RN tried to talk me out of Nursing school...

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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So I went to my GP's private clinic today to get blood work, a PPD round, and antibody titers done for nursing school which I'll be starting this coming Fall. Upon meeting with his nurse, I told her I needed all of this done for nursing school. She blankly stared at me for a good three seconds and then asked: "Why in the world are you going to nursing school?". I wasn't sure what she meant by that, so I asked her to clarify. She said "Well, you're a young guy with flawless English skills. What the heck are you getting yourself in to?" (This Nurse is a Russian immigrant, whose English skills are not perfect. I'm Russian too, but came here at a very young age unlike her. I guess a lot of Nurses in New York City are immigrants that lack great language skills so they choose nursing as a "last resort" profession apparently?). She went on to explain to me how nobody is hiring right now, and that hospitals are closing. She assumed I was going for an Associates degree, but the program I'm entering is for the BSN. I told her this, and then she questioned why I didn't go for PA or PT instead. I told her Nursing is what I truly wanted to do, and she smirked and said "Okay, you don't understand the situation yet. You'll see."

:confused:

Not that I was discouraged by this, but I found it interesting how bitter some people can be against their own profession. Especially a nurse, who knows that there is a dire need for people to enter the profession, especially as many baby-boomer nurses are going to retire in the coming years.

Have you ever had people try to discourage you when you told them you were going into nursing? And do you regret not taking their advice?

I think I know what I'm getting myself into (hopefully), and I'm mentally prepared. I just hope that at some point in the future I won't end up hating my job like she does...

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I like nursing. I like what I do. I am not very happy with the current situation where I work, which is a trend in healthcare today; but nothing ever stays the same forever. I still like my coworkers and my patients (well, most of them...I do work in an ED!). I would do it again, I have been doing it for more than 30 years.

There aren't many jobs for anyone today, not just nurses. Should you quit going to school just because all new grads have a tough time? I would't go for large student loans, but other than that, don't let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do with your life.

If you have to relocate, do it! and learn to be content whereever you find yourself.

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Specializes in LTC, medsurg.

Go for nursing and don't let anybody talk you out of it!!!!

I let some one talk me out of it, went back to school 10

years later and don't regret going for nursing.

It's a tough job but so is every thing I've done in my

life. The only thing I regret is listening to this so

called nurse that I LET Talk me out of what I think is

a great career!!!

Good luck!!!!

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...wow @ all the negativity in this thread.

Those of you who would dissuade anyone from entering nursing, would you please explain your personal reasons for doing so?

At this point it does NOT matter to me. Upon entering college, I wasn't sure why I wanted to do nursing exactly and I pretty much got 2 C's in the psychology pre-requisite courses, and completely FAILED anatomy/physiology 1. I kind of got my stuff together and started over, re-took the class, and pumped out almost all A's and a few B+'s to obtain an associates degree in Biology. I transferred to a respected 4-year school and continued my hard work; I was one of 14 people (out of a lecture hall of a total of 440) to recieve an A in anatomy/physiology 2. Same story with Orgo and Microbiology. I also scored high above the 99th percentile in the nursing school entrance exam through rigorous study. I have worked SO hard to get accepted into this program (one of the most respected in the country), and nothing brought happiness to me more than seeing that acceptance email for the first time. It's truly a dream come true, and I'm not willing to let anything stand in my way from making nursing my life-long career.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

It is clear now, ("At this point it does NOT matter to me") that you only wanted positive reinforcement. Not sure why any of us should waste additional time sharing our thoughts.

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It won't change my goals is all. I'm just curious why the lot of you feel the way you do.

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There are about a million posts about why people are sick of nursing or hate nursing on these boards. Please read them. You will learn a lot. You can see why :some: nurses think going into nursing is a bad idea. You will also see people that might as well be cheer leaders for the profession. Even if it will not change your mind, it is worth knowing what to expect. Check out the other threads.

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.

If you're just looking for perspectives for personal amusement, people have stated their feelings about the profession ad nauseum all over the site. Try the search function.

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it sounds like you feel strongly about it, so great - go on with it!! but nursing is a hard, demanding profession and it's full of negativity because most of the time hospitals are understaffed, over worked, underappreciated. abused by patients and docs. that being said, i can't think of anything else i'd rather do for a paycheck. my own step mother (an rn), as well as my family nurse practitioner also tried to talk me out of going to school.

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Specializes in Emergency.
It won't change my goals is all. I'm just curious why the lot of you feel the way you do.

I think the reason people feel the way they do is that they have been exposed to the reality that is Nursing, and it is a MUCH different reality than anything you learn in Nursing School.

i do think from all of your posts you show a bit of misunderstanding about Nursing in general. Firstly, there is no Dire need for nurses at this point. I think the pendulum will swing into shortage, again in the next 10 years, but not in the next 4. That is reality. Secondly, as far as regular nursing goes, it really matters not if you go to a prestigious school or just your local community college. No one cares. They only care that you passed the Board exam and have a license. When i went to school, i too focused on the BSN program and was told by my professors that it mattered, and that I would be preferentially hired etc. Truth be told, I graduated in a shortage year. We were all hired...ASN, BSN. No one cared where I went to school. If you go to Grad school, then it will be important, but as far as landing a JOB, not so much. They don't care about your GPA, all they want is that you are licensed. Most managers would prefer to hire someone with some CNA experience over someone who got perfect grades. Why? Well because someone with CNA experience actually knows a bit about how things happen in reality, not in a text book.

