your thoughts when you first decided to be a nurse?

[rosemarydreams]

Hello! A little introduction of myself: I'm an eighteen year old girl who is having a constant battle with herself if she should go into nursing or not.

I've been thinking about going into the medical profession for over ten years now and I have gotten a ridiculous case of cold feet in this last year. I've thought about it so much and have always been so sure that this is what I'd like to do. I've thought about pediatric nursing and quite a bit more about emergency care.

Here's the thing: I am not good with math, or really with schoolwork in general. (I'm honestly not even sure if I'd be able to get to college. :/) but I really want to help people. I want to be able to ease their pain as much as possible and help them heal and through the years of thinking about this over and over, I fee like being a nurse would be the best place for me to do that.

So I'm writing here to ask for your advice. When was it that you decided to become a burse and how did you know this is the career for you?

Thank you for your time.

+R.

[kittilvr]

I can relate to your story as i was not good at math or school growing up but when I started college I got serious because that is how you make your dreams come true. I had to work extra hard because I didn't have much experience with having to put hours and hours of studying into school work.

I decided I wanted to help people as well, I always loved the idea of working in a hospital and felt I was a natural for it. I knew officially it was the career for me when a patient told me how much they appreciated me for helping them. I never felt so good!

You have to WANT this more than anything and not do it half way as it is a difficult decision! Good luck!

[Honey Clover]

My decision was based on somewhat unconventional life experiences. I'm an older student. Nursing only came to me 4 years ago. My first degree wasn't even anything related to the sciences. I was in Japan after the tsunami and earthquake hit back in 2011 and happened to volunteered to help clean up the area and rebuild the community. Got super sick during my service and was taken care of by a wonderful Japanese nurse, volunteering her time in the natural disaster area. I was definitely inspired by her and started to become intrigued with the caregiver role. Seriously, this was my thought process: "Aw, she's nice, even to someone who doesn't speak the same language as her! ... How come I've never thought about nursing before?" So after one year in Japan, I returned to the US, graduated with my BA, worked in an office for one year to pay back loans and then I went straight back to school to start over with a new career in mind in the medical field. I solidified my interests by becoming a CNA and after getting a job, I knew I was definitely the caregiver type of person. Walking around, making sure my patients and residents were okay sure beats the heck out of sitting in a cubical and staring at the computer and paperwork all day!! And I used to be super shy too which I thought would be a road block to my goals BUT, I did my own version of exposure therapy to battle against my shyness so now I can talk to anyone without fear. Just took some positive determination and many uncomfortable, super awkward moments that's all. Lol. I also spent few years finishing all my prereqs including the sciences (which I thought I would have trouble with too but it wasn't that bad actually!!), and now, I'm waiting for acceptance letters for nursing programs next year spring.

Sometimes there were moments of second guessing myself with my decisions but I think what helped me was having faith that everything will be okay in the end and that I chose to live in the present, focusing on my goals and happiness right now and at this very moment. Often times, worries are a result of us thinking too much of either about the future or the past. I'm getting a little philosophical here but this is actually applicable to most situations. Take some time to center yourself, breathe, and do what you need to do right now. You can never plan out your future exactly. Today's decisions can change by tomorrow and that naturally happens in life. Accept it and relieve yourself of your worries because nothing is set in stone and your life won't end even if one day you may suddenly find that nursing wasn't right for you; at that point, you'll have grown up more, learn more about yourself and you'll have more determination to go after other careers. Nutritionist, social workers, school teachers and many others; these are all alternative careers that deal with helping others so nursing defintely isn't the only option. But if you feel nursing is a potential path for you right now, just go for it. Get some exposure with medical assisting, volunteering or CNA to increase your confidence. Take simple steps to get there. As for school, you really won't know how well you do in something until you actually go do it. Just some things to think about!

[direw0lf, BSN]

Not many people start off good in math. You can get an algebra tutor now, watch YouTubes (khan academy), practice. I met a girl a year ahead of me in the nursing program who wakes up hours earlier than her 9am class to study every single day.

But you need to concentrate on building your foundation in writing, reading, math, and science. You can do it though even if you had bad grades in high school. I did. I have an A or A- average in every class right now after nearly failing high school.

[BumbleBuddy]

Dude, math sucks. Luckily the math courses required to enter nursing aren't really that bad. I'm sure if you put in a little extra effort you'll do great!

[mindofmidwifery, ADN]

I originally wanted to go to school for human resources. I have always been terrible at math and thought that if I really wanted to get into that field, I will do well in math. Well, I lost interest and realized that I'd rather deliver babies and be in the healthcare field. I work extra hard in school now and have been getting all As and Bs instead of Cs and Fs. I am 20 and am a lot more motivated than I was two years ago.