What is it like?

[skyhigh7]

Hello everyone I am currently applying to nursing schools. I'm 36 years old and my previous field was sales. I'm so tired of sales and never having a life. Mon-fri hours working from 9-6pm or 9-7pm and never having time for myself, my family or vacations. I know I should consider myself lucky not working weekends or holidays but there has to be more to life than this. The only time I have ever been truly happy is when I have a career that enables me to help others obviously a decent income is also important but when I can combine the two I find more pleasure. I adore kids and believe pediatrics, nicu or mother baby can be the ideal job for me, but I did volunteer in the hospital and I have seen the working conditions which scares me. It's more the way the nurses treat eachother that scares me. In one way I look at this as a challenge to develop a thicker skin but the last thing I want is to hate my co-workers and not get along with them. I have spoken to a few nurses and they all seem to hate there jobs. Can someone please shed me some light?! Going to nursing school is probably one of the hardest things I will ever encounter. My question is will it pay off and is anyone out there Happy?

[nurse_flo_marie, MSN, RN]

Nursing is a stressful profession. You learn all this information, spend hours studying, and are graded mostly by tests and papers. In order to practice, you have to pass the NCLEX. When you're in practice, you try to do everything by the book & what you learned in school. However, the nurse-patient ratio often makes it hard to do the best job you want to do. Nurses are stressed & end up lashing out on each other.

But with all that being said, I am a nurse who, on most days, loves her career. I found the perfect position for me. I've made connections which have helped me get to this point & I try to help other nurses see their career this way. It does not always work, but I will always keep trying.

As for having a life............ Good Luck!