Quitting Nursing School

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Hi,

I'm thinking of not going back to nursing school this fall. I completed my first of three years in an accelerated Bachelor of Nursing program. I have gotten all A's and a couple B+'s so I am not finding the content that difficult. I just feel like nursing is not for me. Most of my first year of nursing I was seeing a counselor since I was so lonely and depressed. I had no social life and the stress in my program in very high. In clinical I feel like I am "Acting" and not being myself. I got a summer job as a Health Care Aide and I find it mentally and physically exhausting so I don't know how I can do this forever. I feel like I am not meant to be a bedside nurse and am already thinking of how I would be significantly better in a managerial/administration position. So many people in my program said getting into nursing made them want to be nurses more or they feel "at home". Going to nursing school only made me question being a nurse. I'm 22 years old and start school in a month. I feel so burnt out from summer courses and working in the hospital. So I am wondering if you think I should do? The options I have thought of would be continuing for the next 2 years or taking a LOA from the program and trying business courses to see if I enjoy it more. It would be hard to quit since so much time/money has been spent, I have a good GPA and I would be finished school in 2 years instead of longer if I Switched majors.

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Specializes in ICU.

Maybe I am just a negative person, but I say quit.

If you are mentally and physically exhausted as an aide, you are in for a rough time as a nurse. I worked as a CNA during my senior year after completing a summer internship, and while it was a lot of physical labor, it was less emotionally stressful and a hell of a lot less responsibility than being a nurse.

I think you should congratulate yourself for realizing nursing is not for you so early, cut your losses, and go ahead and do something else. I am back in school now after working as a nurse for three years, and I just wish I'd realized before investing all of this time and money in nursing that it wasn't for me.

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Specializes in Surgery.

hmoge, If you aren't "Feeling it", then it may not be for you. Perhaps you feel like you belong in the healthcare field somewhere, but maybe nursing isn't the correct fit. Try some healthcare management courses and see if the business side is for you. It is best to step back and re-evaluate it if you have second thoughts. Once you complete the program, you will feel obligated to "Get your money's worth" and be unhappy. Good luck and I applaud you for making the decision. The biggest part of life is TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF. Don't let others push you in a direction you don't want to go.

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I would encourage you to think about this a bit more. Only reason being that your exhaustion working as an assistant may be stemming from the fact that you are stressed in general with school as well. Do you think you would feel different about nursing if you didn't have that pressure of grades/work?

All that being said, nursing isn't for everyone. I think you do need to see if you have other issues causing your depression/loneliness that is making you feel negatively towards nursing as a career, because personally I would hate to throw away that time/money due to other issues that I could potentially control.

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What made you major in nursing in the first place? Nursing school is not the same as day to day life as a nurse.

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If I needed to work, I'd probably press on with nursing school ...then I could decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life while making RN wages instead of CNA wages.

It's normal to "act" in clinical. There are many hospitals that actually encourage scripted communication when interacting with patients. It's somewhat normal to find work/school draining, as well. I think we'd all rather be doing something else.

You are young and may be somewhat idealistic. Nursing really may not be for you ...but make sure your expectations are reasonable.

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I went into nursing because I wanted to look back at my career and feel fulfilled knowing I helped people. But I didn't realize the amount of stress that would come with it and how poorly I would handle it. I also liked that nursing has many options to advance and job stability. I wish I liked it more but I don't. I know now I don't want to work at the bedside..after working as an aide it is not what I expected.

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Specializes in ICU.

There is not one thing wrong with deciding it's not for you. And who knows? Maybe in ten years after you work a career at one job, you may decide it is for you.

Just remember, nursing is not what everybody seems to think. It's not this job that will magically fix you life. You don't all of the sudden feel fulfilled in life when you become a nurse, despite what for profit college commercials lead everybody to believe.

Take what you do as a tech and multiply it by ten and that is the job of a nurse. It's everything a tech does, plus so much more.

Life is too short to be miserable. Do what makes you happy, not what everyone else thinks will make you happy!!!

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Can you state specific aspects that would, you believe, make you happy on a job? Regular daytime hours? Leadership? Hiring and firing, training and counseling others? Budgeting? Working usually weekdays, off on holidays and at night?

Do you like and feel comfortable around "bigwigs"?

I went to school with a peer who became a psychiatrist, another who became a dentist, others who are nurse educators, NP's, anesthetists, Managers of clinical areas, or midwives. Even a couple who own their own nursing-related businesses.

So keep searching until you find what is best and right for you.

You could be a nurse in the military or on a cruise ship or in occupational health, for example. A lot of nurses become pharmaceutical representatives or sales agents of durable medical equipment, for instance.

Lots of choices in Nursing. you could work on a movie or TV set as the first aid person.

Here's wishing you the best as you explore the possibilities.

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Specializes in LTC and Pediatrics.

You are saying that working as an aid it was not as you expected. One thing to remember is that the RN side of things is different than the aide side of things. Also, in nursing school, we don't really get the whole feel of what it is like being a nurse. I know my clinical experiences felt like being an aid with the addition of administrating meds. When it came down to it, we really didn't have too much say in planning cares and treatments. Nor could we make those independently. Is there anyway you can work less? Is there anyway you can take a management class now? Maybe you can combine your nursing with management as she sort of medical management position.

Other than what I have just said, if you truly feel that nursing is not for you, then yes, you should make the change before you finish it.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Moved to the Student forums.

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Just be honest with yourself. Quit if it's not for you, but also make sure that you're not going to make a decision you regret. I say take the LOA and reconsider things for a bit. Is this truly a problem with nursing or are there other things going on that may be affecting your life?

Nursing is hard, but so is life. Quitting nursing is only going to help if all of your problems are truly rooted in your career choice.

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