Should I continue to nursing school?

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I have wanted to be a nurse for years, or so I thought, but now I just keep questioning myself. I am 19, and I was diagnosed with depression about 5 years ago. Since then, I developed anxiety as well, and I don't feel that I have treated or managed either very well. I recently went away to a university for nursing school, but once the program started I was overwhelmed with work and depressed. Having my first apartment, being away from home, and the endless amount of reading drove me insane. So, I dropped out and came home a week later. I know I could have given myself more of a chance, but with thousands of dollars on the line and such a bad state of mind, I didn't know what to do. I am a straight A student, but I feel prohibited by my inability to handle stress well. Now, I am taking classes at my local community college. I was thinking about either:

A. completing my associate's in nursing at the community college then doing an RN to BSN program which would take roughly another 3 and a half years after this year (A total of 5 and a half years in school:down:)

or

B. transferring to a local university next fall and completing their nursing program, and I would graduate in 2 and a half years after this year.

Overall, I am paralyzed by making the decision. I'm scared to go straight for the BSN at the local university because of my bad experience with the work load before, but I also want to get school over with. It is hard for me to even tell if I'm fit for nursing sometimes when my depression is this bad. Sometimes I can't tell if I am miserable with nursing school and the idea of doing it again or if it is my depression talking. I worry about my future a lot, and just want to make the best decisions for myself. Unfortunately, my parents are not very patient with how I feel and are sick of me being sad and indecisive. Any feedback is appreciated!

BTW most of my stress stems from the amount of work and not necessarily the difficulty.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Your first priority is to get treatment. From there, why not ease into it with gen eds at a local school? You're 19- you have plenty of time.

Best wishes!

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I have wanted to be a nurse for years, or so I thought, but now I just keep questioning myself. I am 19, and I was diagnosed with depression about 5 years ago. Since then, I developed anxiety as well, and I don't feel that I have treated or managed either very well. I recently went away to a university for nursing school, but once the program started I was overwhelmed with work and depressed. Having my first apartment, being away from home, and the endless amount of reading drove me insane. So, I dropped out and came home a week later. I know I could have given myself more of a chance, but with thousands of dollars on the line and such a bad state of mind, I didn't know what to do. I am a straight A student, but I feel prohibited by my inability to handle stress well. Now, I am taking classes at my local community college. I was thinking about either:

A. completing my associate's in nursing at the community college then doing an RN to BSN program which would take roughly another 3 and a half years after this year (A total of 5 and a half years in school:down:)

or

B. transferring to a local university next fall and completing their nursing program, and I would graduate in 2 and a half years after this year.

Overall, I am paralyzed by making the decision. I'm scared to go straight for the BSN at the local university because of my bad experience with the work load before, but I also want to get school over with. It is hard for me to even tell if I'm fit for nursing sometimes when my depression is this bad. Sometimes I can't tell if I am miserable with nursing school and the idea of doing it again or if it is my depression talking. I worry about my future a lot, and just want to make the best decisions for myself. Unfortunately, my parents are not very patient with how I feel and are sick of me being sad and indecisive. Any feedback is appreciated!

BTW most of my stress stems from the amount of work and not necessarily the difficulty.

An associate degree in nursing would qualify you to take the NCLEX for RN.

As you are a good student, keep plugging away at that ADN. Any pre-requisites you earn will go towards that goal and other programs.

Nursing may or may not be meant for you. Until you get your depression and anxiety under control, take it slow .

I did not have what it takes to succeed in nursing school at the age of 19.

Best of luck.. use your academic advisors, that's what they're paid for.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Moved to our Pre-Nursing Student forum.

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Thank you for the input! Unfortunately, I don't have many more gen eds to take to buy me some time. My applications for either nursing program are due this semester for next fall and I'm just torn. I know I'll get accepted to both programs, the positives and negatives of them both just seem to equal out making the choice so hard with the anxiety of the unknown on top of it. I fear starting the the shorter BSN program and wanting to leave like before even though I've done my research on how I could have handled the workload. I'm afraid I'll just freak again, but I really don't want to be in school another 3 and a half years including summer classes😒 The length of time brings out a different kind of stress even if the work is more manageable.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

It doesn't seem like you're in a good place for starting nursing school. The educational process is challenging in terms of the sheer amount of information that has to be absorbed, not to mention all of the new skills that must be learned & applied. Even the strongest students may become stressed. There aren't any shortcuts because no matter how short the program, you'll still have to cover the same amount of material.

Is it possible to just 'sit out' for a while and focus on developing stronger coping skills?

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I would absolutely not start another program until my mental health issues were addressed.

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