What's a good reason to quit nursing school?

VM85 · Jun 29, 2009

just want to share my experiences

i honestly hated clinicals- esp. in the beginning but as time went on, and i got new instructors and went to different sites- i am alright with it. i was thinking the same thing as you- what did i get myself into? do i really want this? then i figured- what else am i going to be doing with the next 10 months of my life. school had already started so i couldnt start classes if i decided to quit. and i am glad i hung in there, cuz i am graduating next week. i still dont love clinicals, i feel that the teachers, at times, made things way mroe stressful than they really needed to be- just to live up to the stigma that ns is the worst!- but in the end, i wont be a student...i will be a nurse! i have no prob with cleaning up "accidents" but i have not felt like a nurse this whole time- i feel like once i get out there in the real world, thats what ive worked so hard for- so dont feel like you are alone- at some point adn time you did want this, even if it did just fall into place, otherwise you wouldnt be in the program.-

so just consider these things...if your school is 12 months long- if you drop out what will you be doing with those 12 months? can you sign up for other classes and finish them within that time?do you get any of your money back? and can you afford to do another program such as the us tech?.....think of where you want to be in a year and 5 years and ten years and see if this is the path that will get you there

Mariakristina · Jan 14, 2011

I've read a lot of threads here about quitting nursing school. Most of them were someone saying "I have problems with this, this, and this" and people saying "well that's just not a good reason to quit."
I had my first clinicals last week, and I was miserable every single second of it. I've cried every day since, dreading the next. I've had nightmares about it. I honestly can't come up with a good reason to stay in school, aside from my pride, money, and the job security nursing would provide, but everyone around me is just saying "Hang in there! You can do this!"
I used to want this so bad, but now...I just don't. Surely there's other ways to get what I want out of a job without going through all this mess.
So, what is a good reason to quit nursing school? How do I know if this is just stress from school and a bad instructor and a hideous clinical site, or if this is something serious I need to address?

Hey there. I just read this and felt compelled to write to you because I currently am having having the same struggles. I know your post is a year old, so I am interested to see how things have developed since then. After my second semester of the program (first semester of med surg clinicals), I too feel deeply depressed about clinicals and disenchanted with the nursing profession in general. Is this standard for nursing school or is this indicative of someone truly pursuing the wrong career? Any advice you have in hindsight would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Jessica

none the wiser · Jan 14, 2011

Hey there. I just read this and felt compelled to write to you because I currently am having having the same struggles. I know your post is a year old, so I am interested to see how things have developed since then. After my second semester of the program (first semester of med surg clinicals), I too feel deeply depressed about clinicals and disenchanted with the nursing profession in general. Is this standard for nursing school or is this indicative of someone truly pursuing the wrong career? Any advice you have in hindsight would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
Jessica

Hi Jessica,

I took my boards yesterday...pretty sure I passed too. :) I have a job interview on Monday.

I stuck with it. Turns out the first semester, and indeed the first day (when I wrote this) was pretty much the worst. I hit another wall in the last semester, but that first day was definitely the worst.

The thing about nursing is there are a lot of different areas. Lots of floors, types of environments...you can even work for an insurance company or a law firm as a consultant. Nursing school is not representative necessarily of what you will be doing the rest of your life.

Not everyone will end up in med-surg. Does your program have specialty classes like OB-Peds, Psych, Critical Care? You may find you like one of those.

Not to mention there are specialty med-surg floors...I hate general med-surg, and I feel even more strongly about medical. Hate it. But I love Orthopedics. If there is something you're interested in, ask to shadow one day on a floor somewhere. See what a nurse really does...we did not do that until 5th semester. I would have felt far more encouraged if we were allowed to do that earlier in my nursing school career.

I guess it depends on your reasons for hating it too...I didn't know what I was doing, which as far as I'm concerned is the worst feeling in the world. But I know that that is one thing that will definitely get better over time. It could be your teacher. It could be the floor you're on.

Nursing school was bar none the hardest thing I've ever done, but now I'm really glad I didn't call it quits.

thenameismac · Jan 14, 2011

OMG. I can't believe it. I am so proud of the OP none the wiser. You stuck with it and found something that you liked. It's like a good ending to a book. I'm glad that you stuck with it and found that it does get better. It makes me feel better and I bet so many other people who read this thread feel the same way. :yeah:

Moogie · Jan 14, 2011

Thank you so much for posting your follow-up. I didn't realize that the thread was a year old and was about to comment---and then saw your post! What an awesome story!

