Should I continue with nursing? On challenge, the perception of nurses, etc.

[runner28]

I am 19 years old have just finished my first year in a BSN program, but am not sure if nursing is for me. This is the only college I applied to as a nursing major as I wanted to pursue a career in medicine (please, no flames). I didn't know this combination was an impossibility until I enrolled. I was later faced with the decision to transfer to the College of Arts and Science and become pre-med, but hearing about the "endless possibilities" of nursing, decided against doing so.

I am just so terribly confused at this point. I truly have a love for health, and am concerned with the predominant lifestyles of the American people that lead to the most prevalent conditions of today. I would love an opportunity to work directly with people, preferably in that realm.

My friends, some of whom have known me for a long time and others who have met me only recently, have let me know, in no uncertain terms, that I can "do better" than nursing. I have always done well in school and have had educators throughout my life tell me that they are excited for my future. However, when I tell well-off, educated individuals, whose paths I often cross, that I am pursuing a career in nursing, I get, at best, a look of misunderstanding.

I admit that I didn't envision my life taking doctors' orders, but is it really that "bad?" Can a nurse become a successful professional without the looming shadow of someone with an M.D.?

Yes, I have heard that a nurse takes care of patients, while a physician treats the conditions. I would like my knowledge and advice to be sought and valued, but also have an opportunity to create a professional relationship with people, one in which I am invested in their progress and well-being.

Before entering college, my professional goals were to find a career that is both challenging and fulfilling. Can I find this in nursing? Do you?

Any words of wisdom? What are my misunderstandings? What am I overlooking? Is nursing just not for me or do I just not understand what it entails?

Thanks a lot for any and all advice.

[CuriousMe]

I think it comes down to what you want to do.

Have you spent time shadowing folks (RN's, nurse practitioners, MD's)? If you could follow some folks around in different positions, and spend some time speaking with them, you might have a better idea of what you'd like to do.

Peace,

CuriousMe

[obicurn]

Don't let other people's opinions and misconceptions about nursing hold you back from what you want to do. Are you tossed with your decision because you truly want to be a doctor or because other people expect it of you?

At 19, you still have a lot of life to live. The best way to ensure -your- happiness in life is to right now stop worrying about what other people think of you and follow your heart. If you want to work closely with people on a more personal level, choose nursing. If your interest leans more towards the science of it, and treating diseases, then be a doctor. But make sure you choose the one that YOU want.

[LLLovely, BSN, RN]

Unless there is some specific requirement at the school you are attending to be pre-med in order to be admitted later as a med student, there is no reason why you can't continue with a BSN and make a decision about medical school later. I know physicians who were art majors, chemistry majors, music majors, and a variety of other things, some were involved in a pre-med program or club and some were not. Medical schools care about your application, not your major. If you meet all of the prerequisite course requirements, have a competitive GPA, a good MCAT, and have a way of demonstrating that you are indeed a well-rounded individual, then you can get into medical school if that is what you truly want to do.

However, I find it distasteful that adult "professionals" in any field are purposely giving you the impression that a BSN is somehow beneath you because you are talented academically. Nursing is a different field than being a physician, not a lesser one. Some would say that nurses are better educated in many ways because they tend to specialize earlier, get clinical experience earlier, and work in their field while pursuing their advanced education. Nurses tend to spend more time with patients and therefore have more opportunity and experience in direct observation of patients and presentations of conditions, giving them stronger clinical skills which are backed by their continuing education.

There are no flames from me on whether someone decides to pursue medicine. I don't see that it has anything to do with my decision to pursue nursing. My only concerns are that you appear to have received incorrect information about whether a BSN program will disallow future pursuit of an MD and that you need to be more cognizant of what you want, not what others may want for you.

Assuming that your school does not have any specific limitations to you being a nursing major and later applying to the medical school, then I would say that you should remain in your BSN program to leave yourself with the most options. You can stay where you are and become a nurse, or stay where you are and apply to medical school or any other kind of school later. If you switch to pre-med and determine later that an MD program is not what you want, you will have pigeon-holed yourself.

I am choosing nursing because I feel it is something I would enjoy, even if I didn't have to work for a living. I hope you choose your career for the same reason.

[suanna]

Switch to pre-medicine now- quit wasting your time and a position in a School of Nursing that could be occupied by a student who really wants a career in nursing. A BS in biology or chem. will better prepare you for an application to Med School. If you have and aspirations for a career in medicine expolre your options now before you waste any more time and money.

