Should I FINALLY follow through with nursing school?

[kira0804]

Seaons's Greetings everyone! I was hoping to gain some insight on whether or not nursing is truly the right profession for me...

To sum it up, I have started and stopped nursing school three times (twice with a BSN program and once with an ADN program). I truly recognize how fortunate I have been to have had the opportunity to start these programs given how difficult it can be to even get admitted into a program so please don't think I have taken that lightly. The furthest I have gotten was through a semester and a half of the BSN program and my grades were A's and B's.

I love the idea of nursing and could see myself working with an under served population, perhaps the Indian Health Service, but I seem to lose all steam once I actually start school. All my classmates just seem so excited and interested in everything we do and are so eager to learn, but with a few exceptions I have found a lot of the material to be boring. I just can't seem to get that enthusiasm everyone else seems to have and I feel even more isolated until I eventually drop out because I feel so lost and like I don't belong. My clinical instructors have told me I work well with patients and my class instructors have told me I would be a great nurse, but I almost feel like a fraud because of how I feel on the inside. (I also think it didn't help that I have a history of depression and mood swings that can make it hard for me to know if what I am feeling is real or just a chemical imbalance...)

So is it possible to actually end up enjoying nursing if you feel this way in nursing school? I have a lot on here about how much of a struggle nursing school can be, but everyone talks about how they just knew it was for them so they were able to pull through. I am having a hard time putting this dream to rest; I feel regret every time I talk to a nurse or go to a hospital or think about the patients I could be helping. But my family and friends tell me I am crazy to even consider going back and finishing because I have already tried it three times and if the "calling" was there I would have stuck it out then.

I apologize for the long post, but I was hoping to get some input from actual nurses and not just the schools or family and friends.

Thanks so much!

[portace]

You know, if you do it one more time just finish it..... There are thousands of people who would be happy to take over your spot if they were given a chance... Since you've quit 3x, you basically wasted 3 people's opportunity to study nursing. It is all about commitment, just finish it then if you don't like it, choose another profession.

[Skeletor]

Seaons's Greetings everyone! I love the idea of nursing and could see myself working with an under served population, perhaps the Indian Health Service, but I seem to lose all steam once I actually start school.

Earn a commission in the U.S. Public Health Service, then earn federal employment in the Indian Health Service.

http://www.usphs.gov/profession/nurse/default.aspx

Good luck and Season's Greetings to you as well

[Sarah010101]

I can understand what you are talking about, since I am a nursing student (year 3). I am not a fan of the classes. I do not like the theory classes usually, especially ethics, and we had a class on organizational structures and stuff too... I find nursing school is all about models and theories. However, I LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEEEEEEEE clinical. I do understand that you are excited to be a nurse, yet you do not feel the spark in class. School really is not my thing, and I get it... it's boring sometimes.

I just wanted to point out, that each time you quit, you have taken someone elses spot. I was the LAST student selected into my program after recieving a letter saying that I was not accepted. A week before classes started I got a phone call saying that a student decided that they were no longer interested and that I was IN! I remember the dissapointment and sadness I felt that day that I did not get accepted. It was something I wanted so so bad.

Anyways, my point... you need to make a choice, and stick to that choice. Either go through the boring classes and suck it up and see if you like it... or move on and find something you feel you would like to do instead. Take a chance, choose nursing, but don't base how much you will like it on the school part or clinical... I HATED maternity, but I knew surgical was only a year away... and look where I am... :)

Good luck and I hope you are able to make a choice and find something that makes you happy :)

[tainted1972, ASN, RN]

It took me 10 years to actually finish and graduate a program. I did not like school at all ( although my grades are very good). I changed my major 3 times before deciding on nursing.

I wanted to become an RN but I knew I would not be able to commit to such a long program and stick with it.

I chose to get my LPN, it only took one year and it moved by very quickly. I did not have a chance to get bored or burnt out.

I am now enrolled in an RN program which will take about 18 months.

For me, a better life was my motivation. I knew that being a nurse was what I was meant to be and that I was going to be great at it. But I needed something to keep me going.

Find your motivator and use it to get you through. I often would look at new cars and dream about what I could afford after graduation. The car I had was unreliable and a money pit.

