Student not interested in subject matter

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I am halfway through an LPN program, and feeling a lack of confidence as we all are vulnerable to. Hopefully someone can help me move forward.

I have worked in home health, then med-surg/oncology as a CNA for a few years and, having enjoyed the field, went to school to move forward. My manager and coworkers tell me I'll be a good nurse and regularly receive compliments on my care from patients. I did LPN instead of RN because the shorter the program, the better I do and more likely I am to finish.

I have been doing well in the program, rarely failing any tests and demoing all the skills fine. The catch is that I am realizing that I really am not that intrigued to learn about the med-surg or pharmacology parts of the course. I have been doing okay-to-good on the tests, I suppose because I can weed out the most therapeutic responses.

I am really interested in caring for people, and I have strong social skills even in atypical situations, but I just am not that into the medical aspect of things. Is this acceptable for a nurse?

P.S. I am most interested in getting into either hospice or community/public health when I get done. I know I don't want to do ER, ICU, or med-surg. I have thought about doing a bridge to RN program if this course goes well.

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I am really interested in caring for people, and I have strong social skills even in atypical situations, but I just am not that into the medical aspect of things. Is this acceptable for a nurse?

You don't have to be "into it", but you do need to have some understanding and a willingness the add to the depth of that understanding.

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Specializes in Oncology.

If you like patient care and you understood the concepts, it's okay if you're nothing enthralled by studying A&P

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The nursing school curriculum is NOT about what intrigues YOU. This is required education to provide nursing care.

You'd best get "intrigued" about pharmacology, every pill you push requires knowledge of the biological action of the medication.:rolleyes:

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If you feel that your "social skills" are your strong suit and you're not interested in the physiological and pharmacological aspects of healthcare, you might be better off in some other healthcare role rather than nursing. And, if you're finding that you're uninterested in the scientific aspects of nursing in an LPN program, I would certainly not recommend that you continue into an RN program.

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I'm intrigued that your user name is Aspienurse which makes me think you're on the autism spectrum,Asperger's, which makes me curious about how the social skills used in nursing are your strong suit. If not Asperger's what does the Aspie part mean? and if it does mean what I think it means, are you encountering any hurdles in the social arena? as an aside you really can't use the nurse title yet, Aspienurse, until you are finished and licensed.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I just am not that into the medical aspect of things. Is this acceptable for a nurse?
I have never had a true interest in the medical, science, or healthcare-related facets of nursing. However, this is my 11th year of working as a nurse.

I entered the nursing profession for practical reasons such as income, flexibility, work/life balance, educational progression, and career mobility.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
I'm intrigued that your user name is Aspienurse which makes me think you're on the autism spectrum,Asperger's, which makes me curious about how the social skills used in nursing are your strong suit. If not Asperger's what does the Aspie part mean? and if it does mean what I think it means, are you encountering any hurdles in the social arena? as an aside you really can't use the nurse title yet, Aspienurse, until you are finished and licensed.

I thought "Aspie" was short for aspiring. Could be wrong though.

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I do not think it is crazy at all that you are not interested in your current subject matter. The greatest thing about the nursing profession is that the opportunities for employment in this field are endless. You can be right there at the code doing compressions, you can be a member of the military, you can be sitting behind a desk all day. I think based on what you say you are interested in that you are doing fine! There are clinical rotations for everyone that are not much fun (For me - it was mental health). It sounds to me like you are on a good path! Because you are not interested in the medical aspects of things, this could make the more advanced courses more difficult for you. I am a student graduating in May and some of the classes along the way have been rather challenging! I hope this helps, and I hope you end up where you want to be! :)

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Just get through it and focus on what you want to do with that degree. I know what you mean. There were classes I didn't like or were interested in but I pushed myself to get through them. You don't want to waste anytime. You may graduate and find your niche or decide to get out of nursing but at-least you have away to make money and survive.

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Thought I should jump in and update.

I just got done with med-surg, and it wasn't glorious but I passed, and I'm moving onto the leadership portion of the LPN program. We get done in June. I felt better about the med-surg material once I got going with it, and feel like it helps me understand why I'll be doing the tasks that nurses do. We lost some people in the class who couldn't pass, and my instructor has started encouraging me to go on for my RN. Thanks for your honest responses and the time you took to make them.

I'm gonna keep up the hard work and finish strong.

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