is nursing for me?

I'm having doubts. During my maternity clinical I saw aa delivery and I was fins through the delivery but when the umbilical cord was hanging out I started feeling nauseous and thought I was going to pass out. This also happened the first time I saw a csec. I'm starting to wonder if I can do this job. I feel like mentally I could handle it if I desensitized myself but I don't know if I enjoy it either. I loved maternity mostly because of the babies but most of med surg classes I hated, besides for cardiology because I felt like I was busy. It's hard to tell also because most of my clinical teahcers have been terrible and haven't really had us do anything besides for an assessment and occasionally giving out meds. We kind of got the bad luck of the draw in out clinicals. I had 1 or 2 teachers that were good but now I feel like I'm a little behind than most people in their 3 rd semester. I've never put in foley or started an IV. Is that normal? How do I know if this is for me, some people do all this schooling and end up being miserable.[/quote']

Nursing isnt for everyone AND also, nurses have different specialties as well such as wound care, maternity, cardiology, med surg, intensive care, etc so explore your options.

Some people find out during clinicals that nursing isnt for them, some people become cnas and find out and some people find out in the work place that nursing isnt for them. Good Luck with everything.

There are different areas of nursing to get into. OB just might not be your thing.

you felt a little dizzy but you didn't pass out or vomit, I take that as a good sign :)

You have more time, you might not do all the skills your classmates have done, but I"m hoping your school at least teaches them to you so when the time comes you'll know what to do, right?

Buddy up with nurses at the hospital. Answer call lights. Show them you're there to learn and do and see and they'll see that you mean business and might ask you for help or let you see procedures they're doing. That's what I've done and I'm rarely bored and I'm always learning new things. Look at your clinicals differently, perspective is everything

Nothing to get excited about. I passed out with every lady partsl delivery to the point I was barred from the delivery rooms! I got through via working with a C-Section delivery and following the baby through peds...that was over 35 years ago and I just never did anything with L/D in my career.

is nursing for me?

The short answer to your short question is, maybe/maybe not...

I'm having doubts.

Doubts are good. I think anybody considering this vocation should give it some serious thought... it's not to be undertaken lightly. You need to think about *what* you want for your life and *why* you think nursing might help provide it for you. We all have different reasons for why we've chosen to do this and why we keep at it... you need to find those for yourself.

During my maternity clinical I saw aa delivery and I was fins through the delivery but when the umbilical cord was hanging out I started feeling nauseous and thought I was going to pass out. This also happened the first time I saw a csec.

I used to be terribly squeamish... almost barfed once cleaning up my dog's poop, would gag at even the sound of someone barfing, and nearly tossed my cookies the first time I changed my own baby's diaper. I can recall at least four times that I vagaled in response to pretty mild stuff.

Now, I'm not the hardest of the hard asses but I'm pretty tough. It's like anything... you become acclimated to it.

I'm starting to wonder if I can do this job. I feel like mentally I could handle it if I desensitized myself, but I don't know if I enjoy it either.

These are two different issues that you seem to be mixing together... "can" means being able... and I think most people are able to do this work with proper education, training, and experience. Whether you "enjoy" it is a whole other issue - completely unrelated to "can."

There is much about my job which I not only don't enjoy but which I actually and actively dislike... which is why I insist that they pay me well for doing it.

I loved maternity mostly because of the babies

Well, if it's all about babies for you then you might consider infant daycare... lots of babies all day long. I like babies well enough but I find them wearing after awhile.

but most of med surg classes I hated

I hated med-surg... the clinicals and being a med-surg nurse... and when I do med-surg boarding in the ED...

because I felt like I was busy.

Yeah, that's the reality of most hospital nursing... busy, busy, busy... I work my butt off in the ED... it's busy as h-e-double toothpicks (to quote Col. Potter)... which at least makes the time go by... and is actually better than not being very busy

It's hard to tell also because most of my clinical teahcers have been terrible and haven't really had us do anything besides for an assessment and occasionally giving out meds.

I'm chuckling because I would've said something similar when I was in nursing school but I've now come to the conclusion that nursing students should be spending the vast majority of their time doing NOTHING BUT ASSESSMENTS since that is the foundation of all nursing practice... the skills can be taught but then need practice/practice/practice in order to attain proficiency... which is never going to happen in nursing school simply because there just aren't enough opportunities...

It's all about assessing, either generalized or focused... assess, assess, assess... You may think your teachers suck but you may come to realize that either (a) they've done a much better job than you thought or (b) that they play a fairly minor role in your becoming a successful nurse.

I've never put in foley or started an IV. Is that normal?

In nursing school, I did 1 Foley, 0 NGs, and 3 IVs on patients (and about 5 on classmates). Given that it takes something along the lines of 20 sticks to become minimally competent and many, many more to actually become good at it, who cares what you get in school besides the basic introduction... that is, how to not harm your patient in the process.

Realize also that there are many different pieces of equipment that different hospitals use so the actually practice in school may or may not be of any real use.

The psychomotor stuff comes with practice... which comes with working... which is why experienced nurses are what people prefer to hire.

How do I know if this is for me

Back to my original point... what are you looking for in a job?

some people do all this schooling and end up being miserable.

Which can be said of teachers and preachers and accountants and engineers and physicians and...

What do you want? What are you looking for in nursing?

ps - the education really isn't all that by comparison to some so bailing out at the end isn't quite as dramatic as it sometimes would appear.