Quitting Nursing School

[hmoge]

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.

[RainbowSprinkles]

hi, reading to your story is interesting...because it could be so many different variables thats confusing your decision..i have a bachelors in business and I just finish my pre reqs for an absn program but I've worked around doctors since 14 (receptionist, billing..stuff like that)... however I'm 28 now, but was 24 when i graduate with a bachelors in business. I always say to myself i could never handle this nursing stuff years ago. Mentally i was just not there, I was still finding myself as a person and building myself up. Life experiences is really what will help your persevere life challenges. You are still young, plus experience as a health aide is not in the same bracket as a rn, you will have a different load of work. And just heads up business is rough and stressful too, you will be put in situations where you have make horrible decisions.. tight budgets, getting rid of ppl, deadlines, quotas, being mean, just getting the job done by any necessary.... i would push thru, open up get to know ppl, enjoy the experience! good luck : )

[BabyDeliverer2B]

Hi hmoge,

Have you looked in the other areas that nursing offers? There are more opportunities to embrace as nurse other than being a bedside nurse! I would encourage you to research before you make your decision. Plus, if you do decide to go into healthcare business administration, having a nursing degree would benefit you a lot!

I wish you the best!

[Mhsrnbsn]

It's sad we have to "pick" careers so young in life when we are just finding out who we are. If I were you I would press on, so you can make a decent wage while figuring out what would make you happy. I love helping people; but I am learning the bedside isn't my favorite place. So I am back in school for nurse practitioner. I will still be having direct contact but I would be in a position where I am not exactly needing to being lift twist tug pull place foleys and receive lashings for making people wait for pain meds. I loved bed side nursing when I first started my career but realize I don't think I'll be able to make it to retirement with how my body handles the stress. There are other avenues in nursing that are NOTHING like clinicals. Just to get you thinking...

check out insurance company nursing (you would help approve or disapprove treatments, and check for quality control) you'd be in an office and probably never in scrubs. There's nursing informatics where you work with computers, risk management where you try to solve problems and implement policy/procedure to reduce sentinel events, nursing home nurses typically have the same patients every day and are most of the time stable, stressful but different than the hospital. Infection control nursing where all you do is teach hand washing and PPE techniques as well as staying up to date with the newest threats to your local area. There are so many avenues in nursing that still help the patients that may not have you directly on the front lines

[Buyer beware, BSN]

Your feelings are not uncommon. Many students go through this soul-searching. It's the ones that don't who concern me. After all, learning how to take care of sick folks can be a trial by fire, no doubt. But stay in therapy, lots of pre-nurses and nurses there too. Have faith, you will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Try not to make life-altering decisions under duress. Continued therapy may help you see that while nursing may be triggering your unease, other unresolved issues may be the actuall cause of it. Continue that exploration and continue to excentuate the positive. You're a good student.

[drleugs]

Hey there,

Coming from a former Pre-Med student, if you do not feel at home in Nursing then you should take a break and try something different. I made the mistake of struggling through Pre-Medicine with depression and anxiety, and by the end I was a wreck. If you're having a similar experience, I would definitely take a step back, relax, and reevaluate.

Best wishes,

Duncan Leugs, NS