Hi all, new to this forum. I'm glad that i came across it. A little background about my journey first. I did my pre-reqs. and enjoyed it!. I fairly enjoyed learning anatomy, microbio lab, human development, nutrition, and so on, I thought these classes were very interesting! I took a few other classes like general bio and chemistry and I thought these classes were even more interesting and also more challenging. I enjoyed spending time in the lab to dissect or conduct experiments. After completing the prereqs and some other classes for my bachelors requirement like history and English (I loved history), I decided to apply to my schools nursing program and got accepted. Before I was an undeclared major. So I was now going into nursing theory and the clinical phase. All of the sudden the excitement for my classes i had started fading. I would go into clinical not feeling very well prepared as my pre-reqs seemed not to have much in common with this new environment i'm in. We were learning skills in the lab while going to clinical although i felt those skills should have been taught before hand. Anyway, I felt like a small bug in a large and vast hospital. I didn't really feel like i fit in. I enjoyed the classroom or the lab more than being in the hospital. I won't go into detail but there were somethings that I did not enjoy doing. I was talking to my friends and they said that i was just probably scared and that i need more real-world experience in order to feel more comfortable around patients. So they told me to apply for a student tech job at our local hospital to immerse myself with bedside care. I told myself to give it a try. I eventually got a job there but I ended up not liking it. 2 semesters have passed and I only have 2 more semesters left and not even a year to graduation. I kind of blame myself for not having shadowed a nurse before considering nursing school. I think i would of went an alternate route. My option now is 1) switch majors or 2) finish my bsn and find a non-traditional career in nursing. Do you know anyone that didn't work at the bedside and did something completely different? I'm willing to go to grad school if that will make me more competitive for non-traditional nursing job? Also can you guide me and list me a few careers that nurses go into that are unique? thanks, that way i can research them
I felt similar in nursing school TBH. I loved the actual classes but when I got to the clinical part I felt like nursing was not for me. I didn't have the drive or feelings of excitement that other students in my class had. At that point I felt it was too late to do anything about it so I continued my program, became an RN, and worked at the bedside in critical care for almost 4 years (can't believe I graduated that long ago already!). I had a lot of ups and downs during the past 4 years but overall I felt a huge relief when I quit my job a couple of months ago! I'm starting CRNA school soon and I am very excited! I know this turned into more of a story about me but I wanted to let you know you are not alone. If you choose to change majors I'm sure you will be happy. If you stick with nursing I'm sure you can find happiness as well, just remember that most RNs do put in some time at the bedside. Maybe think about a longterm plan and work towards it such as putting in a couple of years at the bedside while you go to NP school? (just an example).
Go to the search bar and search for the word "introvert". There are multiple threads about this exact topic. Yes, introverts can be nurses, and good ones, too.
And you don't have to be at the bedside forever...but you probably have to start there to have more opportunities later. At this point in time, I would suggest that you finish you degree, and find a job to get a few years under your belt while you discover more about what you love and dont love about nursing. Not everybody has their ideal dream job right away, sometimes you have to just pay the bills.
Anyway, I digress. Nursing school sucked for me (after the first semester, I spent the entire time wondering if I should keep going or walk away)...but I actually like being a nurse. I say stick it out and see where it takes you.
Wow, thank you so much guys for the supportive comments. You've convinced me to stay and finish. I mean im so close to graduating! and I haven't even finished all my rotations yet so who knows! i may find a specialty i really like. I'm glad to know that others feel the same way and i'm not alone. Yes, I agree with the consensus by 100% that you need to start on the floor to gain experience. I have had someone told me that icu is probably the best experience you can get since you learn so much. I would absolutely consider research and advanced practice nursing in the future post bsn. And the person that said you can't start in your dream job right away is absolutely right, you have to start out somewhere. In regards to clinical vs lab, i really enjoyed the lab setting. I take my time, did chemical experiments in chem lab, i found the different solutions you can use to be fascinating and i found micro lab to be fascinating as well working with different kinds of bacteria, and gen bio dissecting organs and working with plants. I even volunteered in a greenhouse and enjoyed studying the different varieties of plants and studying them. I'm also considering any business aspects of nursing. I know my interests sound different from floor nursing but i see a lot of opportunity in this field nonetheless.
Of course you don't have to be a floor nurse right off the bat. I wasn't - I went straight into community health and it's worked out beautifully. I really don't think working in the hospital would have given me anything that my current job hasn't. I have friends that went into public health, occupational health and safety, research, academia, working on the phone... there are lots of opportunities out there, but you often have to dig for them. Finish out this degree and while you're doing it, look around. Don't feel that you automatically absolutely HAVE to start on a med-surg unit somewhere. That's probably an easy route to go, but not 100% necessary.
