Should I Go to Grad School Right Away? (RN)

00:01 Now that we've learned all about grad school options and how I feel about trying to trick seniors into applying to grad school immediately- apparently I'm not over it yet, I wanted to address a question that I get all the time.

00:14 Should I go to grad school right away after nursing school? And these are...

00:20 People who ask this are usually people who know they will eventually go back to grad school. Maybe their goal in the near future is to become a nurse practitioner.

00:27 So they think, hey, going back to school right now sounds good.

00:31 I might as well tack it on to my undergrad degree and be done sooner.

00:35 Right? But if you want my honest opinion, should you tack it right on and go right back to school right away? No, I don't think you should.

00:44 And you are absolutely more than welcome to disagree with me on this.

00:48 I get a lot of pushback on this one, but, friends, I have no idea how people do it.

00:54 That first year as a new nurse, it is just, it's a lot.

00:59 You can do it because you absolutely can do hard things and you are more than likely capable of doing this. But holy cow, it is a lot to learn.

01:08 And it took all of my mental energy to just adjust and learn and survive that first year as a new nurse and grad school wasn't even on my horizon.

01:17 I can't imagine trying to be a new nurse, learn my new job, and try to go to grad school all at the same time.

01:24 That's just...

01:25 It's a lot. I also think that most people change their mind once they actually get out into nursing about what it is they really want to do.

01:34 I know I sure did.

01:35 And almost every nurse I know in different places all over, they ended up in places that their nursing school selves would never, ever in a million years have guessed.

01:46 There are so many cool areas of nursing and healthcare in general that are not widely known about because they're a lot more niche.

01:53 And so as a student, you may likely not even know that they exist.

01:58 But once you are introduced to it through your jobs, your friends' jobs, you may discover it and be like, Oh my gosh, this is it.

02:04 Like, This is what I want to do forever.

02:07 And if you went straight back to grad school, you may never have even discovered that thing because you were already down a different specialized path.

02:16 So that's why I don't really recommend jumping right back into school.

02:21 I don't think it's nice to your mental health.

02:23 I think that you deserve a lot of love and gentleness with yourself in that first year as a nurse, especially, and I want you to explore a little bit before committing.

02:33 Because remember, grad school is really quite specific.

02:38 Yes, yes you can change your mind later and pursue another path after you have your graduate degree, but that does require even more school time and money since those degrees are no longer generalized in grad school, they're much more niched down and specific as you enter that different level of education.

02:56 So, can you jump right in? Yes. Many people honestly do.

03:00 But just be cautious about it and know that if you do wait a few years, your career might be an even bigger adventure and a surprise because of it. Thank you so, so much for being here for this introduction to nursing school and beyond and everything you're going to do in the world, my friends. I hope you feel a little bit more prepared after watching this course to go forth into the nursing world.

03:23 And if you have any questions, please do leave them below, and we can make some further follow-up videos just like this one.

03:31 And always, always, always remember, my friends, you are not alone.

03:35 You are enough.

03:36 And you can do hard things.

03:38 I'll see you later. Bye.