Should I Stay or Stay or Should I Go?

[runningon]

I'm in a nursing program; however, I am out on leave for a semester due to a medical condition. I'm unsure whether or not I want to go back. I thought that I really wanted to be a nurse, so many of my family members are in the profession and I even worked in a hospital. I knew nursing school would be hard, but I didn't think that I'd be miserable. I started eating unhealthy food and quit exercising. I had never bought a lottery ticket in my life, but my unhappiness caused me to start buying daily (anything to escape). I think the reason for my leave was actually caused by the program. ANYTHING seemed more appealing than nursing, and quite honestly, still does. But there are so many great things about being a nurse: steady job, steady income, making a difference, and a flexible schedule (just to name a few). These factors are very appealing and are constantly swaying me back. However, the content wasn't as interesting as I thought and I literally dreaded going to clinical. Much to my surprise, I did not like patient care. I thought this would get better after the first few of semesters, but it didn't. I'm not sure what to do...any suggestions?

[hodgieRN]

All I can say is you need to do what makes you happy. Maybe you can talk to an academic advisor and they can give you some ideas on a proper career path. A lot of people go into nursing because their friends are doing it or they have a family member who went into it. Nursing has a lot of respect and some people even glorify it, but the road there is earned through hard work and sacrifice. It's basically a blue collar job. If you worked in a hospital but don't enjoy nursing, there are tons of other positions that also include the medical field. That also includes the business aspect of it. Maybe patient care doesn't make you happy...who knows. But an advisor can help guide you towards a career that satisfies you.