I don't feel that I am necessarily negative about the profession. I just have a feeling that you are basing many things on only what your professors have told you, and things really just aren't that way.

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For all the naysayers who say nursing is awful and they would discourage anybody from doing it, there are plenty of us who are very positive. Nursing is a second career for me. I have a hospital job in NJ (I had a summer student nurse externship in NYC, yes, that is a very tough job market). I don't see nursing as "going down the toilet" at all, on the contrary I feel it was a great career choice and I'm very excited that this is what I'll be doing for the rest of my professional life. I have 4-5 days off er week and earn good money for having so few work days, I feel like what I do (while stressful) is important and meaningful, and I like my job. My facility is union and that really helps provide good working conditions, I love being in a union. I don't have children but if I did I would strongly encourage them to become nurses, or at least something else in the medical field. Perhaps the naysayers aren't second career nurses so the grass seems greener on the other side of the fence? IMO after spending almost a decade as a corporate goon glued to a desk in the financial industry, I can honestly say that nursing is 1000x better. Bottom line - good money, flexible schedule, better job security, meaningful work, plenty of opportunity to learn, grow, and climb the ladder.

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Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

I will try to give a balanced perspective on why there are some nurses that hate their jobs, and why others love their jobs. Firstly, this occurs in any profession in which either A). the profession is not a good fit for someone or B). working conditions are not the best. (That's probably oversimplifying things, but you get the point). Any career will have people who both love and hate their jobs. Why are nurses typically more outspoken in why they don't like their jobs? Because it involves patient care, and in working conditions that are sub-par, nurses are not able to take thorough care for the patient, which leaves them feeling like crap after they leave a shift, and after many, many shifts, these nurses will burn out.

I must say: there are good and even great places to work. Not every hospital/office/clinic, etc is created equal. If you work with a great nursing team, helpful co-workers, and have good patient ratios, the odds of one liking his/her job exponentially increases. I can attest to this. I feel like I am actually making a difference because I am able to provide thorough care in my ICU, even when it's fast-paced, being able to notice very subtle changes in patient condition, lab trends, getting the orders needed, because I have 2 patients, and because I work with a good team. Can you do this with 6,8,10 patients? Perhaps, but it becomes much more difficult since you have much less time to spend with them. I can also attest to this because I have done both. Point being: find an area that suits your personality, and you will like your job a whole lot more. If I worked on an ortho floor, for instance, my job satisfaction would decrease exponentially.

The pros of nursing: ease of getting a job (compared to other professions right now); at least a nurse can get a job somewhere even if it requires a move, and even if it's a crappy work environment, and make a livable wage; flexibility (can work part-time, prn, full time); also, if you want to try a new area, you can (I might like to try oncology some day, for instance, and I can do this without leaving the hospital system); direct patient care, while hard work, is rewarding.

Cons: the hours (if in bedside nursing, which most are), working conditions (caveat: also sometimes), toxic environments, and lazy co-workers (caveat: sometimes; these generally go hand in hand). The major con for me is: hours (nights) since I am drained on days off, have to keep a night schedule, but that is huge, since that affects quality of life as a whole. (but I am thankful I have a good job, rewarding job).

Would I do nursing all over again? No. I would have majored in biology, and become a physician assistant. Better pay, better hours, more autonomy. Nursing is a second degree for me. But, don't misunderstand me. I do enjoy being a nurse, but also look forward to a time in the future when I can work part-time so that I can raise a family, have more time with family. I'm pretty sure my job satisfaction will increase even more when I am working fewer hours lol.

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Excellent posts, thanks everyone!

As for the "dire need" comment, I do realize that Nursing field was not immune to the tanked economy. But I still believe, and I think many can attest, that in relation to many other fields Nursing is still an easier field to find employment in. There is still a national shortage, but largely depends on geographical location within the US. In New York City, there's no shortage because we have closed a few hospitals in the past decade while the amount of new nurses being pumped out of our schools remained the same, or even grew with increasing demand to enter the field. Simultaneously, as others have mentioned, veteran nurses on the brink of retirement have to hold off on that because their 401k's went down the drain. It's a pretty horrible combination, and I seriously hope I'm not forced to move outside of the city for employment. Many new nurses who are having trouble finding jobs at hospitals often have to settle with physician's offices and nursing homes, until they can find an opportunity to work in a hospital. It definitely sucks.

My school offers some internships/externships at several highly respected hospitals around the city, so I'll definitely try to get at least one of those as it would give me a great edge. Getting those depends highly upon GPA so I'm ready to work hard for it.

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