Thinking of becoming a nurse

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I am 23 years old and just graduated from a university with a 4 year bachelor's degree. I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life while in school, and I majored in creative writing and Spanish. I live an outdoor lifestyle, doing things like camping, rock climbing, and hiking. For the longest time, I wanted to incorporate these things into my career. Anyways, after graduating in May I moved home with my parents and found a part-time job that I'm going to keep until I can get something more reliable..

I was recently talking to a cousin who is a male nurse out in Colorado and I was absolutely fascinated. I had never considered being a nurse, or going into healthcare (mainly because of the amount of schooling involved). After talking to him, it really sounds like a rewarding career choice and I have been giving thought to pursuing that route.

I have a few specific questions pertaining to this, though. One thing is I have always been a worrier. I tend to worry about small things pertaining to my health (as in, swollen lymph nodes, slight dizziness, etc) and think that there is something more wrong with me than actually is. A sort of hypochondriac, you could say, although I don't like to think of myself as that. I don't know how this would affect me in the workplace, or if nurses get sick often due to always being around other sick people, etc.

I am great with people, though, and enjoy helping people any chance I get. Also, I have my bachelor's degree from a 4-year university, like I said earlier, and my cousin was telling me that there are programs that I could take to have "fast-track" to nursing. My only concern would be that I did not take any biology/anatomy classes in my college, for core classes. He was even telling me that there are one-year programs, where the aspiring nurse goes to school from 8-5, 5 days a week, and then is a registered nurse after graduating. He called these people "one-year-wonders" :)

So mainly my two questions are if I would be in a good position (educationally) to pursue this, and if the hypochondriac tendencies would prevent me from excelling in this field. I also want to add that after graduating, I am debt-free (an important consideration these days!)

Thank you for reading this, and thanks in advance for any advice!

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Yup! One year programs exist for second degree/career people like you. My friend just finished up the accelerated BSN at Jefferson in Philadelphia. It was an intense year for her, but she made it through.

Don't worry about the classes you've take before- accelerated BSN programs cover all of that. Do a little bit more research at the schools around you and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of options you have that will allow you to become an RN.

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

I'd suggest you learn more about the role of the registered nurse and maybe shadow a nurse for a bit before you decide to go back to school. Nursing school and the nursing profession is a big commitment and it's not something you should start until you know that it's for you.

If you were "fascinated" by what your cousin was telling you, chances are you didn't get the whole story about his job, or his job is the exception, rather than the norm. Nurses often have to deal with short staffing, angry or aggressive patients, large patient loads, and a lot of responsibility. Don't get my wrong, I absolutely love being a nurse, but it's not always fun, or happy, or rewarding.

Can you see yourself doing a job that requires you to work 12 hours shifts (which quickly become 13 hours-14), weekends and holidays? Do you see yourself being happy doing a job where you have to clean up patients who have vomited or have diarrhea? How do you feel about death and caring for patients who are actively dying? Dealing with families who are scared, angry, upset and demanding?

I ask these questions not to sway you against a nursing career, but to encourage you to be informed. Many people think that being a nurse is about helping sick people, but it is much more complicated then that.

Also, consider the job market in your area. Right now, there are many more nurses than there are Nursing Jobs. It's not easy for a nurse, especially one without experience, to find a job. Peruse the threads here, especially your state forum and see whether or not there are jobs for new graduate nurses.

This is a big decision. Think about it. Good luck!

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Specializes in critical care.

Congrats on graduating, and debt-free nonetheless!

I don't have any experience with the health-anxiety issue. In fact, I have anxiety about almost everything EXCEPT my health, lol. But, my guess is that as you learn pathophysiology and assessment skills, you should be able to somewhat "triage" yourself. In other words, you will know what signs and symptoms are actually something to worry about, and which are more likely to be benign. Although, if you are a germaphobe, nursing might not be the career for you, lol.

Almost all accelerated BSN programs are going to require a few pre-reqs. Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology are the main ones, but it varies from program to program. Check out the specific requirements for the school you are interested. This list may not be completely up to date, but it's the best resource I found:

http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/pdf/APLIST.PDF

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From what I've heard, a lot of nurses go through the hypochondriac thing; especially while in school!

