is nursing a good fit for you?

If a passion for science and patient care wrapped up in a fast-paced job working in a team sounds like a good fit, then nursing may be a career path you should pursue. 

I write about wellness on this blog, from physical health to mental health, fitness to eating well. Whether you're interested in the wellness side of health, or about the science and care behind disease states, it's not a stretch to think that nursing might be a good fit for you. 

Let's talk about it some more.

self-management

Nursing school is fast and challenging. Nursing as a job is also fast and challenging, requiring communication skills, problem solving, empathy, and thinking on your feet.

emotional stability

As a nurse, you've got to leave your personal life at the door. You've got to keep your head in the game and be able handle the stress of the job.

passion

If your passion for wellness shows through in your day-to-day life - like sneaking vegetables into your family's meals - then you have the passion I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post. If you excelled in your science courses in high school or college, then studying for your nursing exams will be a cinch. Spend time researching the different fields of nursing, as well as the different levels, from RN to DNP. 

willingness to learn

Nurses are phenomenal people with extensive training and knowledge combined with empathy and compassion. In order to wear the scrubs, you'll need to complete training on a variety of topics, including phlebotomy training.

If you're balancing work with school, consider some of the hands-on training (like phlebotomy) up front and work as a technician while you're in school or doing online courses. You can gain healthcare experience while rounding our your training. Working in healthcare before clinical rotations will let you know if you've got the stomach to stand the guts and blood. Some people feel queasy just being in a hospital, while others love being in the operating room.

apply what you learn

While nursing has a lot of training, it's also a real-world job - you'll have to apply what you learn. That's why nursing students hit the patient floor and apply their classroom learning on the job. While a lot of the information needs to be memorized, it's important to be aware of the way that you learn so that you can retain the information you study.