[SunnyAndrsn]

Perhaps you need new friends. Who are these "well off, educated individuals?" If they are so well educated, they would have more respect for the profession.

There are many nursing functions that are independent, however you are doing more hands-on care, and you will not be making medical dx. If that's what you want to do, switch majors and go pre-med, or consider advanced practice nursing.

If you are making this decision based on what other people think of you, then you are not ready to decide on a career--period. If you want to help people, great, but figure out in what capacity you want to do that.

I don't think you are understanding what the career entails.

[obicurn]

"I would like my knowledge and advice to be sought and valued, but also have an opportunity to create a professional relationship with people, one in which I am invested in their progress and well-being."

Just another thought....

You could also think about a teaching position. There is a huge demand for clinical instructors and things of that nature. Like some else mentioned before me, advanced practice nursing is also a good path to take.

[mir_mom]

Do you have access to the financial resources that would enable you to go to med school - very big bill? Can you make the grades? If so, I would go for med school or at least pre-med now, see how you do in the harder classes like organic chemistry and then decide if your GPA is good enough for med school.

You could be a nurse and then become a Nurse Practioner where you would have a lot more independence, you might want to find the forum for that and ask questions there. But if you are a nurse, you will be under the MD and not get as much respect as them or from them, depending of course on the MD. Let's face it though, MDs are higher up on the food chain!

[llg, PhD, RN]

My father was a physician and I was raised within a social cirlce of his physician friends. I was my high school valedictorian and a merit-based scholarship recipient at a large prestigious university.

I am a nurse -- a nurse with a PhD.

My grandmothers, my high school teachers, etc. were all surprised that I chose nursing over medicine. My father and his friends all thought I was the smart one for choosing nursing. They emphasized me with how nursing would offer me more varied opportunities and more freedom in swithching specialties later in life, trying different roles, moving from one area of the country to another, working different schedules, taking time off to have children, etc. As physicians (with enormous students, office staff to support, office mortgages to pay, equipment costs to pay, malpractice insurance, etc.), they often felt somewhat trapped in their careers financially. They urged me to get a graduate degree in nursing (that can often be at least partially paid for by your employer) and be a "leader of nurses" rather than "just another physician."

I don't know what is the right path for you ... but I knew I didn't want to be trapped in my doctor's office with huge bills to pay for the rest of my life ... and I have enjoyed the flexibility and freedom that my nursing career has provided. Sure, I have my bad days and sometimes I hate my job. But I know that I would also have bad days in medicine and hate that too because no job/career is without its frustrations and bad days.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

llg, PhD, RN

[obicurn]

"They urged me to get a graduate degree in nursing (that can often be at least partially paid for by your employer) and be a "leader of nurses" rather than "just another physician."

Excellent advice!

[leslie :-D]

runner, i completely agree with ilg's post.

it sounds like you would reap the benefits of advanced practice nursing.

extremely flexible, in demand, with lots of autonomy.

wishing you the very best.

leslie

[runner28]

Thanks a lot for all your responses.

Yes, I have shadowed both nurses and physicians at a hospital and felt that I would enjoy being a physician more. I have never shadowed a nurse practitioner, but the dynamics of the RN-physician relationships that I encountered made me sure I would never want to be a nurse. I was 16 at the time. That was three years ago, and thinking through the logistics of both professions over these few years, I was drawn more to the idea of nursing for reasons that draws many to the profession - schedule flexibility, job environment flexibility, job security, fewer years of school/less debt.

Being a pre-med student with a major in nursing is not allowed at my school. Period. This is the route I would have pursued had the barrier not been there.

While I am probably academically capable to get high grades in a pre-med curriculum and consequently be accepted to med school, I am scared to take that plunge and end up with a degree that can't guarantee me a well-paying job. NYU (my college) is costing my parents a lot of money, hence my desire to make the most of the degree.

I think I would very much enjoy being a nurse practitioner! It seems to combine what I want to do and is probably my best bet. Is it possible to pursue a masters to become a nurse practitioner directly after receiving my BSN or do I need clinical experience before doing so? My parents feel that it is a better idea to "get all the schooling out of the way." What is common in the world of nursing in terms of getting one's masters? My parents are willing to support my decision financially.

How does one go about becoming a clinical instructor? Is it the result of clinical experience, a concentration in a masters program, or a combination of both? Can anyone tell me more about this option?

Thank you llg for your personal example. It means a lot to me.