Student, but do I really want to be an RN?? Help please!

Hi everyone, I joined this site because I had googled "do i really want to be a nurse" and I found a thread in this forum. I have so many doubts about nursing right now, and I don't know who better to ask them to than to those who are already nurses. My dilemma is whether I really want to be a nurse or not. I'm 19, and I've been out of high school for just about 2 years now. I'm already in a clinical program now, and on May 5th I'll have completed my first clinical semester. I'm planning on getting my RN license, and then getting my BS degree. I'm at a community college (because its so much cheaper than 4 yr programs) but they do it differently than most 4 yr colleges. It takes about 5 years. I've completed prerequisite courses that are required before you can get into the clinical program, which is a 4 semester program. I'll then transfer to another university, where I'll complete the BS degree. I've already taken some of the course credits that count towards the BS degree there, so I'm ahead of my game, and I do very well in school; I have a 4.0 and I've somehow managed an A in my first semester of clinicals, which isn't very common at my school's program. So it's not a matter of nursing school being tough; I know I can do it if I try hard enough.

But do I really want to??? What is nursing really about, and is it true that you really need a drive and need to really want to be a nurse in order to do well in this field? Did you all "always want to be a nurse"? I sorta fell into this career choice. I never "always wanted to be a nurse". I was nearing high school graduation, and had no career or major picked. I just sort of randomly picked nursing because I didn't know of anything else I wanted to do. And I'm quite good in math and science, and wasn't interested in english or media or anything else. I spent last night crying on the phone with my boyfriend because I don't know what to do about where I am. I'm not a good people-person, and I know this is a big part of nursing. But I'd guess that that will improve some with time, and as I get more used to the actual clinical aspect. Even still, I never had a desire to nurse and take care of people. I could do it though, but do I need to REALLY WANT to do it? I'm afraid of becoming a nurse with a BS degree and starting my career and getting "burnt out". Did any of you choose to do nursing without a real passion for it, and then develop the passion over time? If I stick to it, might I eventually develop that passion too, that every nurse seems to say they always had? (i.e. "always wanted to be a nurse")?

When I was young I always wanted to be a vet. I LOVE animals. Love them. But vet technicians don't make enough, and to become a veterinarian (which would definitely earn enough) takes vet Med School. So that's like 8 yrs of schooling... which I don't know if I can handle, as I have a very serious boyfriend for 3 years now and we plan to get married once I'm done with school but not until then (we also won't live together prior to marriage for reasons of religious beliefs). Summing it up, nursing works with our plans, and finances, (as he won't make that much career wise and I'll be the bread winner), but I don't have a passion for caring for people. Any comments or advise would be sooo much appreciated...

Dear Student:
There are forces pulling at you from several directions: the program you've started, the boyfriend, the finances, what you're good at. You're going to have to look at all of these things to guide you.
Nursing could be a bad choice for you because you went that route without really thinking it through and you're not a "people person." Nursing is a very people-intensive job.
But then you could make a go at it because you could find a niche in the profession where you could use your skills--get into research or teaching. This is where a school counselor could help you out.
I've been a nurse for around 25 years. I had another career path before that, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere. A school counselor pushed me into nursing; it wasn't anything I really wanted to do. I went through a few years where I was very unhappy on the job, but then I went on to higher education and now I have a great position. I have done all right and have a lot to be proud of, but sometimes I wonder what I might have done if I had followed my dreams. There really are no right answers for you, but I would say to follow what your heart tells you.

I agree with agave- you really need to consider what you want in life. If you want to go to vet school, I would not let the extra schooling prevent you from doing that- if it means you'll be happier in your career choice, you'll be better off in the end. Not everyone who is in nursing will say that they always wanted to be a nurse, but you do need to want to help people and care for them- and you said yourself that you don't have a passion for caring for people.

I would recommend talking to a career counselor or advisor at your school. See if they can arrange for you to shadow a nurse for a few days- I say a few days because there are so many different areas of nursing, you might want to shadow a few different nurses in different areas to see if this is something you really think you would be happy doing.

I've always wanted to be a nurse since I was 8 years old and saw one for the first time. So I'm not the person who should be answering *that* part of your question; but I will answer another (implied) question you seem to be asking.

Does a person have to be a "people person" to be a nurse? Not necessarily. There are so many areas of nursing that it really does take all sorts of people. QA/Risk Management areas don't require many people skills; some *might* argue that Supervising doesn't either! ;) (Just kidding there, it just seems like some supervisors are heartless robotic mother-dogs!):devil_smile:

HOWEVER, follow your heart if you really want to be happy in your career for life. The money won't matter if you are happy (and not a spend-thrift).

Hello Student!
You are very wise to think ahead about your career choice. If you care about people you can learn people skills. However you say you really want to work with animals as a vet. You are 19, and I would strongly advise you to go for what YOU really want. Think about it this way...If you spend 4 years studying to be a nurse and work 4 years as a nurse and hate it...you may find making a change difficult. As you become older life obligations like children, bills etc can make returning to school challenging. I would encourage you to be true to your heart and invest in yourself the 8 years in Vet school. The time will fly by. But please consider that Nursing can be rewarding.Like when you make a quick assessment and call the Doc for orders that save somebody's life. It is rewarding when you can make someones' world brighter with kindness and education regarding their care. The problem comes when short staffing robs the nurse and the patient of that precious time. Good Luck whatever you choose!
Songgirl