RN Programs/Nurses with Anxiety

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Howdy y'all

My apologies in advance if I put this thread in the wrong spot. :p And if I drew it out. I tried to say my background, so you have an idea of who I am :)

Kind of trying to get my life rolling. 22 years old, own a 5 acre ranch in beautiful Midpines, CA. Run a gas station, starting up a computer repair/backup/restore business and usually spend my weekends helping out on my step-dad's cattle/Angus Beef ranch.

To give you background, I took care of my pops when he had his toes amputated, as in the PICC lines and wound dressings (2 strokes, more TIA's, diabetes, sepsis, MRSA, cardiac arrest, in no particular order). Simple stuff almost anyone with common sense can do I reckon...And I am the only person in my family that isn't a medical professional. Grandma was an OBGYN, Mom was an RN, dad had his EMT certs if I remember right (but was a dive instructor).

I'm looking into RN programs as I've always been a bit of an empath. I can help others, just not myself I guess. I've had a lot of people tell me that career path is good for me. And I tend not to let work issues go home with me.

Any thoughts on SJVC in Visalia? It's 125 miles one way + 45 minutes of heart stopping turns and grades on dirt/mud road to get from my ranch to the highway but I'm willing to commute. Is there anything closer, feasible on the wallet that all y'all know will be a good school?

The problem I've been having though is anxiety. Physical symptoms like the chest pain, the palpitations, etc...

Just random onset. Sometimes with stress, other times, I'm having a great day...4 wheelin' or having a good work day and it just happens. Cardiologist is awaiting the stress test and holter results but I doubt it's serious. Just want to be darn sure it isn't you know/

Does anyone in this field have anxiety? And if so is it a field worth getting into? What is the best way to cope?

This never really seems to affect my performance any. If it happens at my current work, it's not like a panic attack where you break down (had that too, but that was watching my grandma suffer for months on end with cancer) but it's rather the symptoms happen, and I just assume the worst is happening.

Next career I'm thinking of after is I had a job offer hauling diesel fuel for a distributor. Already passed the physical, but that might even be a worse career knowing you have 8000+ gallons of liquid flammable explosive goodiness behind you.

Later y'all

Take care!

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Third question... Does anyone have their two cents on working in a rural vs an urban setting

Where I live, there's a hospital a few miles down yonder, but I hear the management is horrible, and the pay is cheaper than cow-patty. That morale tends to rub off on the staff.

Is this mostly true of all rural settings, or just this one? Or just hit the road and try to work at a bigger one....

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Sure. Performance anxiety. However, I have wrestled it to the ground for 24 years as a nurse.

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Specializes in nurseline,med surg, PD.

All nurses are anxious.It's a job requirement.

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Haha, I like how you put that. My guess is you probably would have to have some degree of being anxious. Make split second decisions on adrenaline I done reckon.

The adrenaline dump must be exhausting afterwards.

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