Tell Me If I Should Try Again

NurseQT2U · Jan 9, 2001

I feel that those with a passion for nursing should become nurses. You said it is one of the better paying jobs in your area which should not be your only reason for becoming a nurse. Re-evaluate your reasons for wanting to become a nurse because it requires a great deal of studying and retaining the material in order to pass school, the state board exam and safely practicing as a licensed nurse.

Jenny P · Jan 14, 2001

Nursing is not an easy thing to study, but if you really want to be a nurse, go for it. If you are considering nursing for the money, this is not the field for you. What are your real feelings about being a nurse? A friend in nursing school flunked out of the RN program, went home and got married, had a couple of babies, then went to LPN school and worked as an LPN, went on and got her BSN and now is a DON in TLC and loves her job! She just had to get over her testing anxiety in order to become a nurse. If you are like she was, she could not picture herself as anything but a nurse. If you want it bad enough, you can be a nurse. If you aren't that enthusiastic about nursing, try something that does excite you more.

ApackSPN · Jan 15, 2001

Well,I really never wanted to be a nurse. I ran from it because my mother was an LPN. I would however,like to work in my community as a nurse. It would be wonderful to do missionary nursing. I just hate the hospital. I have done serious thinking and prayer over this. I just want to complete the LPN training so that I can become an RN later. It is not just the money.

Please give me some advice. Do you think a tutor would help me? I need some coaching and discipline. Please give constructive advice.

Mijourney · Jan 15, 2001

Hi ApackSPN. I couldn't agree more with all the previous posters who gave you advice. The practice of nursing is so different then it was when I first started decades ago. It use to be a time when you could judge nursing from just having nurses in your family or just knowing a few nurses. That is no longer true. Nurses don't work in a vacuum. We are daily affected by what goes on in health and medical care as it is an industry. Just as you have to have basic knowledge about all aspects of patient care, you have to have a basic understanding of what goes into that patient care and who or what affects it.

If you become a nurse, it will be incumbent upon you to learn about the the business and politics as well as the practice of nursing. There are many nurses who do not have or take the time to read work-related materials or journals or attend seminars and conferences. Nowadays, it's a must to keep up because care is being provided at a faster and more intense pace. The complaint about nursing from many nurses is that the working conditions and pay have not kept pace with the explosion in technology. In addition, we still get treated disrespectfully by physicians, administrators, and patients and their families. We face job or work insecurity by the threat of insurance, managed care, and the government closing down our employer at any time. We also don't know how our employers will treat us on their own. There is no such thing as employer loyalty. And now, lawyers have no shame in pursuing those considered at the bottom of the health and medical establishment.

So you see, ApackSPN, nurses really do have alot more on our plates than simply treating sick people and carrying the title LPN or RN. I really would like to see you become a nurse, but not for the wrong reasons. There are so many other choices that you can apply the knowledge and skills that you acquired in nursing school if you're really not interested in nursing. Best wishes.