PianoTiles

I've recently been offered two jobs -- chronic dialysis or allergy clinic. I've been applying to hospitals and have not heard back, and I feel like there is experience to be gained in any nursing job. I'm not sure which one to go with -- Dialysis: super close to where I live Seems challenging (and overwhelming and intimidating...) -- the amount of patients honestly scares me but I hear it becomes routine after a while Seems more hands on than the allergy position Might have to deal with asymptomatic covid patients (with appropriate PPE, of course!) Pay isn't bad to start out (more than 30 an hour) Allergy clinic: further away (almost 50 mins on a good day) Lots of support (the nurses and doctors are open to showing me the ropes...the manager seems super sweet and approachable as well!) Chill environment Hands on (from how it was described to me at least) Not sure about pay yet Not to happy about leaving my home 5 days a week LOL and driving for such a long time Lots of opportunity for a change in specialty with this organization (Internal medicine, plastic surgery, cardiology, etc....) Which position will help me grow the most as a new grad? Will either option limit my opportunities in other areas in the long run?

I've been accepted into all three, but I'd like to hear from people who have attended or know someone who has. I'm waiting for my credit evaluation to see how long it'll be to complete Lehman's and Hunter's programs. I can complete CUNY SPS by the end of fall 2021 if I take at least 3 3 credit classes.

Thank you. I'm trying to think of some nice things to do to celebrate in the future. I'm so sorry to hear that! Med school is brutal and I'm sorry he won't get to experience Math Day, but still, congratulations that he is graduating. That is an amazing accomplishment! I am, but I'm also allowed to express my sadness at never being able to experience pinning nor a nursing school graduation. I am sorry your classes have been suspended.

I just want to preface this by saying that I understand why it has to be done, but I’m still bummed. My school cancelled graduation and pinning. I don’t know why they’d do that rather than trying to postpone, but yeah. Again, I understand why but it’s something I’ve been looking forward to since my first semester and as I progressed through the program it was what kept me going after the mental breakdowns and all the tears. I can’t complain because we will still graduate on time and yes I will get my diploma which is what the ultimate goal is, but those are once in a life time experiences that have been taken away from all of us and I’m heartbroken. I think part of the reason why I was so excited is because in my family we don’t really celebrate anything. Birthdays and holidays tend to feel like any other day, but these days were going to be special and something that I could remember for the rest of my life.

I’m a second semester student. Last semester was so difficult and I barely passed, and that’s because my final grade was rounded. I struggled in lab, lecture, clinical...I felt like I was a mess, and it really made me question my common sense and intelligence. It made me question my choice in majoring in nursing. I started to contemplate switching majors and I still am tbh. I just feel overwhelmed all the time. The amount of material is a lot to digest, and then clinicals overwhelm me because I feel like I never know what I’m doing. I still fumble with bed baths(I feel as if I’m not organized enough and I tend to take too long imo). There’s always a fear inside me when I’m turning a patient because I’m scared that I’m doing it wrong or I’m hurting them. I’m still shaky on what I’m supposed to do/ allowed to do as a student. And I’m scared with transferring patients as well as I’m afraid that they will fall. I don’t feel confident in what I’m doing at all. It’s awful. And for my school, clinicals are only one day a week from 7 to 12, then from 12 to 1 we have post conference. So about 5 hours being on the floor. And I always feel lost. Everybody is sitting there talking about their patients in post conference and I’m struggling to connect the dots, struggling to connect key concepts and I just feel so stupid. I feel disconnected from everything now, in both clinical and lecture. I don’t know how else to explain it. In lecture I struggle to connect concepts as well. The answers that I get for different scenarios and situations always seem to be so far off from what the ideal answer should be. I feel like my brain isnt built to understand this stuff. Almost like I’m trying to fit a square peg into a round hole so to speak. and it makes me sad because I always wanted to be a nurse and spent so much time getting good grades for my pre reqs, only to end up struggling all the time. So many people in class seem to be so confident in clinical and think of clever ways to deal with situations and answer with the correct answers during lecture...and I always feel like I’m lagging behind. I’ve never felt like this in school and I don’t know how to handle it. I’m at a point where I can’t fathom caring for a patient in any shape way or form and I feel like I don’t belong in nursing school and I need to major in something else. I’ve always known that nursing was hard and it entailed caring for people, but nursing school has opened my eyes as to just what that truly can entail and I’m terrified. I’m terrified that I’m not smart enough, terrified that if so become a nurse I’ll be incompetent and not confident. I’m scared to have someone’s life in my hands and I feel like I want to jump ship and I’m ashamed for feeling that way. I just don’t know what to do at this point. I’ve always struggled with anxiety, depression and my self esteem and I feel like nursing school is just making it worse. And if I feel this way when I’m a student, what if it gets ten times worse working as an actual nurse? I wanted to be a nurse because I like helping people, I think the human body is really interesting to learn about and for practical reasons as well(job stability, livable salary, etc) and plus it seems like good, honest work. But again, maybe I’m not cut out for it. Has anyone else felt like this?

Hi there. You're right, confidence and competence comes with experience! This past semester definitely made me doubt my own intelligence for a variety of reasons, and its hard for me to see myself being a confident nurse who knows what their doing...but I guess I have to stop being so hard on myself. That's great that you found that being a nurse is way better than nursing school...that gives me something to look forward to!

I see what you're saying. It's great that there are so many options that don't involve life or death situations, but I just dont know if my heart is in it anymore. I've read so many stories of people who hated nursing school and thought about dropping out but ended up loving being a nurse...but then there are people who ignored switching their major when they should have an regret their decision. I definitely have a lot to think about.

