Nurses Please Help

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Me and my mom have been going back and forth trying to figure out should I go into nursing. She and I feel it might be too hard for me and that no matter how hard I try I might not cut it. Will some nurses please tell me what nursing involves? what kind of character one is to have to be a nurse? How hard is it studying to be a nurse? What are the grades at such places like Baker that one has to have to get into the nursing program.

I feel if there is such a nursing shortage then people shouldn't make it so hard for people to become nurses. Nursing schools should be opened up again. Hospitals should train on the job again. Sometimes human beings create their own dillemias.

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Specializes in RN- Med/surg.

You have to be dedicated and a hard worker/studier to make it through nursing school. You have to WANT it. There will be MANY times you'll want to quit...if you don't really want it you won't make it.

Most nursing schools are very competative....high GPA is usually needed to be accepted.

Search nursing shortage on this site. You'll find some interesting threads. Most doubt there IS a shortage...just a shortage of nurses who want to do bedside care. (hospitals)

I don't think they should make it easier to become a nurse. Would you want a nurse who just breezed through school- or one who had to work hard- and really learn the information?

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Never said anything about having easier training. I was saying there should be various options for a woman to become a nurse besides college. I think I would learn more in a hospital on how to be a nurse then anywhere else. Hospitals use to have schools but some unknown reason cease with it. People just don't want to give that extra time to help and train and pass their expertise on to another. Some of history's best nurses (Florence Nightingale) never went to college to learn how to be a nurse, they learned on the job in a way, from another nurse or doctor, some went to nursing schools. There are nursing schools in this country but again not in Michigan, I don't think, I know not in Flint, this city is always lacking. Hurley Hospital had a nursing school but closed it years ago.

I've been to the hospitals where nurses weren't very nice or helpful, there was a woman my mother knew who gave patients the wrong medicine a couple of times, so I guess they "faked" their way through school or whatever school or training they got they got "easy" training, but some of these women were older then me (late 30's, 40's) so I'm sure they didn't go to college to be nurses, they learned elsewhere but I see in a way now its manadatory to have a degree in nursing.

Most nurses I've seen in hospitals are older mean women who want to get you in and out. College can't teach you to be a compassionate and empathetic nurse, no one can train you to have those characteristics those are qualities one has to be born with.

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Who came up with the idea that nursing should be apart of college and one must have a degree? I feel if one wants to be a nurse, nursing should be the main thing taught in a nursing school or hospital. In WWII, many women who volunteered their time were trained on the job on how to nurse wounds and care for wounded soldiers. They volunteered their time and was willing to be fast learners, some made nursing their career afterwards but they learned "on the job' starting off and never had a degree and was better nurses then any generation afterwards cause their training actually was hands on from the start, from another nurse they would learn how to really care for hurt people, to me that's the best way to see if one can hack it as a nurse but that's old school stuff I guess.

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Specializes in Cardiac Tele, MICU RN.

Speaking of only myself, I feel like you have to have a gift of nursing. Not everyone has that, and the majority of nurses like those who go into nursing for the money or because its a "good job", usually get burned out faster and complains everyday about their job. Not saying that its perfect and you have to be born a nurse. But the gift of wanting to take care of someone else has to exist.

What some people don't understand is that nursing is more than just learning a skill, such as, passing medications and giving a shot. Its the theory and research that makes nursing what it is. Anyone can be trained to do blood pressure and pass an aspirin, but its why you are checking blood pressure, and the reason why you are giving a certain medication. What does this medication do for the patient, side effects, outcomes.

I respect the fact that nursing school is competitive, and yes most nursing programs will wean out those students who are not fit for nursing, whether it be clinically or through theory. It is a sacrifice and no its not easy, but if it is something you yearn for and love you will become that nurse and you will be successful in it!

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Who came up with the idea that nursing should be apart of college and one must have a degree? .

Nurses have a lot more responsibility than I guess you are aware of.

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Nurses have a lot more responsibility than I guess you are aware of.

Seriously!

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Specializes in Home Health Clinician.

I am obviously not yet a nurse, but I wanted to say that perhaps you could just choose on something to do and if it doesn't suit you after taking a few classes or whatever that you change. There are a lot of classes that work with several of the career options at Baker.

