regretting nursing school??

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Specializes in Research.

im about a month into my junior year of a 4 year rn program at my university, and honestly, ive never been super interested in nursing, but i knew it was a needed job with good pay and oppurtunities, so i applied to nursing school, and did great on all my pre reqs. but now that im really in the nursing part of the program, im kind of regretting going... i dont think that i have the personality for nursing, the sweet caring compassionate character, even though my intelligence level is good enough for the workload. i dont want two years of my life to go to waste by dropping out and possibly not getting a good job later on in life, but im just not sure how ill get through clinicals, classes, and life with a job that i dont think i like at all. did anyone else feel this way? ive talked to several of my peers, they all agree that nursing school is hard, and the information overload is crazy, but i doubt that they feel how i feel... which is that i cant stand nursing. any suggestions/thoughts/comments?

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Specializes in Orientation hahahaha.

I can feel ya... Nursing was my 2nd degree, I was already working in the hospital and became sick of health care and decided sick care would be more stable and I could "most likely" be good at it...

The drive to succeed in school was overwhelming. Failure was not an option for me at this point of my life. It didn't matter I was going to finish and show up all the critics... I have enjoyed it "its been an interesting job.." Honestly if I could find a for sure stable job say, farming or doing an outside job I might like it better. But, then I wouldn't feel as successful "which in reallity doesn't make any ******* sense at all..."

Edit: I didn't curse there... Frig...

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Get thru it and go corporate...Insurance Co.'s use RNs, Medical Sales uses RN's, you dont have to do bedside...

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Not to be a negative person, but if you have the time and money to change your major I say do it. Don't sit in a major for an alloted period of time and then decide when you'e deep in the program that the particular major is not for you, and then have to go and start all from scratch to another major. You end up wasting time and money. I am saying this from personal experience. I didn't do this with nursing, but with another major. I am not trying to tell you what to do, but I am just trying to offer some insight from personal experience.

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When I was a pre-nursing major in my junior year at SDSU (many years ago), I had the same exact feelings you are experiencing now. While I was preparing my application for the nursing program, I volunteered at a hospital. I hated it, so I changed my major. My mistake was that my perception of the entire profession was based on one experience. There are a lot of different opportunites availabile in the field. Long story short-here I am, fifteen years after that initial experience, enrolled in my first semester as an RN student. I truly regret not sticking to my original plan.

It's good that you are addressing your uncertainty about your career choice. If you don't like your job, it will reflect in the quality of care you provide your patients. Whatever salary you are making will not compensate for the fact that you don't like doing your job. Nursing is not easy; it is truly a calling. I hope you find your "calling". Best wishes :wink2:

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If you have given it a lot of thought, and don't think nursing is for you, change your major. I am coming from a different perspective. Nursing will be a second career for me - my current career is in law. When I was in college doing pre-law type courses, and during law school, I excelled. But I never felt a "calling" to law, and it doesn't suit my personality. Practicing law is a lot different than taking the courses. Just because you excelled at your pre-reqs, doesn't mean you have to do nursing, or even that you will enjoy it.

It is a very personal decision. Just because there are jobs (hopefully!), and pay can be decent, doesn't mean it should be done for those reasons. There are jobs and $ in law, too, but I have been miserable doing that. Life is too short not to do what you really want to do.

Best of luck to you - you'll make the right decision for you! :)

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Specializes in Neuro.

I don't have a sweet temperament. I am not nice or agreeable most of the time. I don't really think that these are requirements for nursing. You can be polite and professional and still be an awesome nurse.

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Do you enjoy anything about nursing up to this point? Do you find it interesting at all? There are many more opportunities for nurses than just bedside nursing, as another poster pointed out. If you truly do not like nursing, and there is not a single thing about it that you find interesting or enjoy, then maybe you should consider changing your major. Not everyone is cut out to be a nurse, it really is not for everyone, and there's no shame in admitting that it isn't for you. Just make sure that is really the truth before you dismiss nursing.

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I can see where you are coming from. But you have come too far to walk away from it now. I would complete nursing school and obtain the license. Then you will have the opportunity to try out nursing to see if your attitude changes once on the job. If you want to do something else, then maintain the nursing license as that "backup" should something go wrong in life and you need the nursing license to get a survival job. Just because you graduate from nursing school and get a nursing license does not mean you have to work as a nurse for 40 years. But having that license in the background, is good insurance against being totally down and out. Good luck.

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I agree that now is a good time to switch majors, and I also agree with posts that warn against making such a big decision too hastily and on limited experience. I know nurses who don't really fall into the "compassionate" bucket, and they tend to excel in more fast-pased jobs such as the ER and a busy med-surg floor where people just want to get better and get out.

What I would suggest is that you ask yourself why you went into this field. There are lots of jobs in the medical field, and there might be one mroe suited to your skills and temperment. A physicians assistant, for example, has about the same schooling (generally more pre-reqs, which you probably already have) and tend to me more focused on the mediciene and less on the patient. (I know that sounds awful, PA's out there please don't flame me-- I am sure you are very caring towards your patients!) A lab tech does a wide variety of things and has very little patient contact. Or perhaps a social worker, physical therepy, or xray/ultrasound tech is more your thing!

I would discuss these thoughts with someone that works in the hospital setting and maybe try to do a few job shadows.

Finally, I also found that nursing schoolw as easy in the first semester-- too easy-- and it got more challenging as time went on. Now is the time to switch if you are going to switch, but at the same time make sure you are switching for the right reasons. Good luck!!!

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I know several drug reps who started off as rn's. One of whom makes 100K pushing her product line.(Outside Diabetes sales) No one would confuse her with the "soft squishy" sort of person you seem to think personify rn's. There are so many other areas of non direct -non patient care but an rn is a basic requirement

for her success in sales.

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It might be helpful to get some career counseling if you're not sure if you want to be in nursing- period. If it's just the bedside stuff you can't stand, maybe look into other opportunities like NP or CRNA and decide if they sound attractive. Between about half my clinical group and several members of this board, it appears quite a few people aren't seeing themselves in the traditional role for any great part of their career.

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