Stephanie W. answered • 10/01/19
Tutor
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Clinical Analyst with Gerontology/Hospice Background
My best advice in trying to figure out if nursing is right for you:
- Become a CNA or volunteer to get hands-on patient care experience. If you can't be comfortable touching patients and cleaning up someone who is unable to care for themselves, then nursing is not the right job for you.
- Ask yourself why you want to become a nurse? What part of the job interests you? Is it the money? Is it just because you care? Is it because the human body interests you?
- Realize that nursing involves having compassion and empathy, a strong knowledge of science, an extremely good memory, good public speaking skills (or at least comfortable explaining things to patients and families), and the ability to teach (a lot of a nurse's job is education). If any of these don't appeal to you or you struggle with, I suggest getting help in those areas or consider another career that best fits your needs.
Nursing is a very long journey, and EXTREMELY rewarding if you choose this path. But I always tell anyone I come across to consider these three things and really research your options. Also know that there are SO many avenues to nursing so even if you get through school and find that you have no idea where you belong, keep trying other areas, you will find your niche. (Take it from someone who contemplated giving up nursing for 2 years before finding where I belong).
