Potential LPN, Too worried to attend school?

rhondaa83 · Jan 30, 2018

If you are having anxiety already, you might regret it.

Being a nurse is very stressfull.

OldDude · Jan 30, 2018

As they say in basketball...you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. You imagine you want to be a nurse and you imagine you're afraid of hurting someone. The only way you'll arrive at reality is to actually experience it. Go for it, take one day at a time, and see how reality shakes out.

Sour Lemon · Jan 30, 2018

Hello,
I have just been accepted to an LPN program. I have been thinking of attending nursing school for several years and have finally taken the first step. I am in my 40s and am a very cautious person. I like to be well prepared and do not want to harm anyone. I find myself very drawn to nursing, and love to take care of people, but find this at odds with my anxiety about making a mistake and hurting someone, particularly with medications. My thought is that working as an LPN in a doctor's office setting might be the most feasible for me considering these worries. My deposit for school is due in a few weeks and I am trying to decide if I can really be a nurse without worry consuming me. I will be very disappointed not to pursue nursing, and I don't want fear to prevent me from doing something great, but I also don't want to place myself in a situation which will make me unhappy and anxiety ridden. I had trouble sleeping last night trying to reason this out and I don't want this to be the case every night in the future. Any advice on how to proceed and does the choice of LPN in a doctor's office sound like a good one considering these worries? Did you have these worries and how have things gone for you as a nurse? Thank you very much for your help!

A few things to consider:

1. What are you doing for work now and what do you like/dislike about it?

2. How are you paying for school? If you have the cash for school and it doesn't work out, you're back to square one. If you end up deeply in debt and it doesn't work out, that's quite different.

3. What will you do if you can't find work in a clinic? The majority of "nurses" working in doctors' offices are actually medical assistants. And when actual nurses are hired, the pay is usually much less than those nurses would make elsewhere.

4. How employable are new graduate LVNs in your market? And are you willing/able to move if you need to? Are you willing/able to work any shift?

5. While you will certainly take care of people as a nurse, medical care is also big business. Your care will need to be quick and efficient in most cases. There's not a not of time for listening, hand holding and tender conversations like the nursing care we see on television. People who jump in with an overly romanticized view of nursing tend to be disappointed.

6. Some anxiety about the potential to harm people is normal, but if you're a very anxious person in general, that's something you should have under control before you start school ...and especially before you start work.

7. As much as people love to say that age is just a number, nursing can be very hard on the body, especially the types of jobs that are typically available to new graduates. I don't know what you're doing for work now, but consider that you might be doing a lot more walking, lifting, bending, pulling, etc. I've noticed a huge difference in how my body tolerates the demands from the time I started (about 8 years ago) til now. That being said, some "older" adults have no issues.

Birdie3 · Jan 30, 2018

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate your input and advice!

xxstarrynitesxx · Jan 31, 2018

I agree with what the other posters said above. I also wanted to throw in... are you currently seeking any help for your anxiety? I am sure what the extent of it may be for you, but I also like to encourage everyone to seek help if at all possible. This may help to strengthen you and work out some of your fears.

Birdie3 · Jan 31, 2018

The anxiety is surrounding this issue so I agree it could be helpful to talk to someone to figure out. It definitely helps having the advice of those who are there now as well. Thank you for the input!

xxstarrynitesxx · Jan 31, 2018

The anxiety is surrounding this issue so I agree it could be helpful to talk to someone to figure out. It definitely helps having the advice of those who are there now as well. Thank you for the input!

I just also wanted to add that I am nervous/anxious myself. I finished my prerequisites this past Fall and the application period for my program (well the Program I want to get into) opened at the beginning of January and closes this Thursday.

Like many programs, mine is very competitive and I was so worried about what the points system since this last Fall was the first time they changed it. After attending a workshop/hearing from the evaluator himself, talking with current students, and a student who just got accepted I felt more at ease.

It is ok to be worried since have not started school yet and do not have on the job experience as nurses. Fortunately, I do not think many employers allow new nurses to practice without a preceptor! Medicine is about teamwork :)

Birdie3 · Jan 31, 2018

I just also wanted to add that I am nervous/anxious myself. I finished my prerequisites this past Fall and the application period for my program (well the Program I want to get into) opened at the beginning of January and closes this Thursday.
Like many programs, mine is very competitive and I was so worried about what the points system since this last Fall was the first time they changed it. After attending a workshop/hearing from the evaluator himself, talking with current students, and a student who just got accepted I felt more at ease.
It is ok to be worried since have not started school yet and do not have on the job experience as nurses. Fortunately, I do not think many employers allow new nurses to practice without a preceptor! Medicine is about teamwork :)

Thank you xxstarrynitesxx. I appreciate you sharing this. I too was worried until I attended an information session and was encouraged to apply. Good luck to you!!