Katlin1315

I hope it's okay to post this question in this forum because I was not sure where it would be best to put it. Would anyone suggest becoming a doula? I plan to continue with nursing and I was accepted into an adn program but I'm thinking I need to just finish prerequisites for a bsn program to fit my long term goals. So that's where becoming a doula comes into play. Since that would add a few semesters before I can even apply I was considering applying for a doula scholarship and taking the courses which would only be a few weeks long and then have continuing credits. I've always been super fascinated with birth and I am very passionate about women's health. I love working with new moms(I babysit and provide help with newborns). My dream is to become a nurse, get experience, then eventually try to specialize into either labor and delivery, women's health, or pediatrics. Then one day work for community health for women and infants and also get a lactation consultant credential. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to achieve my goals? Or just school/career advice? I apologize for the grammar. I'm currently writing this post while on break during my 3rd 12 hour night shift, so it might be a bit jumbled up.

Thanks everyone for all of the encouraging comments!!❤️

I agree! I try not to spend a long time talking to the patients if I haven't completed my assigned duties. Usually I'll have a conversation with them when I take them refreshments or if I'm rounding on them.

First, let me start by saying that the nurse who told me this was not being rude by the comment. And it didn't bother me, I'm actually looking to see if it would help with a specialty in the future. I am a brand new tech and she has taken me under her wing to show me a few things. We have completely different personalities; she's very outspoken and straightforward and I'm very agreeable and that's why we flow well(I made this comment because on the unit I'm on nurses and techs do not get along too well). She has often made comments about my kind heart and my eagerness to learn but she has also warned me staff might try to take advantage because I have a "soft personality", that I need to harden up because I'm too sweet, and I spend too much time letting the patients talk to me. I felt it was a little presumptuous. I will admit that I try to go out of my way to be nice. Yet, I do stand up for myself. I haven't had to do that yet at this job but I know if I had to I would. Or if it was standing up for a patients safety I would do that in a heartbeat. I may be very empathetic to others and try to please but I handle sad and hard situations relatively well. I come from a background of working with children, specifically infants through age 3, and I'm used to talking in a softer tone. Does that make a bad personality trait for a nurse? Is there any nursing specialities that might do especially well with those personality traits? Thanks in advance!! I'm sorry for the grammatical errors! My phone is terrible lol.

Thanks everyone for the helpful comments!! I really don't want to give up on nursing because of my current experiences. I just didn't know if me not liking my current job equates to me not needing to pursue nursing. I like the patient interactions, vital taking, and charting. Just some of the other stuff gets to me. I'm not sure if this is the hospital I'd like to be at when I graduate(maybe on another floor would be better) but I'm grateful they have given me the opportunity to learn something new.

I'm hoping the second interview goes well for the NICU. I've been interested in the NICU since my brother was a nicu baby. I've always been interested in pediatric nursing though.

Currently I'm overwhelmed at my hospital as a tech. I average 12-20 patients a night. All the techs and nurses say how good of a nurse I'll be. But I'm afraid if I can't make it through this tech job I won't be a good nurse or student nurse. I'll do the work and put a smile on my face through it but I'm being paid worse than I ever have(I took a paycut to get hospital experience) I worked with children and now I'm working on med surg and I don't think I can take it. I have an interview at a hospital in the nicu and they seem to really like me. Should I wait to judge if I'll like nursing by getting experience at another hospital in a different department? How many patients do student nurses usually have? I'm sorry if I sound ranty I'm just overwhelmed and I know everyone has to start as an overwhelmed tech. Thanks in advance for advice💕

Hi everyone! I recently accepted a position at a hospital as a patient care assistant on a med surg unit, where they are training me on the job. I've volunteered at a children's hospital but for the last two years I've worked as a teacher at a daycare but I needed something that worked with my nursing school schedule. So this is a completely new field for me plus I'm working night shift and my body is completely used to days. I feel extremely overwhelmed and like I'm too slow at everything. I keep telling myself it's only been a week so it will get better. I'm not used to working with older adults since every field I've ever been in has revolved around children.But I enjoy talking with the older adults, getting their vitals, and blood sugars but some stuff still freaks me out a bit; such as changing diapers, changing the bed sheets with people in the bed, bed baths,Foley care, and I'm constantly worried I'm going to hurt someone when repositioning them. It doesn't really bother me to do the stuff but I'm not sure I'm doing it right because even though I'm supposed to be trained no one is completely training me. I didn't know how to work with cleaning a room with basically a c diff explosion all over the room but I went in and helped the nurse because no one else would do it and that was overwhelming. Nights are also killing me because I feel like my personality starts to drag and I'm not quite functional like I am in the daytime. But im afraid I'll be a bad nurse because I'm so slow at some of the stuff, some stuff kinda grosses me out, and I just feel like a klutz. The nurse tech keeps telling me I am going to be so good at the job but I'm afraid I won't and that upsets me because I really wanted to be a nurse and help provide the best and safest care to patients. But maybe it's nights or being trained on the job or maybe I don't like med surg or working with older adults because my heart is with the kids. I just feel overwhelmed and wanted to make sure this doesn't mean I should back out of nursing. Because even though I can't imagine doing anything else with my life I don't want to be that bad nurse that people complain about because I'm too slow or klutzy. I want to be a caring and helpful nurse. Will I probably get better at tech duties over time? Sorry for the long post and the grammatical errors(sometimes my phone is hard to type on) thank in advance for any advice!!

