Questioning my decisions...

You should do what makes you happy. Am starting the FNP program in the fall and am excited about it. I don't sense the same from you. You need to feel good about what you do so follow your heart.

Have you considered shadowing a nurse in the health department to see what public health is like? They actually do a lot of women's health related things like STD checks, birth control counseling, etc - as well as immunizations and working within the community on preventative health measures. Both FNPs and RNs do these sorts of things.

It sounds like just getting a general MSN or putting your education on hold until you have a clearer idea what career path best suits your interests might be best for you at this time. If your school offers any sort of career counseling then I would definitely take advantage of that.

I concur with Lisalis 100%. But the question I am hearing in your post is that you don't know what will make you happy.

It sounds like midwifery has alot of appeal to you, so I would suggest you find a CNM or two and spend some time with them, see if you can shadow them, explore what being a CNM would be like. You should be able to get a good idea if you will like that role fairly quickly and then you can direct your education in that direction or in another direction.

If CNM isn't your thing, or your still not sure, I'd consider doing the same for community health nurses. But also remember, what you like now, may not be your ideal gig in 20 years. One of the great things about APRNs is once you have a CNM for example, you can get a post masters cert in say FNP in a relatively short time and add that to your practice. That also applies to an MSN in education, you could then get a post masters cert in one or more provider fields after that as well.

I would continue to work hard and get good grades in your FNP this semester, and then make your change after the semester is over.

Good luck to you Lisalis! The FNP profession deserves someone that is excited about it, and it's not that I think I wouldn't be okay with it, I just think that there are other things that I think I would love, and that's the important part.

My dad has spent a lot of time talking me out of being a midwife, and put an emphasis on me making up my mind...but there's so much to explore! And I'm not exactly sure why, but I let him talk me out of doing a lot of things. I think you're right and I really do just need to follow my heart.

Sadiemae1123 The public health nurse thing sounds truly right up my alley. Good idea. I was a "peer educator" in high school and we helped with sex education classes and also learned a lot about HIV/AIDS and I feel like I'm truly doing something when it comes to that sort of realm.

thanks Zmansc, good point regarding what I like now might not be ideal in 20 years. And yeah, it seems like there are a lot of post-masters options...

Yes, I agree with the others-it sounds like you need to shadow a few APRNs and see what you are drawn towards. NP school is hard work, no doubt about it. If you don't have a solid idea of what you would be intersted in doing when you finish youre going to have a hard time finding motivation to finish all of those papers and your clinicals..

Alison1489,

Remember that you don't necessarily need to focus your entire career on a certain area to be involved in it. Consider volunteering in different activities in your community or getting involved in local charitable organizations or local politics. An RN can be certified as a lactation consultant or childbirth educator if that's your interest. Or you could volunteer to provide nutrition education at local schools or parent groups. Organizing a community health fair or helping create a farmers market in an area that lacks access to fresh fruits and vegetables are also activities that could benefit from a nurse's input. You could also provide education in the capacity of an educated healthcare provider to local politicians whenever an issue of public health (like water flouridization, sex education, etc) came up for a vote.

Having an MSN focused on education and leadership could be very valuable in any of those situations. This can give you an outlet for you various interests without making a huge career or financial investment, as well as allowing you to change things up without a lot of hassle if you decide yo go a different route.

Basically all of those things sound like a great deal of fun, and something that I would enjoy. I think you're right and I think that I have made the decision that I basically already knew was the right answer, to go for the MSN in education and leadership right now. I think directly out of nursing school I was so focused on furthering my education that I jumped into something just to jump into something. I love the idea of helping the community as a whole and being involved in many different realms. Thanks for the insight sadiemae1123