Objective Opnion: Nursing? Yes/No

[orro, BSN, RN]

I want some real objective advice.

I never really thought about nursing as a career option because my parents always told me that I should do it and I was pretty reactionary when I was younger but now at this point in my life it's starting to look like a more attractive profession. I wanted to get some objective opinions on whether I might be a good RN and while I understand deciding what you want to do professionally is a personal decision it's always nice to have individuals who work in the profession tell you to go for it or run for the hills.

Basic info about myself: 25 yrs ( soon to be 26), female, BA in sociology, cumulative gpa 3.46

Things I know about myself:

• I love people! After doing customer service jobs for years, studying sociology in college and working at a homeless shelter, I've discovered that I love talking to diverse groups of people. I love learning about family customs, values and perspectives.
  
• I like physical work. Last year I worked for the forest service briefly and loved hiking in with a 90 lb backpack on my back and a pick mattock in hand. I just hated not being by people. It was incredibly boring socially.
  
• I hate desk jobs. I've been working at the desk job for the past year and I can't stand having to sit all day!
  
• I want to do a job that directly helps people and where I can learn new things all the time. I don't want to be a gate-keeper to services but want to directly give those services.
  

I come from a family of nurses. Parents are RNs. Sister's working her way up to a RN from a MA. I was always taken to hospitals and skilled nursing homes when I was little to watch my parents work. I saw all the gross stuff they dealt with and honestly it's always been a weird goal of mine to help out on cysts removal. I just find stuff like that fascinating!

I just applied for some MSW programs( because my BA in sociology and my love of vulnerable populations) but have doubted that career path ever since I put my application in. From the low pay to the idea of working a desk job, it seems silly to go to school to do a profession that I'm already dreading.

The one hesitation I have about nursing is the education. My gpa isn't stellar and last time I took Botony and Pre-cal, even though I loved both, I only got a B in both of them. So I'm stuck because in one profession I could handle the education but would probably not like the job and on the other hand I think I would like the work environment but I'm unsure about the education.

Right now I'm planning on taking a CNA class and two pre-req classes to see if I have what it takes.

[valliloves]

Hey, I come from a family of nurses as well who keep telling me that I would be very beneficial to the industry. It was suggested to me to enroll in a CNA training program to see if the career is right for me. They said I would know within a small amount of time whether or not it fits and the time/money it takes will be minimal in the scope of things. I just wanted to come along and let you know you aren't the only one with this story. Also, best of wishes to you in your journey of figuring it out. The education required will not seem like such a big deal compared to helping other people and making a difference. Just be sure you know the realities of being a nurse (the not so positive aspects) and if you can handle those things. Based on your list of personality traits, I think you would make a fine nurse!

[windsurfer8, BSN, RN]

You have good grades. You could do an ABSN program. Why are you going to take CNA courses? If you have decided to be a nurse the quicker you get to it the quicker you are done. I would start applying because that takes quite some time anyway. Start checking out schools that have ABSN. Most have minimum of 3.0 on previous bachelors which you have. Find out if you have their prereqs done or what you need to do and start application process. If you decide during the months it takes to get accepted and start you don't want to do it you could quit.

[orro, BSN, RN]

It's always nice to hear about others in similar positions. It's funny but my parents did not suggest doing a CNA program. They said doing something like MA would be more like nursing but for them they haven't done floor nursing in a very long time. I feel like it's always best to start from the floor up. CNA programs are short and I've heard from other nurses that they prepare invidiuals clinically for what it's like being a floor nurse.

I watched a video of a panel of ABSN students being asked questions about what it's like being a nursing student and I was so surprised that when someone asked who had previous healthcare experience only 3 out of the 10 people raised their hand! Those 3 had been CNAs. I would assume someone who has worked in that particular environment would know better whether they wanted to be a RN then someone who got really good grades and but only worked at Starbucks!

[valliloves]

A few years ago, I went to beauty school because I thought it would be a great stepping stone. Well, 3 years later and $20K, I decided that it's not for me. At least with a CNA program, it will be a $1500 lesson rather than $20K. Also, aside from that, I'm 30 years old. I know who I am now and I know what fills me with joy more than anything--helping people. I don't care about money. My identity is in building relationships with people and encouraging them. Aside from that, I have been through and survived a lot of traumatic things in life. I have seen things that nobody should ever have to see. So, I know that I'm strong enough emotionally to deal with the stress, trauma, and hardships that nurses have to deal with every day. That's why I will most likely go into LTAC.

Like you, I've always had a heart for vulnerable people. From being around nursing homes as a kid when my Mom was working in them, I saw a lot of injustices against the elderly by other healthcare workers there. It was awful, but I watched my Mom....how she treated those people with dignity and so much love. She even had patients leave that nursing home and follow her to the new one she went to.

You seem to have a very good head on your shoulders. Yes, that's probably true, re; your last sentence. Here's how I think of it. Some people know all of their lives what they want to be when they grow up. There are some who do not. That's what is so great about life and where we live. We have the opportunity to try things out to see if we will fare well or not.

My cousin is in her 2nd semester of nursing school. She did a CNA program first to see if she would like it and she loved it. She says it is one of the most rewarding careers anybody could ever enter into. My Mom said, the hardest part of the job for her was when someone died and also, she says that some coworkers alienated her for always following protocol and because she got praised so much by her patients.