Remember me??

I don't have any advice, but I'm glad to see you well and here again!! I say if you want to go for it, then give it a try! You'll never know how it turns out if you don't step out there! :) Best of luck in whatever you decide to do!

I don't think anyone is ever 100% about their career choice....but, 5 years from now, you could be still wishing you'd gone back to school....or you could be a nurse. It's up to you...GL with whatever you decide.

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a nice summer. Well, here I am. Not sure if you all remember me, but about 4 months ago, I decided to take a break from nursing school and decide what to do with my life. Well, I'm still confused. I really miss it. I actually feel like I crave it.... KWIM?

I got very sick in January, (acute renal failure), and I think it scared me. I spent a week in the hospital and I guess I worried that I wasn't cut out to do all the things the nurses were doing while I was in there (lady coded like 4x across the hall while I was there). And I don't know if it's because time has passed, and I've forgotten what it was like (well, not really, but you know), or what. I just know that I feel it in my heart again that nursing is right for me.

I'm afraid if I start classes up again, I'll change my mind again (normal, right? ), or am I just going nuts?

Does anyone have any advice for me?? Did anyone take a break from school and go back? Or did you not go back and you regret it?? Or did you go back and you wish you hadn't???

I'm afraid my husband won't be as supportive as he'll think I'm not totally in the game yet. Don't get me wrong, he'll support anything I do, I can just see him worrying that I'm still not 100% sure that this is it. But is anyone ever totally sure??

Thanks for reading if you've made it this far. I just wanted you all to know that I still peek in from time to time and see how all you amazing people are doing! I totally admire you ALL and miss coming around here and listening to such great stories and advice.

Thanks again, and if you have any words of wisdom, I'd love to hear them.

Take care,

Jennifer

I was in the same boat you were in. My third semester of nursing school, I found out I was pregnant. I took off fall of 2006 to have the baby which was the best thing I could do because the pregnancy sent me into acute renal failure. I was out of school for a year and a half because the school I attended changed their policies on how you get back in. During that time, I questioned if I should go back and finish. I do have a supportive husband that said that I have already come this far and only one semester left, to go for it. I graduated May 2008 and passed NCLEX in June. I have been working as a RN since. It can be done and physically I overcame the renal failure and feel pretty good most of the time. You just have to have the motivation to not let life's hurdles to get in the way of what you want. I didn't and now I am reaping the benefits. Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do.

I too know exactly what you mean. And I definitely understand about having to prove you are in it for real this time to your husband. I have been going through that myself. I have gone back and forth on nursing for around 13 years!!!! I hate to think about all of the time that I have wasted. But I won't let myself dwell on that...instead I have to just go for it this time. It is never too late.

I also get scared thinking about if I can make it or not. But I know that I am very smart and that if all of these other people can do it then so can I. You can do anything that you set your mind to. I have been taking my pre-reqs and have been making very good grades and finishing the classes and this has shown to my husband that I am for real this time. Everytime that I finish another class he sees how determined that I am this time.

Go ahead and go for it. If you take pre-reqs and then decide not to finish nursing oh well, at least you are better educated and that is never a waste.

Good luck and know that you are not in this alone.

No, I don't remember you.

dollphyn,

Thank you so much for your post. We do have quite a lot in common. I had to drop out of Chem last January when I got sick, and now that I'm interested in going back, the requirements have also changed. I have to take the NLN pre-entrance exam, which we never had to do, and give a written sample of something (not sure what though). I'm a little worried about my classes getting too old, and my CNA will expire next Sept., so I either have to work or renew it, which is a bummer and totally unplanned. Oh well.

Anyway, thanks so much for your help. I'm so glad you are feeling better. What a scary thing to go through, especially with a pregnancy and all. jeepers... PM me if you are ever interested in talking Creatinine or anything!

Take care,

Jen

Jennifer, I started NS in 1987 and dropped out when my daughter started having seizures with the intent of starting right back. Fast forward to 2003...had to take every pre-req over along with every nursing class I'd already taken. But I buckled down and did it...because I was so mad at myself for the time I'd "wasted" when I could have been garnering tons of nursing experience.

Do it, Jen...you'll never reqret going back, but you KNOW you'll always wonder "what if" if you don't.