Nursing student about to graduate who dislikes nursing--advice?

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Hi,

I will be graduating soon with my ADN. I went into nursing because my previous career had become very difficult to make a living at and is becoming obsolete (medical transcription) and I was newly divorced. I was also sick of working from home and feeling like a hermit all the time, chained to a computer. I felt I needed to go back to school to find a career that would allow me to support myself financially and offer me some sort of job security (I know, no job is secure definitely) and satisfaction--I really wanted to care for people. I always enjoyed medical, so I thought nursing would be a viable option, although admittedly I never considered it in the past. My real interest lies in counseling and therapy but after speaking to friends in that field and for various reasons (pay, up and down nature of client load, etc.) , I thought choosing nursing would be better.

Now that I am near the "end of the road", so to speak, for nursing school, I realize I am not liking nursing at all. I work in a hospital on a busy floor as a tech and I watch the nurses and see what they deal with--I realize I don't want to be a nurse! Feeling kind of conflicted on what to do next--I want to pursue a bachelor's to give myself options away from bedside nursing and possibly into counseling, but not sure whether to pursue a BSN and just do my time on a med-surg floor for a year and try to go to other areas of nursing or just get a bachelor's degree in something else altogether where my RN degree isn't wasted but I can get away from bedside nursing (I'm interested in nutrition, physical fitness, holistic health, counseling). I don't think I want to pursue an advanced degree at this point in the future because I'm in my late 40s and I'm tired! Sorry for the long post--I'm sure it is redundant as others have posted similar things, but I would ask for input from any who have contemplated the same and come up with any answers for themselves! Thanks :)

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I don't have any words of advice to give you as I am in a somewhat similar position as you. You are not alone. I wish I did not change my career to study nursing.

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Ever consider psych nursing? Lots of counseling, not so much of the medical stuff, and it might be a good experience for future jobs..

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Yes, I have considered psych nursing. THAT does appeal to me much more than traditional nursing. I had thought of pursuing an advanced degree as a psych NP but I guess I'm a bit conflicted whether to pursue that...is it worth the time and money spent on an advanced degree? Are there enough jobs?

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Also I am wondering if that old wisdom about "working at least a year in med-surg as a new nurse before pursuing a specialty" applies here--should I not just try to get a job in a psych facility out the door since traditional nursing isn't my bag anyway? Anyone "in the know", I would very much appreciate your advice.

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Why not call up some of the psych hospitals and ask to speak with the nurse recruiters about the possibility of starting with one of them? I'd include your state hospitals here. I'm not convinced that everyone expects a year of med surg experience before specializing.

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Thanks, that's a great idea. I appreciate it.

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Yes, I have considered psych nursing. THAT does appeal to me much more than traditional nursing. I had thought of pursuing an advanced degree as a psych NP but I guess I'm a bit conflicted whether to pursue that...is it worth the time and money spent on an advanced degree? Are there enough jobs?

If you have some inpt psych experience and the psych NP degree (which might end up being a DNSc) you can go into private practice. Plenty o' work in my neck of the woods. :)

In many states you have a physician psychiatrist as an associate but you do not have to work for this person or share a partnership. You can get prescriptive authority or have a physician associate to write prescriptions if needed. Look up the state nurse practice act, the part that specifically talks about advanced nurse practice specialties, to see how that works. You might find yourself intrigued. You can also go to the Specialties tab at the top of this page and go ask the psych specialists.

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Thanks, GrnTea! I didn't know you were a psych NP :) This idea really appeals to me--I guess I'm just tired right now so the thought of more schooling pains me, but it is necessary to get to where I want to be. Muchos gracias....

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I'm not a psych NP, but I am doing a case that needed me to look up their standards and scope of practice for my client, so they're fresh in my mind. :)

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OP, you are in control here. Nothing says you ever have to take the NCLEX. You can wait a bit too. Call around and see. Ask people to tell you "for real" ask if a NG has a shot at those positions. If your state is not putting money into mental health, then, you won't see much opportunity. Also, lots of psych facilities languish far more than your worst nursing home - at least in my area...

Once you become licensed as a nurse, suddenly all those peripheral job opportunities will vanish. Nobody wants a nurse, except a hospital and that's pretty much 2yrs thru 8yrs, you won't be considered many places until you have 2 years, and you need to start to watch your back after 8 years or so.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
Also I am wondering if that old wisdom about "working at least a year in med-surg as a new nurse before pursuing a specialty" applies here--should I not just try to get a job in a psych facility out the door since traditional nursing isn't my bag anyway? Anyone "in the know", I would very much appreciate your advice.

You do not need a year of med-surg first in order to have a successful psych career. It doesn't hurt, but it's in no way mandatory. Some of the best psych nurses I know went straight into the specialty.

So if you are interested in psych--or other non "traditional" nursing specialties for that matter--why not pursue it from the get-go?

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