Also if you do a search I have list of what they are looking for academically at specifically Baker for their program. I did hear that they were changing a few things for the next term, but it is basically the same still.

I have a 3.79 GPA right now, and I scored well enough on the NET that I got all the points for that.

You will never know if it is too hard for you, if you don't just give it a try. Similarly, you can also sign up for a different program, and see how it goes, if you find that you can indeed do it, then you might feel you have more options.

Not everyone has the critical thinking skills to do the job. Not everyone is cut out for it, but at this point, I think you just need to decide on something, put your heart into it and jump in. It's only school. If it isn't right, you correct it along the way. If you keep second guessing yourself, you will never decide on anything.

Good Luck.

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Of course nurses have a lot of responsibility but having a degree doesn't make one responsible as I said the greatest nurses in history never had a degree but were the best so a degree doesn't determine you're going to be a great, responsible nurse because I've ran into some mean, irresponsisble nurses.

From someone I know who is a nurse, she told me that its not about competition in the nursing programs, its about there's so many who want to get into nursing and not enough people to teach nursing so of course enrollment will be limited, so there's going to be competition but not competitive for the right reason. I know some who get into nursing for the money and because there are where more of the jobs are at especially in Flint, I think nursing is the highest paying job in my area, those women who get into nursing for the money are the ones who usually don't have a heart, not compassionate, quick to see you and get you out.

Thanks gemberly, I know I'm so undecided, but I'm thinking and looking at the pros and con of everything.

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Of course nurses have a lot of responsibility but having a degree doesn't make one responsible as I said the greatest nurses in history never had a degree (do that make them incompetent as a nurse, some had schools named after them and their in the history books, I don't know any famous nurses around today) but were the best so a degree doesn't determine you're going to be a great, responsible nurse because I've ran into some mean, irresponsisble nurses, they knew their job, but that's it, they were just doing their job, I think as a nurse you have to have that added humility, compassion, and empathy, which college can't teach you.

From someone I know who is a nurse, she told me that its not about competition in the nursing programs, its about there's so many who want to get into nursing and not enough people to teach nursing so of course enrollment will be limited, so there's going to be competition but not competitive for the right reason. I know some who get into nursing for the money and because nursing is where the jobs are at, especially in Flint, I think nursing is the highest paying job in my area, those women who get into nursing for the money are the ones who usually don't have a heart, not compassionate, quick to see you and get you out, they made great grades in school but to me failed in the matter of the heart and how to treat people.

Thanks gemberly, I know I'm so undecided, but I'm thinking and looking at the pros and cons of everything. I've talked with some nurses and they say their overworked, its like they do the doctor's work, the doctors just come in for a minute to give his quick opinion but the nurses do all the work and some are underappreciated. One friend of my mother is a nurse and she said she wished she hadn't went into nursing.

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Practical nurses, patient care aides, and medical assistants, I feel sorry for because from what I hear a lot of them have to do the so-called dirty work or slave work that the nurses don't want to do, whatever the nurses don't want to do they make the LPN's, PCA's, and MA's do. The LPN's, PCA's, MA's work hard and get paid less, no "competition" to get into these programs, you can easily become a lpn, pca, or ma and you're still dealing with patients and having a lot of responsibilities so I think its unfair they get paid less. Why don't they need a degree? If nursing requires a degree then the job titles dealing with patients and having a lot of responsibilities should require a degree as well, not a certificate.

Competition shouldn't be the word used to get into a nursing program. I feel if you work hard and give your all you will succeed, it has nothing to do with others. Its up to you and how much your willing to give.

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Specializes in Home Health Clinician.

I highly suspect that a lot of nursing is like a lot of "jobs", if you go into it looking for praise then you probably need to do something else. You put your heart into it, you need to advocate for your patient, you are there to protect and nurture as well as a lot of other important stuff. You might do it because you are getting paid to do it there is nothing wrong with that being part of the reason, but if monetary reimbursement, and gratification is all you have, then you will be disappointed for sure.

Like parenting, if I go into it looking to be appreciated, then I am only going to be disappointed. If you go into it looking for love back, you might be disappointed. If you have love to give and you want your child to grow into a healthy happy individual in their own right, then your experience might be a better one. A small part of it, is about me, the rest is all about them.

Of course, I am still idealistic at this point. LOL :clown:

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