Need nursing advice for friend

[heartdrtobe]

Heres the deal. I have a friend who has worked in the medical field. He has worked in the lab as a phlebotomist and in phamacy as well. He started nursing school thinking this was the field for him. He started his first 9 weeks and was top in his class 4.0 and 1st out of 43 students. He has always done well in school. Started out pre pharmacy but went to pharm school for a semester and hated it, and left the school. He felt he needed more pt contact. So he started nursing school and then started hearing all the horoor stories about nursing. He left after the first 9 weeks and opted for a leave of absence. He went back here in october stayed 2 days and left. I felt bad for him. Kinda sad there has to be other people that spread the word that nursing sucks,that"do something else, dont be a nurse. A few nurses have told him to leave get out while he can. My advice to him was do what your heart says. Maybe hes burned out of medicine is what I told him. My point is hes tried this 2 times and is torn. Hes thought about going to a new nursing school. A friend can only give so much advice, so I wanted to hear from other nurses in teh field and students opinions. Let me know what ya think, thanks.

[ERNurse752, RN]

What did he hate about pharm school?

I think you can't always base your decisions upon what other people say, until you have enough of your own experience for comparison.

I think he should get a job as a nursing assistant in a hospital somewhere so he can get some hands on experience more similar to what he would do as a nurse, and so he can see for himself how things are.

That's what got me through nursing school, and believe me, I hated almost every single second of nursing school.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Listen to him. Be sympathetic, but I wouldn't offer any advice. Just say something non-commital like, "you've got some big decisions to make", and leave it at that. This person sounds very conflicted and there's no way to know what thought processes are really going on in his brain. He's obviously indicated by his actions that he is going to do whatever fancies him. It sounds to me like he's asking for opinions, but not really able to evaluate them well. It sounds like he lets the opinions of others dictate his actions, in part. Don't get involved in that or you won't be a friend for long if he goes looking for someone to blame for his failures.

[heartdrtobe]

Thanks so far that replied, thats kinda what i told him too you have big decisions to make. He has had a lot on his plate to deal with the past 2 years family wise too. he supported his gf through school and then she left him after he got her through school, then his mother got a divorce which was for the better, but thats stressed him out too. I think he'd make a great nurse, i said to not let others influence you. There is no pefect job, we all have to deal with cerain things that arent god, but overall if you love your job, you will never work a day of your life in essence, because you love what you do.