21Y (F) Nursing Student questioning staying in the program and decision to become a nurse.

[asus22]

I am a 21 year old nursing student, just finishing up my second year of nursing. I am starting to find that I do not enjoy the program as much as I thought I would. I have dedicated three years to this program so far and have at least 2 more to go until I graduate. I am starting to question why I came into the program in the first place. Now that I am a bit older, I realize things I didn't care about like the long hours and working holidays, are now not appealing to me. I would like to have a family eventually, that is very important to me so I am not okay with missing out on events for my career. I am scared that when I'm older I will develop bad joints and problems with my body that I don't want to have to deal with. I find school to be very overwhelming and I am losing friends during this program. I barely have free time for myself or my family. I can't even work a part time job without feeling the burden of school. I feel the stress won't end when I'm done school. I am a very sensitive person so when I see someone upset or going through a rough time I tend to become very emotional. I feel that in the event I were to lose a patient or work with a very severely ill patient I would have a difficult time handling this situation.

On the other side, I do love helping people and caring for people. I came into nursing because I like being able to do even the smallest thing in attempt to make someone's day a little better. I just feel that the sacrifices I will have to make are not worth it for my happiness. I am very selfish in saying this, but I don't want to live my life with regret from this career choice.

I am debating switching programs however I have switched one time already (I was previously in accounting) and will find it embarrassing to switch again, possibly back to my original program. There was no particular reason I had left, I just thought I would enjoy nursing more than I am. After dedicating three years of my life to nursing and over $25 000 I am having a hard time coming to terms with the idea of switching back. If I were to switch back, I would have more time for myself, work steadier work hours for family life but I would have 3-4 years of schooling that would cost another $30 000 left to complete. If I leave nursing, I would be unable to reenter the program without starting from the beginning again.

Any opinions on this matter?

TL;DR: Debating if nursing is the right choice for me, and if I am okay with wasting the $25,000 I put into the program to switch to accounting. The switch would take another $30 000 to complete and about 3-4 years.

[Atl-Murse]

You stated a alot of good reasons you should drop out. I think you should go with your gut, drop out now

[Butterfly922]

Sounds like you already really know what you want to do if you are saying you are okay with wasting the 25000. But also remember nursing is not always weekends, holidays, 12+ hour days. There all all different types of jobs in nursing that don't work in those conditions.

[Cruz.Cookie, BSN, RN]

Well you have to ask yourself this. When you walk into a patients room during clinical are you happy ? Do you feel you belong? Or do you feel like there's no point ? Or do you feel dread? Think about what was the originating point that made you switch from accounting in the first place ? There must have been something that deterred you from accounting to even switch out of it in the first place.

I remember I had a colleague who expressed the same thing you did. However, during our third semester she expressed that she did love what she was doing after all...it was just the fact that it was all new to her ...the dedication, the long hours, the studying. She stuck it out to the third semester Medical Surgical 2, where you can really tell if this is for you or not. Maybe you should too ..

Now this is a lot of money and remember that there are so many aspects to nursing than just bedside. Yes, you do have to complete 1-2 years of bedside but after that you're free to go into any specialty you so desire ..and not all require the 12 hour shift work like the hospital.

I think you need to go with how you feel when you're in the clinical setting. Think long and hard about this before you make any rash decisions. I understand it takes away from your family but that is nursing school ...long hours..dedication ..and work ..but it's only temporary until you graduate. No one can answer whether it's in your heart to switch out of nursing or not.

My instructor always tells me she makes sure that the student understand s that each patient is a loved one to their family -could you treat them as you would treat your own in a bed side setting ? Good luck with your decision I hope you think it out.

[JaxJax5423]

I would caution what previous poster said....I HATED clinicals...HATED. I was very uncomfortable and dreaded every second. Once I worked as a nurse, got confident, and found my niche....It finally felt fulfilling and I felt like I was truly making a difference.

I suggest you research nursing jobs.You will see the large variety from bedside, to office, to Monday thru Fri clinics, to schools...etc. I would stick it out personally. It will open many many doors and opportunities. .. not just the bedside. BUT, you may have to do some bedside to get to other positions. Good luck.