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

[MUNurse85]

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.

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

Even if you really know in your heart of hearts that nursing is not for you, finish your schooling and get your license since you are so close. Maybe someday your mind will change, or you will stumble across your dream job in nursing.

If you really want to be a teacher, instead of doing graduate studies in nursing after you finish, apply those pre-reqs of yours to a teaching degree. If you do that it shouldn't take you more than 2 years extra. If you absolutely have to work, you would have your RN and it could be only part-time until you are done. You could handle it for only a couple of years.

Life is too short to be unhappy in your career. And nursing is hard enough, even if you love it.

Perhaps this is only jitters and you will end up loving nursing, but do consider all your options.

[newohiorn, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I think you should finish up and keep thinking about where you might be comfortable and research jobs that sound interesting to you. Figure out what it is about the hospital that stresses you out. I once observed a procedure in the OR and the OR nurse told me she knew from her clinicals in nursing school that she could never be a floor nurse. She very honestly said that she didn't feel comfortable making decisions and judgments about patients treatments and assessments. She said she works in the OR because there is always a doctor there. She said she never has to wonder if she should or shouldn't call a doc about this or that assessment finding, etc. That reasoning made sense to me--she found where she was comfortable and she is thriving there. Keep thinking about what it is you don't like and try to think of alternative places that use nurses that might be different. Some days I think I would like to take care of patients in the ER where they come in and ship out (sometimes I envy the paramedics who I think have the ultimate short stay patients!). Other times I have thought I would like longer lengths of stay so I could build relationships with people--like critical care. Just keep thinking about what would make you comfortable and then try to figure out where that would mean working. Don't forget that some businesses use occupational health nurses, lawyers sometimes use nurses, cruise ships use nurses--I know there are many more out of the ordinary places for nurses--keep thinking. However, if you ultimately decide nursing isn't for you, I still think it will be a nice adjunct to lots of career choices that you might not have thought of. Good luck.

[marie-francoise]

You could try clinical trials work, for example as a CRA - clinical research associate.