As I write this, I am almost halfway done with my undergraduate degree in nursing. For many, completing a bachelor’s degree is a remarkable feat — an accomplishment that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. This is exactly how I feel. As I’ve said numerous times, getting this degree is the hardest but most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. Yet, I can’t escape the feeling of thinking I need to do more. 

All around me, the conversation about going to grad school is inescapable. Whether I’m with my friends, peers, teachers, advisers or even my parents, grad school is always a topic that gets brought up one way or another. Though I know it’s common to talk about post-grad activities as an undergraduate student, it doesn’t mean I want to have those conversations. 

When I look around me, it seems like everyone else has a plan for themselves after the four years of undergrad is over. Specifically, when I’m with my peers who are other nursing students, I feel like everyone is set on what exactly they want to do. This could be going to nurse practitioner school, becoming a nurse midwife or trying to get into CRNA school. Regardless of what it is, everyone around me just seems to have a clear path into their future. 

While I try to get a glimpse of my academic future, I can barely see past the next two years of college. Instead of having a clear path, my pathway is blurry and dark, leaving me with no sense of direction or any hints of where I should go. Throughout so much of my life, I’ve always felt certain about what I want to do until now. It’s scary knowing adulthood is right around the corner and that I have no idea what’s to come. 

I often wonder if this uncertainty means I’m behind or if I’m just allowing myself to truly explore all of my options before I’m 100% set on something. There is a strange pressure in nursing academia to push yourself out of bedside nursing as soon as possible. More experienced nurses will tell you that bedside nursing should not be what you do for the rest of your life and that you’ll be miserable if you try to stick with it. It’s almost like a coercion statement they make to put in your head that you’ll never be happy unless you get a master’s degree. 

Bedside nursing is incredibly challenging, both mentally and physically, and I can see why some are so desperate to get out of that cycle. In the hospital setting, nurses experience long 12-hour shifts and are understaffed, overworked and underpaid while still expected to provide high-quality care. Nursing burnout is so incredibly real, and I completely understand why so many are eager to seek opportunities that give them a better life. 

Though the statement that bedside nursing isn’t something you should do for the rest of your life may have some truth to it, what if it is what I want to do? So far in my clinical rotations, I love to be around my patients and provide them with direct care. What if I find fulfillment and purpose in direct patient care? Would it truly be the worst thing if I decided to stay on the hospital floor working bedside until I retired? I think the ability to comfort a patient in their most vulnerable moments, advocate for their needs, and witness firsthand the impact of compassionate care is something truly special, and I feel like that’s what I’m meant to do. 

I know that my lack of experience as an actual nurse makes me naïve about what it’s like to work full-time and that I won’t be able to truly immerse myself in the reality of bedside nursing until I become a registered nurse. Maybe my thoughts of liking bedside nursing will change, and those thoughts will thrust me into the opportunities I can get with another degree under my belt. I want to remind myself that nursing is a career with endless opportunities and that everyone’s path is completely different. There is no right way to navigate my life once I earn my bachelor’s degree. I think one of the beauties of nursing is the versatility that lies with it. Some nurses may thrive in administrative roles while others find purpose in research or teaching. 

Instead of pressuring myself to make decisions to dictate the rest of my career, I should give myself the ability to thrive and grow. There are still so many things I want to do and so many things I have left to learn. Why should I put so much pressure on myself to have my life plans set in stone when I could spend that time growing, learning and experiencing before I make a commitment? Right now, the only thing I’m focused on is trying to become the best nurse that I can be. And maybe that’s enough. 

To those who feel lost in the overwhelming chatter about grad school, know that you are not alone. It’s okay to take your time, explore your options and make a path that aligns with your passions and values. I know that no matter where I end up in my nursing career, what matters the most is I’m doing meaningful work that fulfills me and is something to be proud of. 

Danae Poteat writes primarily about pop culture and current events. Write to her at dmp152@pitt.edu.