I'm so blessed and amazed by all the support from so many!! Saying thank you a hundred times could not express my gratitude!! You all have really helped me to see that Im not dumb but need to find the way of studying works for me. I'm still in that process but I've gained many helpful ideas!! Today I had the realization that im viewing it all as so technical and now when I'm reading I look up the affects of each and every part so I know how it plays into diseases and also an overall healthy being! I found it fun to read real life examples. I'm not going to give up on a&p, Im going to work harder and smarter. Knowing these things aren't just for me but for the patients and their families, and by knowing that I am willing to give it my all! Tomorrow begins a new chapter where I get to shadow and provide assistance to the nurses and patients at a children's hospital, and I will go in with alot more confidence thanks to all of you:) Thanks again for the support and well wishes!

Thanks everyone for all the great advice and kind words!! It really means a lot to me! You've all listed tips that I think will really help. I try not to look at the homeschooling as too negative because I was there when my grandmother needed me the most and its taught me valuable life lessons. I still try to avoid mentioning the fact I graduated from a homeschool because so many tell me how odd it was that a sixteen year old had to fix medications,manage bills, and tend to my grandmother. It was a lot to manage but I feel blessed that I did. Again I can't thank you all enough!! Oh, and I hate to ask for anymore advice but is there a way to identify the tissues through the microscope better?

Morte yes I did have bio in high school and I had it last semester because it was a pre requisite to anatomy and I did good in bio so I have no clue why anatomy is confusing me so bad lol. Ive considered dropping the course but my grade in it is still good and I would love to actually grasp it. I agree with you RNinIN! I just got an internship at a children's hospital to shadow the nurses and provide support to patients so Im hoping that will give me an idea if I should continue! Thank you so much for your advice!! Brownbook im 19 and thank you so much for commenting and giving great advice!!

Thank you so much!! I love allnurses! It's such a great site. I really appreciate all of the wonderful advice Davey Do, it's a great idea to see about becoming a CNA or LPN first! And Lavenderskies I am definitely going to take your advice! I've watched a few YouTube videos and they seemed to help me grasp the concepts more, I'm a very visual learner but I also like to explain what Ive learned back to people so I gather the info. I am thinking about getting a tutor so I can make sure im grasping the concepts right. Thank you so much for your advice!!

I looked up histiocytosis and it truly is awful, I was so sorry to hear that for you and your family. I completely agree that the homeschool did not help prepare me for nursing. I attended public school with honors up until my tenth grade year when my grandmother fell ill and I had to take care of her daily.I hated not getting the education that I should have and I regret it deeply now. Thank you so much for your sound advice!!

Hi, I'm new to writing on the forum but I've been stalking the site for awhile lol. Growing up I always loved taking care of others, and when my baby cousin was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease I spent a lot of time in the children's hospital. I decided then to pursue nursing. I haven't gotten bad grades in science but I'm currently in anatomy and physiology and can not comprehend what the teacher is saying. I find it interesting but he teaches from the book and it's hard for me to grasp. I feel so dumb, I want to be a nurse and it breaks my heart that I don't understand the stuff that's being taught. I didn't have anatomy in high school I was homeschooled and my curriculum was really focused on the fine arts. I'm not bad at math and I do really well in English but I can't seem to think scientifically on test. Do I need to find another field of study? How do I learn anatomy? I've asked my teacher for help but he made me feel even dumber. I just took my first test and I haven gotten my grade back but I went in thinking I knew some stuff and came out feeling like a failure. I went to the school tutor but again I don't get what she means. I learn by applying things to real life and right now everything is so technical. I have no clue what to do, please help!!