If nursing if right for me

[student_to_be]

I have just started back in school and I'm thinking nursing might be the right choice for me. I just want to make sure that before I take the dive into nursing I am making the right choice.

The thing that got me started on this was my best friend. She just finished her nursing program and when I went to her pinning ceremony I felt very touched by the whole thing.

I like the idea of helping people every day, not sitting at a desk all day, and scrubs look oh so comfortable. Once you get into nursing, is it as rewarding as I invision it to be? I really want a sense that I have in some small or large way made a postive impact in a persons life.

The thing I am most worried about is that I will spend years of schooling and money to specialize in something that I will not end up enjoying. I also have a slightly weak stomach when it comes to certain things and I don't want to be passing out on people. I have heard from a few other nurses that once you get into the field things like this will pass and I will get used to it.

Thanks for any feed back you are able to give.

[sweetpealoubylou]

Hi student to be.

I saw your post and remember asking myself the same question when i considered nursing.

Im starting my nursing course in Oct and to be honest I cant wait for the challanges ahead. I had tried various careers from admin to cleaning and always felt i wanted to do something in medicine so I chose nursing, I have to admit 3 years was a long wait to get onto my course but i know it is worth it, have you considered doing some voluntary work at your local hospital. Might be a good idea that way you can see what environment you would possibly be working in. I asked if I could shadow a nurse just to get a better idea. I had also previously worked in a nursing home although i enjoyed the clients I was unhappy with the home itself as they had failed to provide me with adaquate training which in the UK was breaking the law. So consequently i left feeling upset as I thought It wasnt the right choice for me. This was followed by a stint as a volunteer ward helper. Eventually I went into advocacy to gain some more experience around mental health patients and it led me to doing three hours advocacy on an acute mental health ward and by heck it changed my thoughts and reinforced the choice for nursing. You could possibly research what sort of area of nursing you would like to go into, or parhaps speak to a careers advisor. If you still arnt sure the possibility is there to do work as a carer in a nursing home or as a nurses assistant that way you'll know for definate whether its right for you. As for the weak stomach try not to worry it will pass once you are used to it. Im sure most nurses will tell you tales of things that made them go weak and light headed but it passes eventually.

Good luck and i hope this helps

Lou :monkeydance:

[willdgate]

Take it slow, no profession is perfect, however nursing can suck sometimes, because of the lack of respect some nurses have for each other, its long and hard, but if it is something you want to do, do it, and prevail

[Fightin'Irish24]

I have been thinking the exact same things as you are! I'm trying to decide between MA and LPN or RN. Its a very hard decision because they seem to be so different and make different salaries. The way I've been looking at it is if we are that determined to help people and are interested in the medical field, we are doing what will make us happy! I too hate doing office work all day and will not do that for the rest of my life...:wink2:

[Irishowl]

I was about 23 when I started to think I wanted to be a nurse. I was afraid to make the leap though because I worried I wasn't cut out for it. So, I became a CNA. I spent 2 1/2 years in long term care, then started working at a hospital. I've been at the hospital for 3 1/2 years and I'm working on my pre reqs for the nursing program.

Working as a CNA has given me alot of confidence that this is the career for me. Also, the experiance has been invaluable because I'm very comfortable dealing with Dr's, nurses, patients and families.

Good luck!

[Jules A, MSN]

Hi,

I also wasn't sure nursing would be for me so I applied to the LPN program. I figured I could get through a year of anything but two, three or four years of misery didn't sound so inviting, lol. The great news is that I found that I love nursing and its a great fit for me. There are so many different things nurses can do so I'm really glad I gave it a try. Good luck with whatever you decide. Jules