Second career nurses: what if you ended up not liking nursing?

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Mar 25, 2015

Y'know, I recognized your Username from a good many threads asking a lot of questions about nursing school, and nursing in general, and I was wondering if I was having some weird de'ja vu or if you really were posting that many threads, asking similar questions. So I took a look.

Do you realize you have posted TWENTY-SEVEN threads in the last NINE months, all with a question related to whether you should enroll in nursing school, whether you would like nursing school and/or nursing, what everyone thinks about nursing, and whether you would be good at nursing? Many of the threads repeat the same questions....and even though you receive answers, you continue to ask the SAME questions.

There are, of course, many other questions as each thread gets responses; I simply have to wonder WHEN you are going to feel that you have enough information to finally make a decision?

I realize your UserID is "infofreak", lol, but.....at some point you have GOT to have enough info, to (as my sweet grandma would say) "Poop or get off the pot"!

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Mar 25, 2015

You can ask all the questions you want (which you clearly are). But you won't know if you like nursing unless you do it.

elkpark · Mar 25, 2015

You're right that practicing nursing is entirely different from studying nursing. But, ultimately, no one else can tell you whether or not you'll "like" it. The only way to know that is to try it.

Infofreak411 · Mar 25, 2015

You're right that practicing nursing is entirely different from studying nursing. But, ultimately, no one else can tell you whether or not you'll "like" it. The only way to know that is to try it.

And if I don't like it then what? does that make me an irresponsible person beforehand? and what will I do with my degree (or degrees) since this will be my second career and have another degree as well.

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Mar 25, 2015

And if I don't like it then what? does that make me an irresponsible person beforehand? and what will I do with my degree (or degrees) since this will be my second career and have another degree as well.

Then get another degree or training, my ex-best friend. She has two bachelor's & now she can code. But I knew she would hate nursing. You will never know if you like or hate something unless you do it.

If you're this hesitant to go to nursing school, then don't do it. Do something else.

Infofreak411 · Mar 25, 2015

Then get another degree or training, my ex-best friend. She has two bachelor's & now she can code. But I knew she would hate nursing. You will never know if you like or hate something unless you do it.
If you're this hesitant to go to nursing school, then don't do it. Do something else.

she can code as in she's a medical coder? and yes you can always get further education or degrees but its expensive and feel like id waste money doing that.

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Mar 25, 2015

she can code as in she's a medical coder? and yes you can always get further education or degrees but its expensive and feel like id waste money doing that.

She hated anything medical. I don't know what she's up to now. I don't have Facebook & we don't talk.

sistrmoon, BSN, RN · Mar 25, 2015

You may hate bedside nursing. But you could work home care, tele nursing, insurance company, infusion center, dr's office. Or you could go in, do your shifts well, and enjoy the rest of your life. Lots of people don't enjoy what they do but have kids and mortgages so you do what you gotta do. Adult 101.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Mar 25, 2015

I believe the point everyone has been trying to make is that you cannot be certain, AT ALL, that you will love nursing, or that you will even like it. NO ONE can answer this, and you can't either until you go into it. You haven't yet satisfied pre-requisite courses even, so.....you still have quite a long way to go before deciding anything anyway.

The point is that you can sit on this decision for another nine months as you have for the last nine, or another nine after that, and be no closer to determining with certainty one bloody thing.

Or, you can go with what your gut is telling you NOW, and act on it. Or not. But this weird zone of constantly asking the same questions, over and over and over, is obviously NOT getting you anywhere.

AspiringNurseMW · Mar 25, 2015

Sorry no crystal balls here. Nobody can tell you for certain whether or not you will like it or if you will be good at it. The thing that I appreciate as a soon to be nursing student is that opportunities abound and it will be what I make of it. If I don't like hospital nursing there is LTC, hospice, home care, management, business, informatics, teaching, advanced practice, etc etc that I can BUILD on my nursing degree, so it won't be like I'm starting over and it be a waste. I have read the same posts you have and take each one with a grain of salt. Those people are not me. I don't have the same motivation, circumstances, locations, expectations as they do. I'm not looking at the nursing field with rose colored glasses like many still do.

I too love A&P and am fascinated with the body, only time will tell if I will like being a nurse, but me and my tempered expectations, goals, and dreams have jumped in the pool with both feet and I start nursing school in June.

Perhaps try volunteering at a hospital, ask to shadow a nurse, or become a CNA dip your toes in the pool so to speak.

TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN · Mar 25, 2015

What you are really asking is for us to know you better than you know you! There is no definitive answer. Personally, nursing was a second career for me too and I proceeded very carefully because I had some of the same concerns that you did. I took a minimal risk route by becoming an MA first, then CST, then RN, then NP. Looking back, I think I should have just gone for it and jumped in. Having said that, I learned a lot from "coming up from the bottom" and nothing I learned on my journey has been a waste of my time.

Pick your path and stop waiting for a guarantee.