regretting nursing school??

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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?

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?

never mind

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Flight.
honestly, ive never been super interested in nursing, but i knew it was a needed job with good pay

heres the key statement. you have low interest and doing it for the money. nursing isnt a field (at first-entry level) that u go into like oh la la la la...its just a job...no, there are peoples lives on the line. you are caring for an individual and a family...just think about it would u want to be laid up in a hospital bed knowing that your nurse is really not interested in what shes doing? complacent and waiting for the first opportunity to get the heck out of bedside care? i wouldnt.

nursing isnt the most glamorous, high paying career--but if u are just chasing dollar signs, you've lost sight of what nursing is all about and really shouldn't even bother. because to be quite honest...if u dont love what you are doing as a nurse, not all the money in the world can make you enjoy changing oozing purulent wounds, emptying bedpans full of waste and wiping butts for those who cant or need assistance.

sorry if this sounds catty, but i love nursing and get offended when people dont take it seriously...

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sorry if this sounds catty, but i love nursing and get offended when people dont take it seriously...

your comment made me think of how a person could go out and get some it certificates, or a bunch of other ways they could make decent, or really good $ without going into a job that's full of poop, death, and disease. so either the op isn't really aware of what nursing can be like, or she has not fully understood her own motivations, etc and has that drive to really be a good nurse and hasnt admitted it to herself...lol

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Specializes in Research.

@pneumothorax- i agree with you on basically everything that you said. that is exactly why two years ago when i got into clinicals that i felt i would never be able to handle the "changing oozing purulent wounds, emptying bedpans full of waste and wiping butts for those who cant or need assistance" for any amount of money that the best hospital could pay. i never realized the importance of the nurse until i went through clinicals, now i understand a patient's need to be taken care of by the nurse, as their well-being is the responsibility of the rn. after going through school i eventually realized that my goals in life strongly resembled that of what nurses do for patients and on a global scale. i worked as an aide at a local hospital for a year and wow there were some nurses that just never showed compassion for their patients, and i vowed not to end up like them, hating every day they are at work.

@greenfiremagick-- "so either the op isn't really aware of what nursing can be like, or she has not fully understood her own motivations, etc and has that drive to really be a good nurse and hasnt admitted it to herself...lol"

i was experiencing all three of those!! :) i think that i really had just no idea what nursing was until i went through it and adapted to it, the only thing i ever knew is i loved health & medicine, nursing seemed like the obvious choice, and im glad it worked out because now i can use what i know to help make peoples' lives better. just need a job first :p

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Flight.
your comment made me think of how a person could go out and get some it certificates, or a bunch of other ways they could make decent, or really good $ without going into a job that's full of poop, death, and disease. so either the op isn't really aware of what nursing can be like, or she has not fully understood her own motivations, etc and has that drive to really be a good nurse and hasnt admitted it to herself...lol

i agree with you 2010%..if u want to make money, be a cpa, or lawyer or whatever...:rolleyes:

@pneumothorax- i agree with you on basically everything that you said. that is exactly why two years ago when i got into clinicals that i felt i would never be able to handle the "changing oozing purulent wounds, emptying bedpans full of waste and wiping butts for those who cant or need assistance" for any amount of money that the best hospital could pay. i never realized the importance of the nurse until i went through clinicals, now i understand a patient's need to be taken care of by the nurse, as their well-being is the responsibility of the rn. after going through school i eventually realized that my goals in life strongly resembled that of what nurses do for patients and on a global scale. i worked as an aide at a local hospital for a year and wow there were some nurses that just never showed compassion for their patients, and i vowed not to end up like them, hating every day they are at work.

@greenfiremagick-- "so either the op isn't really aware of what nursing can be like, or she has not fully understood her own motivations, etc and has that drive to really be a good nurse and hasnt admitted it to herself...lol"

i was experiencing all three of those!! :) i think that i really had just no idea what nursing was until i went through it and adapted to it, the only thing i ever knew is i loved health & medicine, nursing seemed like the obvious choice, and im glad it worked out because now i can use what i know to help make peoples' lives better. just need a job first :p

from the outside point of view, nursing looks like a lot of "grunt work"...the unglamourous stuff..that i had mentioned, however...when you are placed in a position to care for people the way we do, you.. dont see an oozing wound, you dont smell the c.diff (well ya u do ;)) , you see a person, who needs care..a person thats someones family..am i getting my point across....? i just love this profession & field so much:heartbeat:nurse:

so on that note, if you are just chasing a $ sign..please leave lol

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I've heard a lot of nurses say that you shouldn't go into the field just for the money which may have some merit to it. But, like my first year professor told me "in (my state) you have three options; you can be a cop, a teacher or a nurse" and it's true. There are just no decent paying jobs out there right now.

I like nursing, but, I know not everyone in my class does. For some this is really there "last chance", as it were. It's sort of my last chance too. I have a degree in History and it's basically worthless. So, I got my SRNA license, worked at a nursing home for about a year and decided that nursing was something that I could tolerate.

My dream is to have my own clinic someday as an NP. In the immediate future, I'd like a good paying job and nursing fits that desire even though most nurses are not compensated fairly for the work that they actually do.

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Oh dang I just realized this is an old thread. Congratulations to the OP for making it through!

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