Oh goodness.........

joannep · Apr 5, 2008

Hi,

Entering anything new is scary, and a new career path is a huge step.

Please remember that people post on here because they need to vent, ask for advice etc, many times they are in crisis mode.

I have been a nurse for many years and I have faced several crisis moments in my career, but, my life and career is not one big crisis that never resolves. I have loved being a nurse and would do it all again in a heartbeat, for me being a nurse is not just a job it is a life style!

I hope you find your path and if it doesn't lead you into nursing that doesn't make you a lesser person.

Good luck

yuyu75 · Apr 5, 2008

Kind words Joannep, the thing is, even if i do take another career route, I know in my heart, no matter where I am in life, I will always wonder "What if....(I just stuck it out and went into nursing)." I will always have that yearning...... :scrying:

Wendy_RN · Apr 5, 2008

Please don't get discouraged by reading some of the messages. If you truly want to be a nurse you can do it. No one is going to tell you that it is easy, but most here will tell you that it is worthwhile. This is a wonderful place to vent to others who understand. Don't get caught up in reading the threads where others are venting and think that it is always an uphill struggle. Like any profession, you take the good with the bad. If nursing is what you want to do the good will outweigh the bad. (now remind me I said that the next time I vent)

joannep · Apr 5, 2008

Hi,

If this yearning comes from your heart, then you need to follow it. Otherwise, you are right, you will always wonder "What if ..."

Your life is yours, to enjoy!

Agnus · Apr 5, 2008

Thousands upon thousands have become nurses and it's not for the faint at heart:yawn:

NHCNurse · Apr 5, 2008

I am a 32 yo former stay at home mom and currently a nursing student. You will learn in your 1st nursing and healthcare class that you are at your learning prime. I am 100x's the student I was 15 yrs ago. It is hard, but if it is really what you want to do it is well woth it!

WannaBeNrse · Apr 5, 2008

Hey there,

i am 27 and the mother of two little girls, and I started going back to school one year ago. I will start nursing classes in January. And trust me, ever since I got that acceptance letter (or, well, at least after the first euphoria had passed), I have been SCARED. Sometimes I think I can't do it. But I won't let that stop me. I'm just gonna keep going and keep learning.

Academically, adult students usually do better (it's true for me- i was a lazy B/C student in hs and get straight A's now), but it's not the academic part that scares me, it's the practical one. And everything that goes along with nursing - the responsibility, the misery you are gonna see every single day and have to somehow learn to cope with, the stress.... and sometimes I really feel like I was crazy for choosing nursing.

But then I look at all the other students, and even nurses for that matter..... and chances are, they are no more or less competent/confident/intelligent than I am, and somehow, they're doing just fine. We can do this. If you really want to be a nurse, then just tell that negative little voice to shut up :-) Just keep going and see where it takes you. That's at least what I intend to do :-)

Good Luck to you!

bassandtea · Apr 5, 2008

Never leave yourself to wonder ¨what if?¨

Nursing school can be hard, and for me at least, even when it feels impossible I still love it. I had never thought of becoming a nurse until last year when I went through some major re-evaluating of my life. Now each day I go to school, each time I pick up a book to study I´m reminded of just how much I am loving being a nursing student.

It is hard at times, but for me that´s one of the things that is making it so rewarding. I work hard, and I can see the work paying off and it´s a great feeling.

mauxtav8r · Apr 5, 2008

Also, remember, these boards are great, but who is going to post up "I had a fine day. Nothing exceptional. Just a good day. Did my job, came back home."

People post when things are really bad or really great, and much more of the really bad.

Learning to be a nurse is a PROCESS. You can learn. You cannot learn it in a day. If you want to give nursing a try, give it a try, but, as much as I love Allnurses, it is not nursING.

When I was in your shoes I was so hungry to get my hands on any information that would allow me to peek into a crystal ball and tell me if this was the right decision. Two kids, supportive DH, but I was very unsure. Years in a very different professional environment did zero for my confidence at the bedside.

After starting school, really that first few weeks, several classmates got out. You will see things pretty soon that either help you know you are in the right direction or scare you away for good. Hospital smells, people issues, academic issues (yes, it is hard, but it is do-able).

You will likely regret more the things you never tried than the pang of changing direction after you find out for sure.

I was scared, too. I graduate soon and I still don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I'm still working through the process.

And one last thing, our "safer" options often aren't all that safe, either.

Good luck.

mom4josh · Apr 5, 2008

I started NS when I was 39 and a mom of a 7 year old. In my last semester, my elderly and grumpy father came to live with us for a while, I was in turmoil with my husband, and I didn't think I could make it. Finally, when I made an awful med error (gave the wrong meds to a patient), my instructor told me I should drop out and consider social work. I thought about it and said to myself, God opened the door for me to go to school at just the right time, and I'm not going to waste the past three years just so I can start over to do something I don't want to do.

I graduated with honors in 2001 and have never looked back. It's been the most rewarding, fulfilling, exhausting, frustrating, exciting, and sometimes scary job I could ever imagine and I know that this is where I was meant to be. I have been working in oncology for 6 years and love every minute. One thing I have learned is that the most difficult things in our lives is often the most rewarding in the end.

Don't let anything or anyone, especially your fears, ever get in the way of your dream! Go for it!

kakamegamama · Apr 5, 2008

Oh, how well I remember....I wanted so bad to drop out of nursing school my 3rd year of a 4 year program because it was hard & I was scared. I am SO glad I didn't. If I, who was shy and insecure, etc., etc. can do it, anyone can. Hang in there & don't let the frustrated venting of sometimes struggling students and nurses keep you from following your dream. It'll be worth it & you won't have to look back over your life and "what if" for the rest of your life. Best to you!