Need some advice I keep backing out of decisions I make.

I don't even know if that exersise degree would get me anywhere and it would cost £3000 a year but you can get vocational qualifications from it too like fitness instructing. I love going to the gym and working out and want the fitness lifestyle to be a big part of my life I plan to fit it around being a student nurse so say if I had a late shift Id go jogging in the morning and vica versa. I just don't know what to do I want to do nursing but at the same time want to live for exersise and keeping fit. Im in my mid twenties now, still live with my mum and feel I need to get a proper job/career I can't keep messing about anymore. Im looking forward to nursing but am scared of losing my passion for exersise as a result I just wanted some advice

Im just sick of not being able to make my mind up about things I feel I could do nursing but my sister has just got a job at a sports centre and for some weird reason Im jelous lol it just sounds such a carefree enjoyable area to work in! Theres no use me taking a gap year or whatever to decide Ive had so much time and taken so many years to decide what to do as a career my brain just can't make decisions!

cheers^ I was thinking that Id be paying at least £9000 to do an exersise degree when most of the jobs it leads onto you don't even need a degree for, you just need nvq's for instructing etc) whereas with nursing I guess if Im lucky I could specialise in health promotion/exersise promotion eventually. I don't know nursing just seems such hard work at times Im really looking forward to starting then other times I think maybe its not for me and that I can't be bothered with the commitment but thats just laziness.

It's normal to have a few doubts - write down a list of pros and cons! haha that's what I do when I can never decide on something!
You could always work as a nurse for few years after qualifying, live in Australia etc then come back to the exercise thing. Just do what will make you happy!
Yes nursing is gonna be hard work but it'll be worth it.

or it might not be worth it it seems pointless getting qualified but not actually practicing, unless a psychiatric nursing qualification is valuble for getting employment in the fitness world.

I just meant if the OP was really unhappy working as a mental health nurse years after qualifying and regrets not going to do the fitness thing - there are always other options available like they said they can use their mental health degree to specialize in something related to fitness.

hm I can't think what I had a similar idea but came to the conclusion that its difficult to transfer from nursing I can't think how a nursing diploma would help op to get a job in fitness.

i think you know nursing is a better choice but if you would be unhappy doing the nursing then go for the sports degree.

could you qualify as a nurse and specilise in sports health??? i know know i am just trying to see if you could incoparate both?

Thats what I wondered how can psychiatric nursing be useful for a career in fitness Im not sure if its possible.

When i was on my mental health placement, i helped run a keep fit class for those who'd recently been diagnosed with depression and also went for walks with those in my centre!

However it's probably best if you want to incorporate excercise and nursing to do adult, theres things like orthopaedics, cardiac rehabs which are very sport related, and excercise linked in

However theres no reason why you can't be a student nurse and pursue excercise, i myself am on the school of nursings netball team and go the gym, plus one of my friends on the course is a professional rollerblader!

Cool I didn't know they have pro rollerbladers exp in the UK. So does she find time to train/practice everyday? Thats interesting was the fit class voluntary Ive never heard of a job in mh nursing that specifically deals with providing exersise as a treatment.

Thats what I wondered how can psychiatric nursing be useful for a career in fitness Im not sure if its possible.

exercise is soooo important for mentally ill people. it helps to keep their mood up.

i was severly mentally ill about 3 years ago (im fine now), i had an eating disorder and was placed in a specialist eating disorder unit, where i stayed (as and inpatient) for 6 months. even though everyone there suffered from weight problems exercise was encouraged and the unit ran fitness classes because it help 1. with the patients mood, 2. with their confidance and 3. with the osteoperosis 90% of us had.

i have never actually known a mental health hospital that does not encourage exercise.

so it is totally an option for you. and so much more rewarding than teaching perfectly able people IMO.

Ah ok was it not a physio/exersise specialist that ran the fitness class Ive never heard of an actual nurse doing this but then Ive never worked with eating disorders. Maybe it would be possible in the future to open a private exersise clinic for people with mental health problems or something. Would be a massive goal but still something to think about lol.

Yea I know exercise is important I think that its so underrated meds seem to be the dominant treatment but ideally Id say the less medication needed to cope the better yet you can never really do too much exersise except for eating disorders maybe.

the entire mental health hospital had a similar program (it was in oxford) even on the other none specialised wards did fintness classes and had a gym. its becoming commen practice within mental health.

some of the classes where ran by nurses (who were trainned in fitness, but only like NVQs. lol). there had to be at least 3 nurses in a class of 10 patients (we were all quite seriously ill so high supervision was needed). we even had a 30min dance class once a week with was ran by a therapist which was awsome .
basically they were trainned health professionals and they had fitness hobbies, they took NVQs and incorporated that hobby into their work.

mental health requiers alot of imagination, you have to help in a unique way and in many different way to make sure the patient has alot of different ways of coping with their stresses.

i also started a community mental health fitness group (after i was discharged from the hospital). a guy who was a fitness instructor ran it along with a few mental health nurses and they arranged physical activities for mentally ill people. it was great, they had a load of funding and we did things like hiking, rock climbing and swimming. i know that for me it did really help my mental health and it increased my mood a lot.

what you want to do is possible in the mental health world. my advice would be while trainning to be a MH nurse take a few fitness classes on the side and really decide on what area of fitness interests you, then when you are finished nurse trainning do an NVQ (NVQs are so easy) in fitness teaching then you will be able to apply your fitness knowlege to the way you help people recover.

i think you have a really good idea going there.

Ah right thanks a lot for that its really something to think about! Ive seen wards where there is just nothing for patients to do where some get bored/stressed and start deliberately annoying staff maybe physical activity could replace some of the smoke breaks every hour lol.