Switching to health science

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Feb 17, 2015

Quote from sabrina17

I'm a sophomore and I'm just not happy with my nursing school. I'm so excited to be a nurse, but I feel like the program I'm in is killing that. After having a major breakdown last night (which wasn't the first of the semester..), I realized it would be best to switch majors and then do an ABSN program after I graduate. Right now I'm looking into health science with either a focus in either health education or health administration. Which one should I do? Or should I consider a different major? I would really like to stay at my current college, but am willing to transfer if needed. I'm talking to my advisor today, but thought I'd turn here first to get some of your opinions. It finally hit me that I'm just incredibly unhappy with how this program is run and because I've worked very hard to get into college,

I deserve to enjoy the rest of my time here

:)

Quote from meanmaryjean

May a Crusty Old Bat ask the question that begs to be asked: What, exactly, have you done to "deserve" this?

I was questioning the use of "enjoy".

As I look back on my time in nursing school I can certainly remember many enjoyable moments but I wouldn't characterize the entire experience as enjoyable. It was work. Sometimes doing what seemed like stupid assignments, useless clinicals, worthless papers, tedious careplans and terrifying patient interactions (psych and peds). But in the warm glow of retrospection it was an amazing experience the has led to an equally amazing career in nursing. Call it lucky or a blessing but I have been able to share unique and precious moments in the lives of my fellow humans, contributed to the greater good of society and made a pretty good living.

Not everybody is cut out to be a nurse.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2015

I'm a sophomore and I'm just not happy with my nursing school. I'm so excited to be a nurse, but I feel like the program I'm in is killing that. After having a major breakdown last night (which wasn't the first of the semester..), I realized it would be best to switch majors and then do an ABSN program after I graduate. Right now I'm looking into health science with either a focus in either health education or health administration. Which one should I do? Or should I consider a different major? I would really like to stay at my current college, but am willing to transfer if needed. I'm talking to my advisor today, but thought I'd turn here first to get some of your opinions. It finally hit me that I'm just incredibly unhappy with how this program is run and because I've worked very hard to get into college, I deserve to enjoy the rest of my time here :)

Why would it be best to get a degree that you will never use only to have to pay more money and go to school longer to get the degree you would have had if you stayed in the original program? I'm not following your logic.

BS degrees in health education or health administration are fairly useless. People with these degrees seriously work as secretaries or schedulers in medical offices or on inpatient units. I'm not exaggerating.

If you hate your current college why do you want to stay there? It is true that it's more difficult to transfer schools in nursing than it is in other majors but it would still probably be worth it to look into this. It might take you one semester longer as opposed to an extra 18 months if you did an ABSN program.

You are not going to get a lot of clinical hours in an ER no matter what kind of program you do. It just isn't the kind of environment that clinicals are typically completed in. The only time nursing students got to set foot in an ER in my college was during senior preceptorship and very few students got placements in one.

Vita108 · Feb 18, 2015

Hi Sabrina17,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having a hard time in nursing school. It is quite common in college and graduate school, not just in nursing programs. As others have mentioned, there is no guarantee that changing majors or universities will be an improvement for you. Most colleges have resources to help their students, but they are often not well advertised and you have to look for them yourself. Perhaps you would find it beneficial to talk to a counselor/therapist/psychologist (at school, or private practice etc) to help you find balance between school work and your personal life. We all have experienced the academic burn outâ€ and everyone has their own way of recuperating from it and preventing it in the future. But, for the sake of your academic and nursing career it is an important skill to have. Not only will it make nursing school more enjoyable, it will help you in your career as well.

Just a few suggestions that may help you:

Study hard and take care of yourself. Eat properly and exercise. Allow yourself some time off to do something you enjoy every day (for example 30 minutes spent on a hobby, or cooking something yummy). Small things add up, and you will see that you enjoy yourself more, and with that the stress of school will be more bearable.

In addition, contact your school (or poke around on their website, but only if it's well set up) and look into tutoring. Many schools provide *free* tutoring to their students. If yours doesn't, perhaps invest into private tutors. It may seem expensive at the time, but is money well spent if it helps you do better in school and alleviates your stress.

Finding the right way to study, for you, is another thing that will make your life easier. For example, if you don't do well on tests practice more recall when you are studying. *Understanding* information when you are studying is not the same as *knowing* it. Making yourself recall the information in a relaxed setting will help you to learn it and to recall it on an exam as well.

Practicing time management, including how you spend your breaks may also affect the quality of your life as a student. If you spend your breaks on a computer, they are probably much less relaxing than doing something that is completely unlike studying. (I personally find that switching from reading a textbook to reading buzzfeed articlesâ€ doesn't actually relax my or refresh brain, it only takes time away from studying. But something like doing laundry or 10 minutes of yoga gives my brain a quick break, re-energizes my body, making my study time more efficient).

As you probably noticed, many of the things I addressed are school-stress related. But even if your dissatisfaction with your program doesn't come from academic stress, you may find that implementing some of these into your routine will lift your spirits.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!