Hi there, thank you for replying! I found out that I passed this semester by the skin of my teeth...I'm grateful that my program rounds up the final grade. I also did a lot better on the final exam than what I would have thought, which was a pleasant surprise. However, I'm still hesitant about moving forward...I have a few weeks to figure everything out.

Hi all. I just completed my first semester of nursing school, and I'm waiting to see if I passed or not. This semester truly was a rollercoaster, and I am glad that it's finally over so that I can finally relax. It was tough academically and emotionally, and I'm wondering if this is a field that's truly for me. I've realized that I'm scared to have somebodies life completely in my hands. I understood that prior to starting clinicals, but while in clinicals, it all started to hit me. Like, one day, I really will have someones life in my hands. What if I hurt them? Will I know what I'm doing? Am I smart enough? Can I do this? The fact that I failed some tests and barely passed others didn't necessarily help. Adding to that, I struggled immensely with depression and anxiety this semester. I think the stress of school really brought it out. Now that the semester is over, I feel like myself again, but I'm scared of getting to that point again next semester. I felt sad and irritated all the time, and found it harder and harder to be interested in the material the farther we got into the semester. I was extremely overwhelmed. The main reasons why I'm considering switching my major is again for the same reasons: I wonder if I'm smart enough (I made so many silly mistakes in clinicals, struggled so much with lecture and felt like a fish out of water in lab) and I wonder if I truly want the responsibility of having someones life in my hands. If I'm honest, I dont think I do, but I do realize that my self esteem and confidence took a hit as well. Adding depression and anxiety to the mix, I do not want to make a hasty decision that I will regret later. I've honestly always wanted to be a nurse, and when I was younger, I felt so excited by the prospect of being one. I really enjoyed anatomy and physiology, I enjoy helping people, I like how flexible and broad the field is. I like how you get to mix science through learning about medications and how they affect the body, with empathy. I'm amazed by how much nurses know, how they're able to think of their feet, all of that. I cant even begin to think of all of the critical thinking that goes into everything they do on a daily basis. Truly, I think they are amazing. I just dont think I'm cut out for it, and I dont know what else I would choose to major in. I've been looking into genetic counseling as it sounds interesting, but I'm scared that I'll look back and wish that I completed nursing school. But my heart and my mind just aren't in it anymore. I hope that this makes sense to you all...I'm just looking on some guidance as to what I should do. Thank you.

Hi everyone. I'm about to start my first semester of my ADN program next month. I have a health problem, and its causes me problems sometimes with flare ups...and its still relatively poorly understood, so there aren't any effective medications or treatments for it yet. Thankfully it is mild in comparison to the horror stories I've read online...I'm able to function, I just struggle with overwhelming fatigue,pain, etc. I dont know how long I'd be able to handle bedside nursing because it is very physically demanding, even for healthy people. So, I'm trying to plan for my future in the event that I will not be able to work bedside as a nurse doing 12 hours shifts. I've been looking into getting my masters in Genetic Counseling after I get my ADN and BSN, but im wondering if it is possible for me to become a nurse practitioner and specialize in genetics, similar to something that a genetic counselor would do/be? I'm hesitant because a lot of people are going down the route of becoming a NP, and I've been reading that this can negatively impact the salaries of NP... Im reading about whether or not a BSN would be an acceptable undergraduate degree prior to applying to Genetic Counselor programs, or if I should switch my major and get a Bachelors in some other science field...but any sort of information that you guys might know is greatly appreciated. Thanks :)

It's good to know that I wont have to restrict myself to rural areas. I much prefer living in a city...thanks for this advice...and I definitely will look into Tampa Bay Florida!

I will look into those places...however, I definitely am a summer girl so I'd probably be a little miserable during the winter months lol I live moreso in downstate NY, so I'm not sure if the winters are worse in western and central NY... Thanks for replying :)

Hello all. I'm going to be starting an ADN program this fall at my local community college. I originally planned to go for my BSN immediately, but I've decided to go for my ADN because it's so much more cheaper. I've been accepted into a private university located in Brooklyn to get my BSN, but as it stands, I would walk away with about 60k in student debt after grants and work study have been applied to my tuition, in addition a few scholarships. I'm still looking for scholarships to possibly go to that school tbh. Im 20, I have time to kill, and I think that it's good to get the BSN out of the way as to not limit my chances of being hired at a hospital. If that doesn't work out, I'll go for my ADN. On the other hand, I can pay for my ADN out of pocket. I'll be working during that time while saving up money to move out, and I wont be weighed down by loan repayments, so I'll get to enjoy my paychecks! Also, I will enroll in a RN/BSN program asap. By the time I get my RN, I'll be 23...I'd like to move out by that time, but I'm concerned about what area of the country still hires ADNs? I want to plan accordingly. That way, I can get situated in a new place prior to starting my RN/BSN bridge--I've been reading that a lot of those programs require that you're currently working as a nurse. I've lived in my current city from the time I was 8, and I want to experience something new and different. Any information is greatly appreciated.

Thats nice to hear! I just emailed them, for my own peace of mind haha Oh, before I forget...Do you guys plan on taking HIN 269 prior to admission into the nursing program? Im debating if thats what I would want to do, as it would require me to commute, and Im not sure if I could afford to commute to the city multiple times a week...im thinking of just doing it while in the nursing program.

That is certainly a relief...chemistry is a tough class for me, so im hoping the blood, sweat, and tears im putting into it will pay off in the future haha! When I call tomorrow, I will post what they've told me...hopefully it will help out a future nursing student who has the same question. Thank you so much.