Thinking about nursing school, but I'm not sure if it is right for me??

[maybeanursesoon]

Hello nurses,

I found this forum and thought it was the best place to get answers to my burning questions about nursing school. My mom and many family members are nurses, and I hadn't really considered all the benefits of the career before, because I've always been a bit skeeved at the thought of giving someone a shot. I get somewhat uncomfortable in hospitals, especially seeing people in pain. I've been thinking about nursing school for a few months, and am convinced it would be a great career for me, if ONLY I can get over those things.

I thought I could mentally train myself to get over it, but I am not so sure. I recently visited a friend whose four-month-old baby was in the hospital and looking at him in his crib, crying, with tubes hanging from the side of his head, it really shook me up and I had to ask myself, "Can I really do this?"

That was a month ago. Despite the benefits of helping people (which is very important to me) the flexibility of shifts, and the decent pay, I cannot be sure that nursing is a good career choice for me if I get skeeved at the thought of needles.

My question is this - CAN this be trained out of me? WILL this be overcome in nursing school? Is this a personal obstacle that I'll have to deal with individually, or will this be addressed in nursing school? If not, can a nurse still be a good nurse if this is an obstacle? Is it worth considering if I can't get past it?

Please help if you are out there...I see so many posts so I know someone is reading this. :) Please let me know (either way) your honest opinions or experiences with this. After doing my research, I truly feel that everything else about the job seems like it is a great fit for me, but I do want to be honest with myself about this before committing to nursing school.

Thank you so much in advance and hope your Wednesday is terrific!!

[Fiona59]

Ultimately only you can decide.

I would have loved to have been a dental nurse BUT the thought of decayed teeth makes me cringe, the sound of the drill, let's not even go there.

There are lots of other jobs in a hospital where you can care for people without going near a syringe. Dietician, PT, OT, ultrasound, the list goes on. They make decent money in my province and don't ever have to work after 1900hours.

[FA to CRNA2b]

Needles and tubes don't bother me. I'm still freaked over all the poop, urine, sputum, flaking skin, gross toes, smelly groins, and yeasty infectious oral cavities. I don't know if I'll ever get over it.

[TopazLover, BSN, RN]

I have been a nurse for more years than many of the readers of this forum and I, too, hate to see people in pain. I decided early in my career that I would learn how to give the best IM shot possible for that reason. I did. I decided that peds was not for me for the same reason. Kids sick or in pain go right through me.

I chose fields that go with my personality and skills. These have changed over the years but the basics remain. I still want to be as painless as possible when doing a procedure. I use this as a basis to gain better skills.

I don't think your fears are unique. Most of us got into the profession because we care about people. Sometimes these feelings dictate our choices about what kinds of care we choose to give.

There are many factors that you need to weigh before entering into the educational process for nursing. The education is demanding. You may or may not be able to get a job that is in tune with your legitimate concerns. In some areas of the country your choices might be limited as a new grad. Later in your career you would be able to choose a specialty that is a great fit. (I enjoyed psych because of lack of lots of machinery to nurse.)

Talk to as many nurses and careers counselors as you feel you need to make and informed decision. Better to think about this now than wait until you have many educational debts and feel like a fish out of water.

Whatever your choice, Best of luck.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

OP, this is something only you can know and maybe only you can overcome. Pre-nursing school, I used to get panic attacks when I had blood drawn. I found that knowledge and familiarity with syringes completely conquered my anxiety both in practice and in my personal life. I did NOT feel this was addressed in nursing school, more treated as a matter of fact issue of "today you give shots!" (we did this to each other; I don't know if schools still do that).

While I was absolutely functional at the bedside, no way could I have been an OR nurse. I'd pass out from the smell of cauterization. Fortunately, no one needs me to do that. You need to decide if the risk of your fears is enough to make you follow another path. Good luck!

[Quaffetti]

Before you waste your money and time going through nursing school, I would recommend you get a CNA license and work in a hospital as a CNA. You will see blood, poop, pee, needles, tubes, etc.

You will see up close and personal what nurses do.

Then you will be ready to make a much more informed decision. I wish I had done that before I went to nursing school.

[BookwormRN]

When I was a young, surrounded by many nurse family members, I felt the same way you do now.

Somehow, I ended up in Nursing school after having a family and being a stay at home mom. Yes, I was nervous---but then my perspective changed. I realized that what I was doing (giving injections, putting in foleys, cleaning poo) was in some way helping these pts to heal. That perspective really helps me to do (sometimes unpleasant!) my job.

[searchingnewcareer]

I had a question. I am finding the challenging part of this career is to first find what schools offer online courses and what can I do at this point. I have a BS in Health Admin (from 2002) and would like to move forward. I've looked into nursing for a few months now and definetly want to move forward as a nurse. Any advice?