Congratulations on getting through nursing school and taking boards! And good luck to you with the job interview.

tokidokifantasy · Jan 15, 2011

wow! just realized the thread was a year old. But what a good example from the OP, it gave me so much comfort knowing the sense of failure and discouragement isn't the end of the world.

I started first week of NS, terrified is really an understatement. I am overwhelmed with so much h.w and reading, but what really discouraged me and made me look dumb was the first day of clinical. We learned to take vital signs, sure, I read the book and watched the video, it all seemed easy, but when I really got to practice on someone, it was really horrible not to know how to take bp. The instructor showed me ways but I was too nervous, kept making mistakes, I couldn't hear the sounds, couldn't find the brachial nerve, and the person I was trying this on was making a scene and as if he knew it all. I was so discouraged and almost want to quit. I practice breathing technique and that really helped calming my nerves. I pray that I will get through this semester!:)

pockunit, ADN, RN · Jan 15, 2011

wow! just realized the thread was a year old. But what a good example from the OP, it gave me so much comfort knowing the sense of failure and discouragement isn't the end of the world.
I started first week of NS, terrified is really an understatement. I am overwhelmed with so much h.w and reading, but what really discouraged me and made me look dumb was the first day of clinical. We learned to take vital signs, sure, I read the book and watched the video, it all seemed easy, but when I really got to practice on someone, it was really horrible not to know how to take bp. The instructor showed me ways but I was too nervous, kept making mistakes, I couldn't hear the sounds, couldn't find the brachial nerve, and the person I was trying this on was making a scene and as if he knew it all. I was so discouraged and almost want to quit. I practice breathing technique and that really helped calming my nerves. I pray that I will get through this semester!:)

I still suck at BP, if that helps. I have a better scope which helps, but doing the physical assessment is going to haunt me all the way through the program. Give me a dirty butt any day.

semester1kid · Jan 15, 2011

I've read a lot of threads here about quitting nursing school. Most of them were someone saying "I have problems with this, this, and this" and people saying "well that's just not a good reason to quit."
I had my first clinicals last week, and I was miserable every single second of it. I've cried every day since, dreading the next. I've had nightmares about it. I honestly can't come up with a good reason to stay in school, aside from my pride, money, and the job security nursing would provide, but everyone around me is just saying "Hang in there! You can do this!"
I used to want this so bad, but now...I just don't. Surely there's other ways to get what I want out of a job without going through all this mess.
So, what is a good reason to quit nursing school? How do I know if this is just stress from school and a bad instructor and a hideous clinical site, or if this is something serious I need to address?

You might want to step back and examine what it is you don't like - is patients, the responsibility, being observed by an instructor, just isn't what you thought...think about what 'it' is and decide whether it's something that's managed or reconciled.

none the wiser · Jan 16, 2011

Well I passed the NCLEX. So this is the official happy ending to the story...haha. :)

ncbutterfly · Jan 16, 2011

That is awesome!! :yeah: Congrats your now an RN!! :nurse:

mfrancisco · Jan 16, 2011

This is so, so great!!! I started off reading this thinking that it was recent, too! I am starting my second semester of nursing school next week. I started off my first semester absolutely HATING clinicals for the first month. I really started questioning whether it was right for me. We did our first semester - at a really tough Acute Care Rehab - lots of Neuro, wounds, some onc, etc...There is one sentence that the OP had in her last post that summed it up - not knowing what you are doing really amplifies the situation. By far I still do not know what I am doing, but at least I am progressing. I am really nervous the night before clinicals, but so are the other students. We have a great support system, and I learned A LOT during my first semester. I was improving every week, and my instructor was very encouraging, and kept telling me that I was doing great. I think that helped a lot because I felt like a complete idiot.:-) Also, once I was approved to pass meds and do subcutaneous injections, it got to be more interesting. I know, the things that make us happy, right? I just started feeling more useful, and I also had some really awesome nurses that let me follow them around and help them out.

I am so proud of you, OP! Congrats on sticking it through, and thank you for coming back to respond! What an inspiration. The anxiety is building for me already, and I still have another week of vacation before I go back. :-) This post made my day!

semester1kid · Jan 16, 2011

Well I passed the NCLEX. So this is the official happy ending to the story...haha. :)

LOL - congrats...I didn't catch the fact that this thread was old. Good luck in your new career:yeah: