day, being intimidated by our instructor, being talked to like a dumb school girl (i'm 40 and have had a career before going into the nursing field), feeling totally overwhelmed by the whole patient care/charting/med passing thing that i feel we weren't well prepared for in school. i busted my butt off trying to take care of patients, too scared to ask my instructor for help for fear of being yelled at, trying to remember the 1000 meds that we had never covered in school, spending endloss hours on care plans and patient research the day before, and not having a life anymore in general. i have never been this stressed in my entire life, and i'm actually having anxiety attacks. i'm glad this rotation is over, but now i don't even think i ever want to work like this again. i'm thinking about quitting right now and not waste my time with something that i think may not be for me after all. my original plan was to bridge over to rn, but now that is not something i'm even remotely entertaining anymore. i've even looked into other fields, such as court reporting, something that i could actually do from home (the school part anyways). unfortunately, since i've "wasted" so much time, money and energy, i really cannot afford to go back to square one and start something new.
btw, i was full of enthusiasm and elan when i started this. i wanted to help people while making a decent living, but i don't think i'm cut out for it. i hate to think i wasted two years of pre-reqs and 8 months of school, but right now i have zero enthusiasm left for this profession and even wonder what the heck i was thinking when i decided office jobs are boring. i'd take boring over super-stressed/anxious/worn-out just right about now.
maybe i should also asked people who have graduated already: does it get better? i don't think i can stand the anxiety of having to constantly worry if by mistake or oversight i may have hurt/killed someone. i don't want to be a buzz-kill to any students out there, and i hope your experience has been better than mine. i just don't know if i should just "suck it up" and finish, get a job at maybe a doctor's office where the stress level is hopefully not as high as on a med. surge floor in a hospital, and see how it goes. if i still don't like it then, maybe i could take court reporting classes on the side.
any suggestions/experiences?

i'm still prenursing and will be starting lpn school in the fall - i've already put a lot of time and money into prereqs and i will have to drive a long way to nursing school so quitting just four months from the finish line would be a terrible scenario. my point is that you are too close to the end to quit. go on, finish, get your license and then give yourself a breather. maybe it's just med surge you really don't like. when this is over you won't have to deal with it again and you can find a specialty that's a better fit for you. if you just don't like nursing at all - at least you will have your license and maybe combined with your experience from your previous career you can leverage this into something. e.g. if you can transition your nursing knowledge into health information management there are work from home options that pay well. some experienced nurses work for poison control hotlines or do telephone nursing. so hang in there and you'll probably be very glad you did because there are options.

as i said i'm not in nursing school yet but i have been through other rigorous training programs before. the home stretch is always the worse in any training program. by then it's normal to be tired and frustrated and wonder if you're crazy to think you could ever do something like this. and the first year will be hard too. but then things get better.

VM85 · May 2, 2009

there are many areas other than med surg in nursing...I say if you can, stick it out til its over....ive been told Nursing school is nothing like the real world...they make you stress over things that arent that important in the real world...yes everything is important, I know, but there are priorities of priorities!!!You are almost at the end of the tunnel, it would seem sensible for finace reasons,time, and the mere fact that at one time you wanted this- to finish. Instructors can really change your view(in my opin.) but when I have a bad interaction with one of them, I just remember that the whole world of nurses arent like that, and I will not be wokring alongside her when I am done. ANd the funny thing is the one who I was so intimitated by, is now one of my favorite teachers, once she had time to open up with our group! Good luck on whatever you decide to do

Moss1222 · May 3, 2009

Dear Doubtful,

I'm so sorry you are so stressed and having anxiety attacks is no small matter.

First of all, I encourage you to finish these four months. Although that may sound like 400 months to you, if you drop out and don't finish, you'll never know if it was something that would get better over time. The things you said you hate are all issues of stress, intimidation, not feeling prepared, and being overwhelmed. Those are all things that will definitely change over time, getting experience, being with different instructors and co-workers, and you will gain confidence and enjoyment when you get to where you feel you are actually helping people.

If you had said what you hated was the hospital environment, doing the work, and you really were interested in a totally different field, that would be a different issue. All the feelings you are having are very normal and a part of the stress of nursing school. Being a nurse (depending on your job) is sometimes a stressful occupation and since you are overwhelmed, I would recommend talking to a director of your school, a trusted instructor, or someone who knows you well and understands the profession. This person maybe able to help you decide if its nursing you should quit or its just that part of the program where everyone wants to quit.

Maybe the pressures of your life outside of school are difficult for you also and there would be a way to lessen those stressors for the next four months.

I remember wanting to quit school, move to the mountains and become a photographer of nature...school was very hard for me. And I wanted to quit. But I'm so glad I did not quit and have LOVED being a nurse. The variety of jobs available to nurses (esp if you get your RN) is amazing, and you would be able to choose something that you would really enjoy w/o having someone breathe 'stupid' down your throat. But it takes a LOT of time and experience to become confident of your skills and it won't happen overnight. Hang in there. It will get better. You can do it!

leqwedz · May 4, 2009

just like every body is saying...don't quit.we all know i wish always come after.so don't go the i wish road.finish..and get a job in a out patient place..it's always very different than what you think.but it'll always be difficult...it's not an easy profession but it pays off at the end of the day.

in the contrary..the instructors being mean is for you own good.it depends with how you persevere it.that's how they act...it pays off at the end of the day.

good luck dear.

pagandeva2000, LPN · May 6, 2009

I echo everyone's thoughts. Complete the program, at least. I can say that nursing school can be really tough; in my case, I had no issues with the clinical instructors, it was with the Dean of the program who hated my guts. Somehow, I ignored her and graduated top of the class. I am around the same age you are. Some days, I really like being a nurse, other days, not. It all depends on finding the right fit of people to work with and you have to be a self motivator.

Clinicals do give you a bird's eye view of what the real world of nursing can be like. There is a difference between dealing with 2 or three not seriously ill patients that the clinical instructor will give you versus the many more you may get, but give yourself a chance. You may find a position you really like with great people, great support. Or, you may still decide that nursing isn't for you. Either way, you'll NEVER know if you don't complete the program and allow yourself that option to actually own the paper license. Best of luck!

watson123 · May 7, 2009

Dear Regrat of becoming a nurse,

I feel the frustration you feel. If you like taking care of the patient and working in the hospital stick with it. Some teachers could be mean but you'll run into some that aren't. I have been dismissed from the nursing program becasue I was the weakest one in my clinical group ( everyone else were already practicing in health field). Being LVN will help you with hands on experience and gain critical thinking skill. Medication and careplan will get easier with practice. In real world RNs look -up things they do not know. Comparing RN and LVN school, RN program expect lot more from the students. Good luck to you,

Mandylpn · May 8, 2009

:eek:

Just wanted to see if others feel this way,too. I only have four months left in my LPN program, and even though I enjoyed the theoretical part and have had mostly As and a few Bs in all my classes, I absolutely hate nursing now after my first clinical rotation, which happened to be med. surge. I dreaded going in every day, being intimidated by our instructor, being talked to like a dumb school girl (I'm 40 and have had a career before going into the nursing field), feeling totally overwhelmed by the whole patient care/charting/med passing thing that I feel we weren't well prepared for in school. I busted my butt off trying to take care of patients, too scared to ask my instructor for help for fear of being yelled at, trying to remember the 1000 meds that we had never covered in school, spending endloss hours on care plans and patient research the day before, and not having a life anymore in general. I have never been this stressed in my entire life, and I'm actually having anxiety attacks. I'm glad this rotation is over, but now I don't even think I EVER want to work like this again. I'm thinking about quitting right now and not waste my time with something that I think may not be for me after all. My original plan was to bridge over to RN, but now that is not something I'm even remotely entertaining anymore. I've even looked into other fields, such as court reporting, something that I could actually do from home (the school part anyways). Unfortunately, since I've "wasted" so much time, money and energy, I really cannot afford to go back to square one and start something new.
BTW, I was full of enthusiasm and elan when I started this. I wanted to help people while making a decent living, but I don't think I'm cut out for it. I hate to think I wasted two years of pre-reqs and 8 months of school, but right now I have zero enthusiasm left for this profession and even wonder what the heck I was thinking when I decided office jobs are boring. I'd take boring over super-stressed/anxious/worn-out just right about now.
Maybe I should also asked people who have graduated already: does it get better? I don't think I can stand the anxiety of having to constantly worry if by mistake or oversight I may have hurt/killed someone. I don't want to be a buzz-kill to any students out there, and I hope your experience has been better than mine. I just don't know if I should just "suck it up" and finish, get a job at maybe a doctor's office where the stress level is hopefully not as high as on a med. surge floor in a hospital, and see how it goes. If I still don't like it then, maybe I could take court reporting classes on the side.
Any suggestions/experiences?

:

Please don't quit!!!!!!!!! eek: I have never regretted getting my LPN diploma;) If you only have 4 months left, you can do anything for 4 months! At least get your LPN and see if you like it once you are out working. If not, then don't do the RN, at least right away. A lot of people get overwhelmed by school (me included). I have felt (and looked) like crap since start of Spring semester. To me there is too much emphasis on paper-work, especially for LPN's to be doing care plans. Most hospitals use the "pathways" but they are a good way to see what type of intervention should be done for a particular situation. If you go for RN it gets even worse as far as care plans, you will have to do a nursing DX also and it must make sense (especially to your clinical instructor). And it seems to be universal that some instructors are worse than others and take pride in making your clinical experience miserable. but hang on and good luck. If you do decide to quit, come back here first and all of us "sistas" will give you some support!:smiletea2:

photonurse505 · Apr 13, 2010

I agree with you.

Medicine is a toxic waste dump.

If you hate it, you hate it.

I hated it but stuck it out.

Then guess what?

I stuck it out my whole life.

Go be a photographer

you will make more money and you will not be miserable

You have many talents

Don't do something you hate

I completely understand

and agree with you

God bless

allnurses Guide · Apr 13, 2010

Hmm. . .been almost a year since this was posted. I wonder what the OP decided to do after all the great advice she got.