Thinking About Going Into Nursing

[Change27]

hello all. this my story. i recently graduated from a 4 year university back in may. my gpa was pretty low as a medicinal chemistry major i would say below a 3.0 (yeah you might be thinking the same thing i'm thinking, that's was a difficult major!!!). anyways, the whole time i was in college i had the weight on my shoulders from my parents wanting me to become a doctor. i've been known to say that i wanted to be one since i was about 4 years old. so throughout college i had tried to get myself involved in pre-med clubs and shadow doctor's etc. so after a poor gpa and 2 poor mcat scores later i have decided to come to hurtful truth that becoming a doctor is just not for me. i've been depressed about it and i say to myself maybe a job in the health profession in not for me. but there was one thing i did not think about... nursing. i mean i have always wanted to help people and care for them and help figure out was it wrong with them and help cure them. so i've been researching about the different nursing programs available and i am very much interested. since i already have a degree i have found some programs for people just like me. i have taken most of the pre-reqs that are required for admission but i think i may have to retake a class or two. please let me know what you think. thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my long post. honest answers please, because i'm on the verge of loosing hope.

[clhRN2b2010]

i'm not sure what your questions are...it sounds llike you have done a lot of self examination and research. maybe you could clarify? i'm not sure anyone here can say without knowing you whether it is a good decision or not. it's a choice that you can make.

i would encourage you to step out into the unknown. nursing has lots of options from education, bedside care, advanced practice, to research.

good luck to you!!! don't be too hard on yourself. most of us are entrenched into a new career before we recognize that it might not be for us. maybe you saved yourself a lot of hardship by recognizing that early?

[Jaguar Boy]

Your career aspirations sound very much like my own. I began my undergraduate with the intention of pursuing a career in medicine. My MCAT was okay, but the med schools up here are very competitive and I didn't really stand a chance. I applied once and wasn't successful. After seeing two good friends complete medical school, I know that medicine is really a lifestyle choice and not one that I want. One of my doctor friends said to me recently that nursing is actually what she though medicine was all about.

Nursing and Medicine are two very different professions. I would suggest taking a wander through the many threads and discussions on this page. They have been invaluable for me in helping me make my decision to pursue nursing. There are many pluses and some negatives of the profession. You have to decide for yourself what will be right for you. Nursing has tremendous opportunity for experiencing different specialties, travelling and advancement. Depending on where you plan to work you'll have an almost guaranteed job due to the shortage, however the flip side of the shortage is that nurses are burning out from overwork and understaffing.

I've heard some people describe nursing as an art. I think nurses have to have skills and talents that go well beyond the realm of academia. social, analytical skills as well as tremendous professionalism and personal strength.

I wish you luck in your decision making...as well as nursing, have you ever thought about other medically related work? Such as MRI tech, Lab tech, radiology?

[NurseJeanB]

Hello Change27-

GPA is also very important in getting into most nursing schools. You may have to repeat some classes, but it sounds like you are willing to do it. I would research the local nursing schools and look at your options. In my school there are many who already have degrees, but have to start over to get a nursing degree. Don't lose hope. If it is something you want, you can do it. There are many paths to becoming a nurse. You just have to decide which is most important for you. For many, getting the RN license is more important than the Nursing degree so they go through the ADN route. To others getting that degree is more important so they may choose 4 years + schools or they get the RN license then bridge to a BSN. A few schools have accelerated programs for those with degrees. In short, you want to get out there and explore your options. By the way, I know several nurses who went on to get advanced degrees. There are Doctors of Nursing and of course there are Nurse Practitioners, Certified Registerd Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse midwife's etc. I know some who decided to go on to med school after being nurses. There are many possibilities with nursing. Don't think that the doors of opportunity are closed to you, because of your one school experience. I decided to pursue nursing after 21 years working for a bank. I always knew that nursing was what I wanted, so I just had to get myself motivated to look into what it would take to get into a nursing school. Best of luck to you.

Regards,

Jean