sciencegal

Hi, I'm strongly thinking about going into nursing, but I keep on worrying working nights will be hard on me. I've been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and ADHD-primarily inattentive. I function pretty well on a day-to-day basis despite all of it, but I have a harder time than others after a night with little sleep. I also have a hard time taking naps during the day, so all of this makes me worried how I'd do on nights. Is this something you just have to try and see if you can handle? What would your advice be for me? Also, I keep hearing people mention they have a "rotating schedule", what exactly does this mean? Thanks everyone, I realize it'll be a while before I'd actually have to deal with this (i haven't even applied to nursing school yet!), but it's something that makes me hesitant about nursing as a career. Also, I might try and get a part-time CNA or PCA job, and this would probably come up for that too.

Thanks everyone for your help, you've really given me a lot to think about. So as a CNA my best bet for employment would be in a nursing home? That wouldn't really be my first choice, but if that's what it takes to get my foot in the door than that's all right. I hadn't really thought at all about licensed vs. unlicensed positions. Am I correct in thinking that some places will train you themselves? I'd rather avoid spending the time and money on a CNA program, since I'm already going to be taking classes at community college this fall. But if necessary to get or keep a job I could get certified (as long as it wasn't outrageously expensive). Thanks for your perspective ctmed. A community college nearby has a COTA program, and I've thought about that route as well. I may have to look into it more and shadow someone, because OT does sound interesting.

Hi everyone, I'm a college student who's undecided about their major. I'm considering becoming a nurse, but I'm also considering psychology or special education. If I went the nursing route I'd really like to be a psych nurse, and maybe go to grad school for psych nursing evntually. The thing is, I really need a part time job to help pay for my living expenses while in school, and a CNA/PCA job seems like a great oppurtunity to get my feet wet in the nursing field and see if nursing is what i wnt to do. They also tend to get paid better than fast food/retail/other minimum wage college kid jobs. I'm just worried that most CNA jobs get given to people who are already in nursing school or are sure about nursing as a career. Is that the case or am I incorrect in assuming that? I'm more interested in nursing than psych/special ed, but I'm waiting to job shadow and get some opinions from people working in the field first. I'm a hard worker and would love a full-time job, I don't care about what shift it is at this point. I currently work in fast food for minimum wage, and am only getting about 8 hours a week at that job. I've also been working in a factory, but that's only for the summer because it's day shift (7-3) mon-fri and that doesn't work well with a college schedule. Also, I'd love some advice on choosing nursing vs. psychology or special education. One thing that attracts me to psych/special ed is I'd love to work with kids with autism as an ABA therapist. But even if I became a RN I could always work as an ABA therapist if I decided it was a better fit, because it's not necessary to have a psych background, you just need a bachelors degree. I also like the idea of working with women to help with depression and other emotional issues. One thing that attracts me to nursing is the possibility of becoming a psychiatric NP and getting to help with diagnosing/prescribing. I also am not sure I want to be in a therapist or counselor role. Sorry this was so long, can't wait to hear what you have to say.