Should I major in nursing? Advice please!

[medapop]

I'm currently a freshman in college and I'm undecided. I want a job that feels like I'm making a difference in someone's life. I also want a job that is exciting and not doing the same thing everyday. I've been considering nursing since I was a sophomore in high school and I can't seem to stop thinking about it. Other majors I'm considering are occupational therapy, counseling, and an elementary teacher. As you can tell I want a job where I help people. The only problems I have with nursing are seeing naked males, poop, and vomit. I've read a lot of comments online from nurses saying that they have to deal with these things on a daily basis and I don't know if I would be able to do it. I'm pretty sure that I would be able to make it into my university's nursing program however since I have a GPA higher than a 3.0. Can someone please give me some advice on what I should major in? Thanks!

[direw0lf, BSN]

I come from a family of teachers. It's no easy task to get the job you want unless you have connections. And the frustration is real when you can't teach your cirriculum because you need to prepare for different state tests.

[RainMom]

I have been hearing the same thing about teaching from my sister in law. She had a terrible time finding a job and was willing to re-locate for it. Pay was dismal, her performance was based off whether or not her students were doing well, and she had to buy supplies for her job. She quit two years ago and now works at a brewery.

Same thing in my region for teachers. My sister's first teaching gig ended after a couple of yrs when positions were cut. She managed to get another position in a different district but then left it a few yrs later for greener pastures. However the next job was cut after one yr & she was unable to find work at all until this yr, solely because she went back for her master's & changed to K-6 rather than 7-12 grades (unemployed for 8 yrs). Nursing jobs here, on the other hand, are easy to find.

[floatingribs]

To transfer into the nursing program in my school you need at least a 3.6 to apply and the competition for the couple of seats (seats only open up if someone drops the program) is crazy so people come in with near perfect gpas quite honestly.

Also what do you want to study? Since teaching and nursing are two very different courseworks, but in nursing you could become a nurse social worker or a nurse for a pharmaceutical company (but the jobs are less in those specific areas) so it might save you from seeing the more nasty side. But if you do want fast paced the ER is nice but you're definitely gonna run the very high risk of seeing a naked male lol.

I really recommend volunteering at the hospital or shadowing a nurse. Volunteering in the ER is what drove me to the medical field even though the Er was a bit wild at times, but keep in mind in every field you're going to have to make some sacrifices.

[Ashbee]

Don't go into teaching unless you are okay with feeling like you are taken advantage of every single day.

[aidyl93]

Is it possible for you to shadow a nurse or volunteer at a hospital or LTC facility? This may give you some insight on what to expect. Another great thing to do is get your CNA certificate. I'm getting ready to start a nursing program, so last semester I got my CNA and recently started working in the hospital. I was a bit worried about being "grossed out" too, but trust me, you get de-sensitized to poop/genitalia/etc VERY quickly. It's just the norm in a hospital setting. Best of luck!

[igueva]

When I was deciding on my career, I have considerate nursing. However, I was not sure if I am able to deal patients and everything what is involved in nursing job. So I have volunteered in ER department throughout a year while I was taking general classes. It turned out I love nursing and I won't change my career.