Trying to decide on nursing school

cleback · Nov 9, 2018

1. Yes-- it was one of the challenges that attracted me to nursing. I will never be an extrovert but that's ok. My people skills have gotten better overall.

2. Yes-- maybe not right away (8-hr nights were miserable for me), but you will likely, eventually, find a specialty or job with a schedule that fits your needs.

3- not at all.

Good luck!

Aliens05, ASN · Nov 9, 2018

Reading through this I basically saw myself in your entire post. I love animals, and I would love if I could have figured out a long time ago how to work with them on a daily basis (especially dogs) and make as much or more than nurse does. I looked into all sorts of vet tech stuff, even working at a Zoo with animals which would in my mind be like a dream job, however the schooling was longer, the pay was worse, the growth and stability were much were, and the prospects of actually landing the exact job I would want to do, well...I likely may as well have just been playing the lottery with those odds.

I went back to get my 2 year RN at 30, just graduated at 32. I can tell you yes the demand and stability is out there, the pay is out there but you have to work to get there (1-2 yrs experience in hospital settings for travel, etc). I am also introverted, I don't socialize much, not that I am not good at it...I just find the majority of people to not mesh well, I am an extremely quiet calm collected level headed person. I find that I fit in well at a small group home for the disabled where they permanently live. While it isn't the best experience, I love it and it fits me.

In terms of work life balance, it kind of depends what you do. My schedule is M-F 8 hours per day, so its good in terms of work/life. Even working in a hospital doing three 12s would be good too, 4 days per week off plz and thanks. However, if you would need to work overtime a lot, or have two jobs, the work life balance would lessen, while your pay would go up a good deal.

If I could have started back at age 18, I likely would have chosen something different, however for my age, and the stability and pay I needed at this time in my life and for my future, that is why I chose nursing.

Golden_RN, MSN · Nov 9, 2018

Yes, shyness makes nursing more challenging because you will have to speak up for your client in very stressful situations. You will have to advocate for your patient to doctors, families, admin etc. under very stressful situations. I was a shy nursing student and new nurse. It is definitely something I have to work on all of the time.

Nursing provides the best work/life balance! Yes, you will miss evenings, holidays and weekends. But if you work 12 hour shifts, that will give you at least 4 days off/week. When my child was young I worked two 12-hour shifts/week, giving my 5 days off be with my family. If you work 8 hour shifts, you may only get every other weekend off, and you may otherwise not get 2 consecutive days off, which is a bummer!

Burnout is a risk, BUT as you mentioned, there are so many specialties. As long as you continue your education, there will be other opportunities if you experience burnout.

ShadowNurse · Nov 11, 2018

I would have to go against what some of the others have said. Going into it for money/stability is not the worst thing in the world. I chose nursing partly for that. But it sounds like it's a big reason for you. And weighed with all of the other challenges of nursing as a major and as a career, I don't know if it will turn out to be worth it for you in the end. We deal with things on the job that the majority of people never encounter in an average day, and we really don't earn too much more than the average well-paid middle-income worker. Nurses can also be laid off, downsized, what have you just like everyone else. And you're right; nursing school is a whole new ball game. I always say that I never regret going to nursing school for a moment, but you couldn't pay me enough to go back.

I suppose the question I'd have you ask yourself is, are you willing to put in substantially more risk for a more modest reward? At least money and job wise. Personally and spiritually, it could be the best choice you ever made. Just gotta weigh all the factors.

And yes, being shy is hard as a nurse. I am a withdrawn kind of guy. It's one of the things I've needed to really work on as a nurse, but it can be done.

inthecosmos, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN · Nov 11, 2018

Introverts as nurses, did you learn to be sociable?
Work-life balance, do you have it? Can you separate work from home? Do you have time for hobbies?
Going into it for stability and money, is it the worst thing in the world?

I am no more sociable now than I was when I started. Being an introvert in nursing is hard, but not impossible. I have learned to fake it, though.

I have decent work-life balance when I choose not to work overtime. Three 12-hour shifts a week is not hard to complete. Four days off make it worth it.

The entire reason I pursued nursing was for stability and money. I make over $30 dollars an hour at a major hospital in my city. It has provided me with freedoms and responsibilities that I enjoy. I also happened to love nursing once I began pursuing it, though.

stevemac · Nov 11, 2018

I've blown off studying to cruise Allnurses, and here you are!

My resume looks like a sampler platter rather than a main course. One of the things that I liked about being a truck driver was that I didn't really have to talk to anyone, outside of "What door? Where's the office? Where's the bathroom?"

I have had to LEARN how to just...chat. I've had to LEARN how to banter, how to break the ice. Those are skills, and you can learn them. And then you can practice your new skill until it becomes part of who you are.

My "work/ life balance" is decidedly unbalanced. It's NOT a fault of the nursing profession, or healthcare in general. It's Steve's fault. I work extra shifts because I want to get out of debt faster than I could if I just worked 3 12s. One of the superficial trades is that I was only on my boat three times this past summer. One of the much deeper trades--and now I regret my decision--is that I have spent a terrible amount of time away from wife and children.

I'm a travel ER nurse, and sometimes Psych. I take travel contracts reasonably close to home (usually) so that I can go home on my days off, and I've also traveled to other states. Your nursing career will be what you make it. I like travel nursing because it gives me flexibility in my time that a staff nurse doesn't get, and it does pay more than being a staff nurse--IF you live cheap while not at home.

You don't have to master those things in "What's scaring me" in order to be successful as a nurse. You do need to be aware of them, and you need to figure ways to work through, or around, them.

The benefits to a nursing career that you mentioned are some of the same things that drew me, and you are correct. This is a stable, growing, in-demand field that pays well and is very portable and can be very flexible.

Neo Soldier, BSN, RN · Nov 17, 2018

Being an introvert doesn't mean you're not sociable or like-able, it means you enjoy alone time a lot. There are introverted people that are friendly and enjoy banter. Like any other skill, small talk takes practice and it will be your saving grace. I learned.

I work 12 hour shifts so I am able to balance going to school, work, and hanging out with friends.

I went into nursing because I wanted to take care of people. I also want financial stability and so the profession works out for me.