Getting at least a year (and ideally a couple of years) of bedside acute care will give you more flexibility in the future, but it isn't mandatory, especially if you really don't want to work in a hospital setting in the future (the big fear with not starting in acute bedside care as a new grad is that it's hard to backtrack later to get more specialized acute care positions... but if you don't WANT those...). There *are* non-bedside career tracks like research and community and public health.
But don't be certain that you won't enjoy bedside nursing at all. I'm a big introvert and while I don't see myself being a bedside nurse forever and there are certainly things I don't love about it, as "jobs that pay the bills while I work towards my dream job" go, you could do much, much worse. Being a student in clinicals and being an actual nurse are two totally different animals.
Like others have said, you have no clue yet what bedside is about. You're just in the fundamentals side of things. It usually makes people question their commitment to the whole pursuit. However, you haven't gotten into special topics yet (unless I'm misunderstanding that your nursing program is only 4 semesters?) and you haven't even begun to see all the things that nursing is about. There is a big need for research and you might enjoy that much better. Keep in mind, though, that nursing is all about getting out of your comfort zone. You will grow and be transformed if you just accept and embrace this idea. You're never going to be 100% comfortable if you're doing something that is challenging you.
I haven't even started school yet but have you looked at case management nursing? I currently work as an associate alongside nurses who are case managers in a public health agency. It is a great fit for me. Phone and home assessments, research on diseases, coordination of care, follow up, communication with doctors, insurance companies and social workers, health education for the patient...however, i have heard that this job is very hard to come by without experience. but just something to keep in mind, regardless :)
I haven't even started school yet but have you looked at case management nursing? I currently work as an associate alongside nurses who are case managers in a public health agency. It is a great fit for me. Phone and home assessments, research on diseases, coordination of care, follow up, communication with doctors, insurance companies and social workers, health education for the patient...however, i have heard that this job is very hard to come by without experience. but just something to keep in mind, regardless :)
Most case management jobs won't even be open to nurses with less than 5 years clinical experience. Thats not a job for a new grad.
I haven't even started school yet but have you looked at case management nursing? I currently work as an associate alongside nurses who are case managers in a public health agency. It is a great fit for me. Phone and home assessments, research on diseases, coordination of care, follow up, communication with doctors, insurance companies and social workers, health education for the patient...however, i have heard that this job is very hard to come by without experience. but just something to keep in mind, regardless :)
I'm really not that old but I find myself becoming increasingly grumpy with the volume of new grads and students who come here wanting directions to the yellow brick road that leads straight to a job that pays well and requires little to no direct patient care.
I started on a hospital floor (tele) and it was insanely busy and stressful (like pretty much any floor nurse position these days.) However I am amazed at the wealth of knowledge I gained from those five years.
I learned what is normal and abnormal through hundreds of assessments. I began to see how one part of a disease process fit with others, and how the patient was affected. The "big picture" started to become clear.
I learned how to communicate with patients, families, other nurses, other departments, and providers etc.
I know nurses start in other areas but I really feel like I earned my stripes on the floor.
And truth be told, I would still be nervous to go into case mgmt. There is a whole lot those nurses know and are responsible for.
I haven't even started school yet but have you looked at case management nursing? I currently work as an associate alongside nurses who are case managers in a public health agency. It is a great fit for me. Phone and home assessments, research on diseases, coordination of care, follow up, communication with doctors, insurance companies and social workers, health education for the patient...however, i have heard that this job is very hard to come by without experience. but just something to keep in mind, regardless :)
Case Management is difficult for experienced (meaning 5 years or so of acute care experience) Nurses to break into.
As a new grad, your application would most likely be automatically deleted.
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NYNurse89
28 Posts
I felt similar in nursing school TBH. I loved the actual classes but when I got to the clinical part I felt like nursing was not for me. I didn't have the drive or feelings of excitement that other students in my class had. At that point I felt it was too late to do anything about it so I continued my program, became an RN, and worked at the bedside in critical care for almost 4 years (can't believe I graduated that long ago already!). I had a lot of ups and downs during the past 4 years but overall I felt a huge relief when I quit my job a couple of months ago! I'm starting CRNA school soon and I am very excited! I know this turned into more of a story about me but I wanted to let you know you are not alone. If you choose to change majors I'm sure you will be happy. If you stick with nursing I'm sure you can find happiness as well, just remember that most RNs do put in some time at the bedside. Maybe think about a longterm plan and work towards it such as putting in a couple of years at the bedside while you go to NP school? (just an example).