Choosing nursing as a major is a critical point in a student’s life. The pressure of choosing the career path, planning and exploring all the possible options, and finally taking the right decision. All these elements hold a great amount of significance in deciding any sort of major.
When it comes to medical majors, it is believed to be among the fastest-growing fields, according to one 2017 survey. Like every other program, the process of pursuing nursing as a major can seem quite intimidating. Therefore, it’s necessary to have some background information before jumping on the nursing bandwagon.
More impressively, a major in nursing equips students for a future in nursing administration, nursing research, and clinical nursing. Nursing students develop the necessary skills required to evaluate clinical scenarios, navigate patient activities.
As well as, work efficiently in a variety of health care situations. There are multiple benefits of pursuing a major in nursing. But, before anything, there are certain questions a student needs to ask himself. To assess whether he/she is ready for the potential challenges or not.
Questions To Ask Before Choosing Nursing As A Major
For a successful career in nursing, deciding on a suitable nursing program where the student’s interest lies holds utmost importance. There are several questions to consider, both regarding the program itself, as well as an individual’s personal goals and circumstances.
Question #1: Why do I want to be a nurse?
Many students dive into the nursing field because they believe “it pays well” or “it’s a stable career.” However, forgetting that nursing is a tough and demanding career path. The emotional, psychological, and physical requirements can get immensely overwhelming. Some great successful nurses in the world had a passion for attending to people and caring for them. They have a deep interest in offering a helping hand to others. So, for those who aren’t exactly sure why they want to step into the nursing world, the recommendation is that they think twice about volunteering to get a better picture of what nurses do.
Question #2: Do I understand what nurses do?
Before committing to a challenging degree, the potential students must know what’s in store for them. Being a nurse is a full-time responsibility. It requires utmost patience and perseverance to deal with patients. A good nurse is a caretaker for his/her patients. He/she is responsible for managing physical needs, preventing illnesses, and treating other health issues. They have to extensively attend to their patients, which includes the psychosocial, developmental, cultural, and spiritual needs of the sick. Hence, it’s better that students participate in a healthcare setting to interact with nurses and closely observe their work. This will further aid in strengthening a student’s major choice as well as make them consider other career options.
Question #3: Am I a people person?
Another factor to consider when planning to pursue nursing is to judge whether one is social or not. Nursing involves dealing with several patients, when they are extremely sick, in pain, nervous or maybe even dying. This is why nurses need to have certain attributes such as emotional stability and keeping their control. Sometimes, this can get pretty arduous; nurses need to have the ability to treat their patients as important people. Moreover, nurses interact with the patient’s family along with other hospital staff and workers. Therefore, being a nurse, knowing how to handle each member is vital. For all prospective nurses know that patience, kindness, and compassion are the three pillars of nursing.
Question #4: Am I a team player?
Nursing is by profession a team job. Every nurse has to work as a team for the betterment of the patient. Successful nurses know when to take the lead role when to step back depending upon the situation. They know when to allow someone else to handle the case. Expert advice is to perform a decent amount of work and have the capacity to accept constructive criticism maturely. Be smart: observing and learning something from whoever the individual works with is a sign of success.
Question #5: Am I devoted to my academics?
Nursing as a major is difficult. The prerequisites are strenuous. Some of them include Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Applied Pathophysiology. These have enough power to drain the student completely. According to the nursing master’s programs ranked by U.S. News, the acceptance rate among 223 nursing master’s programs was only 68.2% where the majority of applicants got rejected. So, if the individual is not interested or committed to his academics then nursing isn’t the right choice. The student needs to have enough enthusiasm and willingness to make his academics an utmost priority. Only then acceptance into the desired program can be guaranteed. Nursing schools are usually on the lookout for brilliant students – ones with high grades, leadership experience, volunteer experience, and a clear understanding of their chosen program.
Question #6: Am I resilient?
Because the prerequisite nursing courses are exceptionally demanding, there may be instances of disappointments with grades and performance. Without a doubt, the nursing program and clinical are challenging. Thus, the student needs to instill a positive, not-giving-up attitude in himself. He needs to judge himself as to whether he can instantly bounce back from failures or not. The ability to not quit, solve problems and establish plans to move ahead is the need for a nursing major. The nursing profession comes with its package of difficulties and disappointments, but resiliency is the solution to handle them.
Question #7: Am I ready to become a life-long learner?
Like every health specialist, learning for nurses doesn’t halt with the completion of the degree or getting a license. With the advancement of the world, the health field is prone to frequent changes. Thus, nurses have to update their knowledge, ideas, and skills. They have to maintain their current skills along with learning new ones to stay in the medical field.
Conclusion
Nursing as a major is by far the toughest program of all. It requires full determination, interest, and enthusiasm to stay focused and steadfast. A proper self-analysis is highly needed. Only then can a student achieve success in this field.