Would love feedback from a nurse

[jld9]

Hi everyone,

I am hoping all of you nurses will give me some words of wisdom. I am at a stage in my life where I need to go back to school. I am 34 and have two children who are 7 and 4. My husband works long hours which leaves me to feel like a single mother at times. I am questioning my capability of getting through nursing school and wonder if I should just pursue medical assisting or go for my LPN. I have all of my prerequisites complete but can't decide which road to take. This has been a constant battle in my mind. I have family members who advise me NOT to become a nurse due to the mental and physical stress and friends who have recently become RN's tell me straight up to look into something else. If my heart isn't 100% sure about this career, should I look elsewhere??? Thank you in advance!

[MInursingstudent]

Hi!

I am a nursing student in the middle of my second semester of the program. If you are not 100% before you get into the a program, I can almost guarantee this is not the right decision for you. First off, at my school, the instructors are very hard on you. It's like a boot camp for the first few weeks. It's mainly because they want you take it seriously, they want you to know what you are doing, but mainly because they only want the people to stay that really really want to be there.

Second, if your husband is gone a lot, and you are the main person responsible for your children, home, etc...that WILL become an issue. Most programs just give you a schedule. My first set of clinicals I went straight from the hospital to a lecture, it was a 14 hour day. If one of your kids gets sick, or if something happens at home, the instructors don't care. They want you there at the hospital or in class, because whatever you learn that day could be vital to someone's life one day...or to your exam that week! I am exhausted most of the time , and thankfully have a very sweet boyfriend who helps me, sometimes he even irons my uniforms.

I have seen quite of few people drop out or fail classes already, and quite honestly, most of them you could see it coming from day one, because they were always complaining, or just plain didn't care as much as the rest of us. If you aren't sure, try being a Care Tech or an Aide first. You need to know what the nurses do, because it is not about putting on cute scrubs and bringing home a big paycheck!!

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

Just some questions to keep you thinking:

How did you do in your prereqs? Was your family situation the same when you took those?

Can you tell us more about your motivations for pursuing a nursing degree? What is important to you in a career? Have you ever worked or volunteered in a healthcare setting where you've been able to get a glimpse of the role of nurses and other healthcare providers?