Mid-college crisis? or enlightenment?

[confused_in_pdx]

Hello everyone,

I am new to allnurses.com but I have looked through the many pages of blogs, posts, and articles and must say how nice it is to see such a caring, supportive membership base.

Just to introduce myself:

I am about to begin my senior year of college in the fall, studying communication and political science...

I am surrounded by all my girlfriends (and even my boyfriend!) who are studying to obtain their B.S.N. at one of the best nursing schools on the West coast.

I am caring, loving (to a fault some say!) and want my career to make a positive difference in this world.

Studying public relations just isn't cutting it. I think I want to be a nurse.

Yikes! Have I been wasting my time for the past 3 years doing something I don't think I'm cut out for? This is among the questions I am struggling with now. Others include: Should I just go ahead and finish my degree and start in on A.B.S.N. prereqs? Is this right for me?

I think I am having such a hard time with this because my family (who I love dearly and are very supportive otherwise) have always discouraged my sister (who is becoming a doctor) and I from being nurses due to the false stereotype of every nurse doing the dirty work at low wages with little opportunity for advancement. Through my years in college, I have come to completely disregard this stereotype as I see my many friends going into the field with great skills and high ambitions. I so admire these people. I wish my family would also.

I've tried talking to them about the possibility of my going on to get an A.B.S.N. but disregarding the stereotype they STILL have (?!), they do bring up a good point- money. What have I been doing for the past 3 years?

This is already dragging on longer than I expected but I think my main question, curiosity is will I be satisfied? Obviously, you do not know me so this is impossible to answer definitely. However, what makes your job worth keeping? Has anyone else been in a similar position? What would you have done differently if you could start your career over? Any other comments, suggestions?

Once again, sorry for dragging on but I really, truly appreciate any anecdotes you could share with me.

Thank you :)

[nohika]

I'm working on my pre-reqs myself, so I'm not the most knowledgeable person, but I will share my opinion. My family hasn't always discriminated against Nursing (it's what my mother has always wanted me to do) but have always disliked whatever I chose. The best thing to remember is that you know what is best for you, not them. You have to live with what you choose for the rest of your life, and they don't. So if you really think nursing is the right thing for you to do, then go for it. =)

About the money situation, if you're really concerned about it you could finish your degree and apply for either an Accelerated BSN degree or even an Accelerated MSN. If you're sick of your major and don't want to finish it, you could try either the BSN program (if you can get in) or if there's a community college around with a two-year degree you could do that - an ADN in Nursing gets you RN certified just as well as the BSN does.

I can't answer the questions about job satisfaction, as I'm not a Nurse myself, but I would advise you to do some research. Look at everything Nursing offers - this place is one of the best. You see the ups and the downs and everything inbetween. It helps prepare for what you may go through if you get your own RN certification. The only thing I regret is not realizing it sooner. I'm planning on attending a 2-year program then transfering to get my BSN. Best of luck to you in whatever you do!

[girl.w/useless.b.a.]

Wow...this is almost exactly where I was at about four years ago. In fact, I almost dropped out of school to just get the ADN and be done with it. In the end though, I decided to get my B.A. and get out of school. I was in an unfortunate position where my school had very few gen ed's, so I couldn't transfer, and it had no BSN program.

Anyway, I got my B.A., taught overseas for a couple of years, and now I'm back getting my prereq's for a direct entry master's program. I'm really glad I waited, because getting a little more "real life" experience gave me time to figure out if I really wanted to spend the extra money to get a nursing degree. It also gave me time to figure out that not only did I want to be a nurse, but that I wanted to be a geriatric nurse practitioner.

I think you should finish your degree and get a job for a year or so, to give yourself time to figure things out. Whether you go now for an ADN, transfer into a BSN program, do an ABSN program, or wait, you're still going to be spending a lot more money on school. But giving yourself a year will make sure you don't regret it or change your mind five years down the line.

Of course, with the recession, getting a job may be a little difficult...

And in the end, it's up to you. But I think getting your degree finished is the best thing to do for the next year.

[redbeans]

i was in college and got my BS, it took me 7 years (i was in 4 different majors) and here i am 2 years after graduation entering nursing school in january. i wish i would have thought about this sooner..... i actually remember talking with my friends trying to pick a major 3 years into and considering nursing, i wish i would have had more confidence then to do it. i think now that i'm older i know for sure what i want to do in life.

it is a really hard decision to make. maybe you should complete this degree you are pursuing now if you are not too far off and then consider going back.

[MsLoriRN, BSN, RN]

Hello,

First may I say that I know exactly what you are going through! It took me 7 years to finish college, after changing my major 3 times and attending 3 different schools! I finally ended up with my BSN, and it was well worth it...I knew nursing was the right place for me, but it took a lot of "false starts" followed by an insightful mentor who helped me to discover what it was that I was after.

Nursing is NOT a perfect career. It has its glorious moments...and it has its bedpan moments. It is not for the faint-hearted. It is NOT for those who go into it for the money...I've seen countless nurses leave the profession burned-out and disillusioned. They should never have gone into nursing in the first place. You really do need to figure out why you want to be a nurse, and the "why" helps you get through the "how." In my book I always ask prospective nurses to go back to just that--why did you want to become a nurse?--whenever you come up against a rough spot, like a really difficult class that's stressing you out, or you know you're going to be giving your first shot and you're freaking out, or you just threw up after your patient vomited in front of you, or whatever the situation! Figuring out your "why" is the most important thing that I would tell you to do!

My advice to you is this: since you still have so many questions, I wouldn't "jump ship" at this stage of your education. Finish your Bachelor's degree, and look more into the profession of nursing over the coming year or two to try and find out if nursing is right for you, and if you are right for it...that's a biggie! You can always become an RN later if you wish to, and there are several paths you can take to do that depending on your goals as a nurse...which are, again, based upon that "why" that you need to come to grips with!

I hope this has been some help, let me know if you have more Q's that I can help with!

Best of luck to you,

Lori RN, BSN:nurse:

[Stephanie K]

I can totally relate to you! I got my B.A. in psychology after 5 years. Going into school I really thought that was the path I wanted to go into! I was completely backwards in how I took classes and took a good chunk of my required classes for my major before taking all of my gen. eds. While I loved (and still love) psychology I realized going into my senior year that there wasn't much I could do with it (without going further in school) in the actual fields I was interested in. I figured since I was so close to finishing I might as well just go ahead and get the degree and call it a day. I started working for a bank and looked into a bunch of different career paths I could go on with my degree and work experiences (and I have a ton of them!) I had always been interested in nursing but didn't know if I was cut out for it. I hate needles! A lot of my friends went into nursing and have absolutely loved it! It wasn't until a nurse that banks at my work came in and sat at my desk. I began to talk to her about nursing without mentioning it was an option for me. Her face lit up as she went on to talk about how rewarding it is and how she simply loves her job. It was then that it hit me that this is what I need to do! I can get over my fear of needles and I can be an amazing nurse. That same day I enrolled into a A.B.S.N. program!!!! I'm working on my pre-reqs now and I'll be starting the program in the fall of 2011!!! I don't think I would have made it switching my majors at the end of my first degree or even jumping straight into the program after I graduated. I took off 2 years and experienced a lot of life and really found my likes dislikes and myself. I completely agree with Lori!!!! Since you have so many questions, take a little time to decide that nursing really is right for you. Over the next year or so you may discover something that is completely perfect for you! No use in spending more time and money in school if you aren't 100% sure that's what you want!!!

Best of luck!!!!