Anyway.. with my first paycheck I put a down payment on a new car.

I feel like I am getting on a soap box here.... My point is.. find your motivator and remind yourself of it often. Make short term goals rather than long term goals.. Follow through with you plan.

[Sniper RN]

It takes a lot of dedication and desire to complete nursing school. You don't seem to have either. I would quit wasting your time and other's opportunity and find something that truly makes you excited to do. Don't you want to feel the same excitement you see your classmates have for this? Find what makes you feel that way and do THAT.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

OP, you are probably feeling that there is something LARGE lacking from the programs.

You are correct. Nursing programs are not what they should be.

You are hesitant because you are wary, and correct to be wary.

Now here is the deal. Each and every time you restart it's gonna be the same deal. You won't learn a stitch while in school. It will all start once you begin working. Once you begin working you will have to pull out all the stops and rely on yourself, as it will be lightning speed and you will be responsible to gain that knowlege on your own pretty much. You may have a good preceptor, but the learning will be 100% on you to find a way to it.

So, I'd advise that if you feel the problem is you are not like most of the people you go to school with, that is a GOOD THING, not a bad thing. You just have to decide if you are willing to go the distance, pretty much rely on your gut to get the knowledge that you will need as a nurse. School should be viewed only as hoop-jumping to get the RN behind your name. As long as you realize this, you are ahead. Tip: your A&P and pathophysiology classes are the only things you will benefit from while in school...know this stuff cold.

[ocean waves]

Greetings. Your are brave to share up front comments about your struggles with nursing school. I agree with the gist of some of the other writers that if you have started and stopped nursing school three times, this may be a "yellow flag" that something about nursing or nursing school is not working for you. You expressed a sincere desire to help people in an underserved population. Good for you! It might be helpful for you to talk with a career counselor at your university to explore other educational paths which may help you meet that goal---maybe you could transfer some of your earned college credits and complete a program which really does fire you up! Good luck!

[Coulter630]

I have suffered from mild depression/anxiety my whole life and I know what you mean when you say sometimes you do not know if feelings are real or if it is just the depression talking. That being said, three different times of starting and quiting should be a warning sign that maybe you should reconsider your career plan. School is not fun....period. There are going to be times where you are not interested in the material....but you have to crawl before you can walk. I agree with the person above in that it may be a good idea to see a school advisor to discuss an alternate career plan. They can help you identify you strengths/weaknessess, interests, etc. Nursing school does not seem to be something for you to be quite frank. A fourth time of trying will be a waste of time based on past trends.

Seasons Greetings and Good Luck!

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

You may have trouble getting accepted into another program with your history of dropping out.

Perhaps you can try LPN first.. by the time you get bored you'll be finished! AND you'll get an better idea if this is even what you want to do.

[KSRN2b]

I agree with Coulter630. I can't help but wonder how much of your issue is related to depression and mood swings. You didn't mention whether you've talked with someone like a mental health therapist. If not, I wonder if they can help you sort through this issue before getting on the merry-go-round a 4th time. You've started nursing school 3 times, meaning something keeps motivating you to go back. I think, wow, you keep going back. Why? Something motivates you enough to return, and whatever it is, well, it's a strength to build on. Wishing you the best so you can move past the pause button. :)

[katiehydrangea]

I have gone round and round on nursing school as well and I think that it is the schooling portion that is making it difficult. Not a lack of the will to become a nurse. I have heard horror stories about school.

I have felt a bit like an outsider at school as well. Maybe you are a very independant thinker and would thrive in an autonomous setting. So maybe you just bite the bullet and plow your way through. Having a nursing license provides so many choices and opportunities for employment, even if you go on to do something else you have this to fall back on or may use it as a stepping stone.

As you probably know depression can cause lack of motivation, so you could be right to suspect that it's not that you don't want to finish, it just may be the illness talking. I think people forget that depression is a biologically based process. You have to give yourself big time credit for even trying. I would not listen to the people putting you down for not knowing. I dont think you would have spent the time, money, energy on something you did not intend to complete. Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves and others. Its important to realize and accept the fact that you do have mood problems/depression and try to keep your mind healthy, first and foremost.

Take care!