Not sure if I really want to be an RN...

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Dec 28, 2007

Have you had any nursing experience aside from acute care?

nghtfltguy, BSN, RN · Dec 28, 2007

ouch.... that sucks!!!

if you don't want to be a nurse.. then i highly suggest that you don't...

my opinion would be this...

see if you could get a job as a pharm rep.... big bucks... way more than nursing...

lots of benifits and free stuff...lol

i don't think you should consider *teaching* nursing if you don't want to be one...

just my humble opinion......

:cool:

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 28, 2007

hi, munurse85, and welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

look into careers on the business side of health care. when i could no longer do clinical work, i started studying for a degree in health information management (used to be called medical records). there are other fields as well. you can still put your nursing education to good use.

another thing you might do is hit the headhunter agencies after graduation and specifically look for desk jobs that utilize nurses. many of the large corporations that manufacture and sell medical equipment hire nurses to teach or sell their products. insurance companies use nurses to review cases before they pay a claim. as a bsn you have probably been trained to do some case management. case management does not involve any clinical hands on involvement with the patients.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 28, 2007

Good luck to you.

We all go through spells at first where we hate nursing, we wonder if we made the right choice, and we doubt ourselves. That's normal for all of us. Sometimes it's best to put one foot in front of the other and walk through it. Get our feet wet and not make any rash decisions.

Good luck in finding something that fits.

mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 28, 2007

Is it nursing you don't like or is it the extern job you don't like? My jobs during NS were some of the worst jobs I've ever had in my life. Talk about stress and freaking hard work for almost no pay. I hated it.

Finding the right job in nursing is hard for any of us. Some are good at certain areas, some enjoy certain areas but what is so awesome about this field is that there is a place for each of us, somewhere.

I would concentrate hard on just getting done with school. If you don't have to work now, don't. Get thru the last of the semester, graduation and NCLEX and then worry about finding your perfect job or even "a" job later.

In the mean time, really look at why you went to school for your BSN and really look at your jobs. Was it the job, was it the facility, was it the expectations of the job that you didn't like? Do you not like patient care, families? Is it really the hours that you don't like, because there are lots of nursing jobs out there that don't require weekends and/or holidays. What exactly about nursing is not pleasing to you? Answering those questions will help you find a better and more suited career for you when you graduate.

Good luck to you!!!!

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 28, 2007

If you don't want to be a nurse -- then don't be a nurse. It's that simple.

But before you make your final decision, be sure you have thought it through. Why did you decide to become a nurse in the first place? What type of nursing did you envision yourself doing? Were you always planning to work in adult med/surg? Maybe some other specialty would suit you better. Did it never occur to you before that you would have to work some holidays as a nurse? etc. etc. etc.

But if, after having re-thought all of those things through, you still know that nursing is not for you -- then don't be a nurse. Figure out what type of career you really do want, and start making plans to become that.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Dec 28, 2007

I think that you have time to decide, and it could also be the jitters. Hospital work IS hard, demanding and depressing. If you are close to graduation, I would say to complete the program, and then, see what else is out there for you to do with your license. There are many opportunities in nursing; especially for RNs, that may not involve direct care. Many have become case managers, work for insurance companies, become teachers like you aspire to be, and other things that I have not thought of. Many of these positions may require a year or two of experience, though.

You do not have to be a nurse if you don't want to be. Also, even if you do not desire to be a direct care provider, it does not make you any less of an RN than those that are at the bedside. Best wishes to you, and if you decide not to be bothered at all, at least you are being honest to yourself as well as fair to the potential patients you may encounter.

pie123 · Dec 28, 2007

I'm in my Senior year of a BSN nursing program and will graduate with the highest honors the university has in May. But, I don't think I want to be an RN. I've externed for two years in two different hospitals and hated it. I've worked at the VA on a Med-Surg unit and a large hospital in their resource pool (everything from Med-Surg to SICU to Oncology to Open Heart). I cry when I have to go to work and try to work the minimum possible. My heart is just not in it. The hospital work is too stressful for me and now I'm becoming depressed because I feel like I've made a horrible mistake by choosing nursing. Everyone in my class seems so excited about graduating and I am dreading it. For Christmas, people got me cute nursing clothes and figurines and all I want to do is burn and smash them. I'm thinking I should try administration or maybe becoming a nursing teacher. Possibly a school nurse practitioner or maybe just working in an office somewhere. I'm really not sure how to get an office job (I live in WV) and I've talked to the heads of the nursing department and they told me they preferred for people going to graduate school to have two years of floor nursing experience. I really want to be a school teacher, so I am leaning towards the school nurse or the nursing educator. I just don't know. Is it normal to feel this way and maybe it's just nerves? I quit my first extern job because I thought it was the hospital, and now I've quit my second extern job because I just can't handle it. I was scheduled to work in open heart, had a panic attack, and had to call someone to come and get me and I called my manager to resign. I also hate working holidays. Just not sure if I want the responsibility or lifestyle (shift work, etc.). Thanks.

I sent you a private message

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 28, 2007

I also hate working holidays.

Holiday work is a necessary evil in nursing, because our patients do not miraculously get well or recuperate on holidays, evenings, nights, and weekends. People become sick at all times, even the times when nursing staff would much rather be home. Hence, nursing services are offered 24 hours per day for a solid reason.

The thought of working holidays is repulsive to some people, until you or your loved one end up having chest pains on New Years Eve or an unexpected motor vehicle accident on Thanksgiving Day.

MUNurse85 · Dec 29, 2007

Thanks to all who have replied. I was going to drop out of the program before the start of my Senior year, but my mother convinced me to stay in. I am not externing currently and that is a lot of stress off my back. I am planning on finishing the program and taking my boards, then I guess just trying to take it one day at a time. I wanted to be a nurse because of what I saw nurses do in offices, but that was just basic things like interviewing, blood pressure, etc. I always really wanted to be a school teacher, but during my rebellious teenage days, I decided not to do that because my mother was one. Now I know how silly I was as a teen! (And I'm sure I'll look back on my twenties and think the same! :)) I don't think hospital work is for me, but I feel as if I should do it to widen my knowledge base and get some of that experience. But, if I can't handle it, I can't handle it. Also, I've been in the hospital before on a holiday and know that patients need care every hour of the day every day of the year and I have worked on holidays before. It still doesn't change how it makes me feel to be there instead of with those I am closest to. Thanks again to all.

Also, I've only worked in hospitals extern wise. I've had some rotations at smaller hospitals and will be doing a community and rural health rotation in the spring. Hopefully that answers your question about acute care.

allnurses Guide · Dec 29, 2007

I think this is normal in many fields of study.

My oldest son always wanted to be a teacher and baseball coach. He graduated with a Bachelors in History and Political Science one year ago but decided against teaching. He is working for an insurance company as an adjuster while he gets ready to apply to a school in So. Cal for a Masters in Sports Marketing.

Many people change their minds - especially since they are so young when they first declare a major.

There are still many areas in nursing you can try out - surgery centers for the most part are weekday only with normal hours and no weekends or holidays. That is just one example.

Or you can go back and become a teacher.

Just don't quit school now.

I wish you the best.

steph