Mixed Feelings over Nursing...Is it for me? Help- need advice!!

[KaylaBrooke1695]

hello all. i haven't posted a thread since last august...

anyway this wednesday and thursday i take my cna licensure test and my allied health final over at my magnet school. plus i start my clinicals from june 18 to june 22 (7am-3:30pm).

to be honest, i have mixed feelings. i don't feel prepared because i had a pretty crappy teacher who told us old nursing and cna practices/skills/teachings. plus she taught from powerpoints with no notes, rarely any homework, and rarely any classwork. when she taught skills she would give us a video to watch on youtube or an old video or show it with 28 kids standing around so not all of us could see. when we asked a question she wouldn't really help.

anyway, this plus me being a weakling (i can't lift heavy things at all) made me very discourged and made re- think going into the nursing field. i was super excited back in august and now i am like blah- don't care mode.

i mean i feel like i would hate dealing with rude pts who try to find everything wrong with the care you give. also, i can't stand vomit- i start gagging, i'm fine with everything else (okay some foul odors do make me gag). i have heard and read some horror stories from people and heard that people get burnt out from being an rn ( i don't want to be burnt out).

there is a couple of people in my class who say i would make a terrible cna and rn because i am weak and can't really do bp well ( i have a hard time hearing and all i hear is my hand on the stethoscope {my hands are sort of unsteady}). some people say i would be a great cna or rn because i explain everything, can plan out pt. care, and can talk out decisions on what to do with the pt.

i am sixteen and finishing up my last two weeks as a junior in high school and my last year over in my magnet school. i know i have some time to figure things out, but i hate feeling confused.

i love working with people and talking to them (even though i can be shy). i have been told you can't show your emotions if let say a pt dies.

anyway, do you all have any advice for me for my clinicals, how to get over my discourgment, etc.

oh and i have questions!

- do you regret becoming a cna/ rn?

- what helps you going?

-how do you deal with the things you hate?

and anything else you can add can help- i just need some words of wisdom.

p.s. i also have other careers in my mind like physician assistant or forensic scientist technician. i just want a career that i would love, where there is something new all the time, where i can work with others, and be around people.

thanks for everything,

kayla:)

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

You should be commended that at age 16, you've worked hard to find a career path when most people your age are thinking only about prom and parties.

Sounds like you go to a one of those wonderful high schools that provide hands-on training for potential careers. There are a few where I live (charter schools mostly), and I encountered a student like you in my final preceptorship in nursing school. She was inquisitive and hard-working. I look forward to running into her one day when she becomes an RN.

You said, "I know I have time, but I hate feeling confused." So, you know that you are young enough to make the career mistakes now and bounce back from them. The only one who can determine if healthcare is a fit for you is...you. Finish what you started, work as a CNA, and see if you like it. If you don't like it, you can try something else. Always remember, though, that being a CNA and being an RN are vastly different. If you don't like healthcare in general, you have plenty of time to switch without the added burden of calculating finances and juggling childcare to do so. You will find a LOT of people on this site (I'm one of them) that didn't make a career change to nursing until mid-life. It's never too late.

Good luck!

[33762FL]

Take a deep breath... now stop doubting yourself, complete the CNA program, and start working as a CNA at least in the summer or weekends during the school year. You're a kid, you need to try different things in life to figure out who you are and what you want to do with the next 60+ years. Remember, if you're too chicken to try and you just quit early in the game, you'll never learn new things, gain new skills, meet new people, or mature.

[KaylaBrooke1695]

Yeah I know a CNA and RN have different roles. However, I can always observe.

[KaylaBrooke1695]

I can't really work as a CNA until November 2013, when I am 18 and a freshman in College. And I know it isn't great to quit something unless you already tried it.

[Good Morning, Gil]

i just want a career that i would love, where there is something new all the time, where i can work with others, and be around people.

not to burst your bubble, but what you're looking for, you won't find in nursing or any other field. i tell you this because i had lofty ideals when i was in high school, as well, and a career/job is just that, a job. nursing is a very routine type of job, regardless of the area of nursing you choose. even in areas where there are a higher number of emergent situations (icu and er, for instance), you learn how to deal with those emergencies, and thus, there's not something new all of the time. i mean, yes, you will learn something new a lot of the time. yes, you will see new diagnoses, and new emergencies that you haven't encountered before, but once you can handle situation a, then you can handle situation b. many nurses end up changing specialties frequently to prevent boredom, but you don't want to be a "job hopper" either because that's not fair to the employer; travel nursing is best for curious types that get bored easily as others have mentioned on here.

nursing is very rewarding because you are providing much needed care, making a difference in people's lives, discovering new problems, or pointing something out to a physician what they may have overlooked, but...i just don't want you to think it's always exciting. any job becomes routine after a little while. am i glad i chose nursing? yes, because of all of the things i mentioned above, and because it offers flexibility once i have children, which not many careers do (working fewer hours, etc). :). (on the flip side, you do work terrible hours, nights, weekends, holidays). also, i look forward to going on a medical mission trip once i have the disposable income and time off to do so. best of luck to you! you have a while yet to decide, but exploring early like you are can only help you in the long run.