Should I walk away from this?

morte, LPN, LVN · Oct 20, 2009

i would suggest some counselling......and perhaps the interest inventory test..... short of that, i would suggest finishing school on the grounds that finishing what you start is going to look good on the resume.....so to speak.

Now, if you do take the interest inventory test, and it comes up many OTHER things, you need to decide what you can transition into, and that depends a great deal on your financial state. This is a pain in the orifice spot to be in......good luck

the sparrow · Oct 20, 2009

Back to the topic at hand....

I hated clinical. I never worked as a CNA, so I was soooooo sloowww with patient care. I didn't mind doing it, I just really sucked at it. Plus, we had really outdated clinical uniforms (picture a Dunkin Donuts employee from 1976). It was emarrassing. I always killed it in class and my GPA was awesome, I just couldn't wait to be done with clinicals.

I had a teacher tell me once that when she graduated from nursing school she knew she didn't want to work with old people or sick people, so she became a labor and delivery nurse.

maxthecat · Oct 20, 2009

Well, you're almost done and you've got a lot of money invested. Best thing now is to grit your teeth and finish. In the meantime research other areas of nursing rather than adult med-surg. Other posters have made good suggestions.

I do have one caveat about psych, though. Do NOT assume you are getting away entirely from poop, pee, vomit, etc. In my unit, for instance,we take nursing home patients with dementia who are in the hospital for a "med adjustment." They are often total care and you'll be wiping butts while dodging fists, feet and teeth! Now in some places techs help, but because they are usually not CNA's, some places do not allow them to do ADL type care and it falls to the nurse. Psychotic patients often "paint" walls and floors with feces, urinate on the floor, etc. If you do strictly detox you can avoid most of this, but strict detox units are few and far between where I live. So if you go the psych route you are going to have to make sure what type of patients a unit takes.

Hang in there and good luck. I think you'll be able to find what you want if you ask around, do a little research, etc.

BigTimeNurse · Oct 21, 2009

WOW!

I cannot thank you guys enough for the helpful responses! I am definitely going to finish now that I got so much feedback. That is EXACTLY what I needed.

Today in clinicals I actually enjoyed it, especially after one lady fell and busted her head open and we had to bandage her up. Then I got to suction bloody sputum out of this guys mouth because he was choking. ER maybe?

diane227, LPN, RN · Oct 21, 2009

NO, you should not walk away, because you have just identified areas that you want to work in, OR or psych. I have never worked in OR but I have worked in psych and I loved it. I worked in an inpatient psych facility that was hospital based two days a week and three days a week as the psych nurse at the woman's prison. It was great experience and one area were I really felt that I could help people. Don't give up yet.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Oct 21, 2009

Beautiful thing about nursing (minus this economy) there's something for everyone.

Vito Andolini · Oct 22, 2009

Finish, go to Psych or OR. Good luck.

Other choices are Case management, work for insurance company, do MDS Coordination for a nursing home, other paperwork nursing jobs. Maybe school nurse or home health but there might still be blood and guts, although not as often.

hotnurse84 · Oct 22, 2009

I felt the same way all through nursing school -- I hated almost every minute of it and struggled to stay in the program. By the middle of my senior year, my irritable bowel syndrome was so bad, there were some days on which I couldn't eat solid food. ....
And then I loved being a staff nurse in a Neonatal ICU where the poop, pee, etc. was all very tiny and well-contained. After 2 years of being a staff nurse, I went to grad school and have had a very successful career. Sure, there have been down days as well as up days, but I've been a nurse for over 30 years now. So, I guess it's worked out OK for me.
Decide if whether or not there are jobs in nursing that appeal to you or not. If there are, then look at school as a temporary thing. School is not forever. Focus on the jobs that appeal to you and simply endure the training you need to go through to get to where you want to be.

I felt that way too. hated everything but OR , psych, and some of the maternity. stick with the program...then try different feilds of nursing out when u graduate. maybe you would like a psych hospital.

rngolfer53 · Oct 22, 2009

I am a thrid semester RN student with one semester left to go. I cannot stand being in that hospital. I can't stand the poop, the pee, the baths, the cleaning. I hated every single rotation, except for the OR and for pysch. Everytime I get my courage back and go to clinicals for the next week, I remember that I hate it again and want to walk away. Should I stick it out? Is it worth it? HELP!

One of my clinical instructors told us before our semester break--this was a one year accelerated program--that we would probably not want to come back for the next term. She was right, at least in my case.

I'm glad I finished, even though like you, I hated hospital nursing. I work hospice now, and while it certainly involves poop, pee and other assorted "goodies" it's a very rewarding practice.

rngolfer53 · Oct 22, 2009

Back to the topic at hand....
I hated clinical. I never worked as a CNA, so I was soooooo sloowww with patient care. I didn't mind doing it, I just really sucked at it. Plus, we had really outdated clinical uniforms (picture a Dunkin Donuts employee from 1976). It was emarrassing. I always killed it in class and my GPA was awesome, I just couldn't wait to be done with clinicals.
I had a teacher tell me once that when she graduated from nursing school she knew she didn't want to work with old people or sick people, so she became a labor and delivery nurse.

LOL, sounds like me, except for the L&D and the outdated uniforms. Now I work with (often) old, dying people and their families.

I think the key to finding rewards in nursing is to analyze what it is you're good at--which usually coincides with what you like--and getting into an area that allows you to use those strengths often.

You still have parts of the job you don't like, but they shrink in perception if you're getting to do what you like regularly.