I am 23 years old and just graduated from a university with a 4 year bachelor's degree. I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life while in school, and I majored in creative writing and Spanish. I live an outdoor lifestyle, doing things like camping, rock climbing, and hiking. For the longest time, I wanted to incorporate these things into my career. Anyways, after graduating in May I moved home with my parents and found a part-time job that I'm going to keep until I can get something more reliable..

I was recently talking to a cousin who is a male nurse out in Colorado and I was absolutely fascinated. I had never considered being a nurse, or going into healthcare (mainly because of the amount of schooling involved). After talking to him, it really sounds like a rewarding career choice and I have been giving thought to pursuing that route.

I have a few specific questions pertaining to this, though. One thing is I have always been a worrier. I tend to worry about small things pertaining to my health (as in, swollen lymph nodes, slight dizziness, etc) and think that there is something more wrong with me than actually is. A sort of hypochondriac, you could say, although I don't like to think of myself as that. I don't know how this would affect me in the workplace, or if nurses get sick often due to always being around other sick people, etc.

I am great with people, though, and enjoy helping people any chance I get. Also, I have my bachelor's degree from a 4-year university, like I said earlier, and my cousin was telling me that there are programs that I could take to have "fast-track" to nursing. My only concern would be that I did not take any biology/anatomy classes in my college, for core classes. He was even telling me that there are one-year programs, where the aspiring nurse goes to school from 8-5, 5 days a week, and then is a registered nurse after graduating. He called these people "one-year-wonders" :)

So mainly my two questions are if I would be in a good position (educationally) to pursue this, and if the hypochondriac tendencies would prevent me from excelling in this field. I also want to add that after graduating, I am debt-free (an important consideration these days!)

Thank you for reading this, and thanks in advance for any advice!

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I think every week in pathophysiology, I convinced myself that I either had whatever diseases it was that week, or I was inevitably doomed to get them.

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From what I've heard, a lot of nurses go through the hypochondriac thing; especially while in school!

I went through the hypochondriac thing already and I'm not even in a nursing program yet- I'm just taking prereqs! I've never been a germophobe, but my Micro class has deterred me from drinking water from the tap and I'm very particular about my food selection now. (It's not so much the microorganisms that I worry about- it's the pharmaceutical run off in our water supply and the hormones/additives/genetic alterations in our food. It didn't help that my micro professor was a former food industry quality tester and told us horror stories on a regular basis).

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I think you should pay attention to thread #2, she makes some very valid points. You need to do a lot more investigation, before making a commitment to becoming a nurse.

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Specializes in critical care.

p.s. "male nurse" is not considered PC, it's just, "nurse." :)

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Good for you - You'll make a great nurse!

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p.s. "male nurse" is not considered PC, it's just, "nurse." :)

I thought the PC term was "murse". Haha. Totally :jester: kidding.

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Specializes in maternal child, public/community health.

As others have said, nursing school is a big commitment, even more so if you go the accelerated route. Maybe you want to consider getting a CNA and working for 6 months or more and see how you like providing intimate care for people (way different than meeting them in a store, etc) and to get an idea of how healthcare works for the workers.

If you do an accelerated program (which would make sense if you can since you already have a degree), you will have to take prereqs. I assume you already have plenty of English and other basics but you will have to have several science classes - anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and chemistry for sure - in addition to other classes which vary by school. I had to take stats which I think is common, public speaking (would not allow a work credit even though I had taught adult classes for more than 20 yrs), and a research class. You could always start taking a couple science classes and see how you like it.

If you do decide to go to nursing school, do a lot of research before choosing a school. I won't repeat all the info - you will find a lot on this site about what to look for in a school. The last thing you want is to come out with a lot of debt and find out you can't pass nursing boards because of a lousy program.

Like all jobs, nursing has its plus and minuses but it offers a lot of variety. Not all nurses work in hospitals. Perhaps you would be able to combine your love of the outdoors with nursing somehow and your Spanish will definitely be a help in healthcare. Ultimately, you have to decide. No one can decide for you that you will like it. Do lots of research in making your decisions. If you come up with some questions, this is a good place to get input.

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