Stuck! Should I Get into Nursing?

[Mesha94]

Hello community!

Name is Mesha and I've just joined. I am in my final semester of undergrad and will be graduating with a BA in Music Studies. Long story short, I hate my major and don't want to go into the field of music at all as a career anymore. I had a very hard time academically and emotionally during undergrad.

For most of my life, I have dealt with a variety of health issues, including asthma, frequent flus, and severe allergies. In December 2016, unfortunately I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia at the age of 22. The suffering I have endured have actually started a spark of inspiration for me. Because of my "incurable" condition, I began to research what can be done in order to improve the quality of my life. Even though I am not at the point where I feel better overall, my situation, in turn, had inspired me to open my heart and realize my family and community at large (African American) suffer with so many chronic conditions with little positive outcomes. My realization has allowed me to gain a passion for health education and promotion.

We all either know people or is someone who is suffering with poor emotional, mental/psychological, and physical health issues, both seen and unseen. Because of this, I aspire to build a wellness center in my city of Newark, NJ. I want to become a Health & Wellness coach so I can inspire others to make the changes that will improve the health and wellbeing of underserved communities.

Now that I have this goal in mind, I've been wondering about what I can do that will best help me reach that. I want to do something practical as well as have a financially stable and LUCRATIVE job so I can later build my mission. I came across nursing, specifically Registered Nursing (and as an extension, Nurse Practitioner). I forget where I read this, but someone wrote this on a random forum somewhere and it best described what I desire: "My ultimate goal is to help people live strong healthy lives, work directly with patients and make a positive impact on their lives".

The only issues I see are: I will soon have my BA in non-nursing field; I am TERRIFIED of blood and needles; I'm mostly germaphobic and the thought of being around or cleaning someone else's body and what comes from it makes me nauseous; and I just want to know if this is right for me.

I'm also very concerned with nursing and Fibromyalgia; have any of you come across jobs where you don't always have to be on your feet or doing tasks that take tremendous amounts of energy and concentration?

I need help trying to figure out the best path in nursing. Should I or do I have to start as an LPN? Should I go for a RN program? Should I find some BSN program that works with student who already have a Bachelor's? I haven't had any science classes and I'm pretty sure it's one of my hardest subjects. I don't know what I should do! I just want to start somewhere and work and save because I don't want to be working random, uninspiring jobs forever. I want to find a path and stick with it.

Any input is appreciated. Thank you all so much!!

[wheresthecharge]

Hi Mesha, have you considered also just looking at positions that fall under public or community health? You may be able to find a position or internship if primary care is where you want to go.

Otherwise, if you are interested in nursing... I am not sure if the US has this... but they may have 2nd entry programs that allow you to be eligible to become an rn with a degree. I am not sure if the way US does their clinical placements is the same way they do it in Canada... but you may struggle during the practical part if you are not able to be on your feet. Discuss this with student services of the schools and programs you are interested in before applying to see if you can be accommodated. Otherwise, once you graduate you do not have to work in a hospital if that is not what excites you. nurses can be found beyond the bedside such as in public health, education, law, politics, business, etc.

Sorry I could not offer much help, but all the best with your goals! Take care!

[Julius Seizure]

Public health was my immediate thought as well!

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

I'm going to be blunt: being a bedside nurse is back-breaking work. If you already have physical ailments at age 22, it's only going to get worse. If you are a germophobe and terrified of blood and needles, you're looking at the wrong profession. You're going to see a lot of blood, needles, feces, urine, and be exposed to all sorts of bodily fluids and germs. You are going to have to help your patient get in & out of bed to use the commode. You are going to have patients who weigh more than 300 lbs. and you have to reposition them. You will have to juggle multiple patients, rarely get time to sit down, let alone get a bathroom break or lunch break.

So, I would think long and hard if this *really* what you want to do. The idea of nursing sounds appealing, but you really need to shadow an actual bedside nurse to see the reality of it.

There are programs to obtain your RN if you already have a BA/BS in another field. Since your degree is in music, you are going to have to take all the science prerequisites before you can even apply to a nursing program. It's competitive to get accepted, so you'll need stellar grades as well.

I don't want to sound discouraging. I made the career change to nursing in my 40s. However, I don't want you to have some idyllic idea of what nursing is, when the reality of it is not what you think it might be.

Best of luck with your decision