Not excited to start nursing. :(

cassie77775 · May 1, 2014

I was excited but I was scared to death! I knew I could do it and would love it(and so far I do) but I was very worried about hurting someone, not knowing what to do in an emergent situation, etc. I've been a nurse coming up on a year soon and my confidence is increasing but the fear is still there!

loveoutloud · May 1, 2014

Wow, I could have written this post myself. I think others are more excited/happy for me than I am for myself. I am not looking forward to my job which I start very soon and I am avoiding studying for my RN exam like the plague. I have a personal issue I think is preventing me from me from being excited so hopefully it will resolve soon.

I think the feeling stupid part is normal, and what nurse friends have told me is that it's good- it means you care and are SAFE. Good luck as you begin your career. Any luck on a job yet?

ps I lie about being excited too, lol.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · May 1, 2014

What you're feeling is normal. You're approaching an uncomfortable point in your career where you're transitioning from the known to the unknown. This can be very scary because you're now at a point where you really start to understand that you don't know everything and that's not a good feeling either.

Guess what? Am I excited to be done? Yes. Am I also apprehensive about the future? Yes. Is it scary? Yes. After I graduate, I can either apply for jobs or I can sit on my backside thinking about how scary things are to be transitioning out of a student role. Either way, the same amount of time will pass!

amoLucia · May 1, 2014

You're ending your school experiences so there freq are separation issues. Some call it separation anxiety, maybe I'd call it separation depression. You're facing critical testing and a future career role with new employment concerns. I could be feeling as you do - a lot of overwhelming things going on. And a lot of emotions.

I don't do psych, but sounds like you need to vent to someone who can give the reassurance & support you need.

Good luck.

tech1000 · May 3, 2014

I was never very excited. Then again, I don't find work fun. I get excited about trips and going to fun places. Work? Nah... And I felt like I didn't know anything either. I still sometimes feel like I don't know things I should, after 3 years. But I ask other nurses the same things and sometimes they don't know either.

Dranger · May 3, 2014

I don't know any RNs I work with who actually like going to work. Many jump on the chance to get sent home for low census or call and they are all still good at their jobs. Sometimes when your floor is either a psych or detox facility you just aren't to excited about nursing....

CardiacKittyRN · May 5, 2014

I think what you're feeling is normal! I am a new grad (Dec 2013) and just started my first RN job in March. I was excited to graduate, but thought I'd never find a job... then I got my first interview. I was excited they called, but again, thought there was no way they would hire me. But they did! And I was terrified. I dreaded that first day... at one point I considered just staying at my old job (LTC, I'd been a CNA there for a year). But I knew I had to go; I made myself try! Its a big change and it is scary. There is so much I don't know, but I learn more everyday. When you say you don't mind nursing, what do you mean? Because I didn't know what being a nurse really was like until I started working as one. School could have possibly prepared me for all the roles nurses take on on a daily basis. It gave me some of the knowledge, yes, but I really had no idea! And its OK to feel like you don't know much! That's a good thing; its scary when you think you know it all because that's the people who make mistakes. You will be fine! Just study, focus on passing your boards, and try to relax! You'll gain confidence with every "I can't do it" moment that you overcome.. just push yourself to try!

RNperdiem, RN · May 5, 2014

Sometimes I think the "love what you do" mantra has gone too far and sets up too many unrealistic expectations.

If you don't feel as excited as people expect you feel, that is fine.

2bAngilRN · May 6, 2014

I was very confident throughout nursing school until my last semester then I failed. Plus, I made many mistakes during clinical which was not me at all. I was able to repeat and will be graduating by the end of the month. However, some of that fear is creeping back again. I just dont feel motivated to study for the final exams. Also, Im very scared of NCLEX!!! (shrill cry) I was offered a job with my current employer so that should motivate me but it only makes my anxiety worse.

renardeau, BSN, RN · May 9, 2014

I was the same way, I admit... It's not that I didn't like nursing (though I definitely didn't know what I was getting myself into upon starting nursing school). I just wasn't really excited to graduate at all. I didn't go to my pinning ceremony. After stressing about and passing the NCLEX, I stressed more about finding a job.

But you know what? I was offered a job a month after NCLEX, and I love it. I love working with people. I love the lifestyle. I love the challenge. I understand how you feel stupid---and I agree with others that it's better than feeling overconfident. Maybe you are just wary of the tough road that still lies ahead and the work that will still be required of you even though you've graduated nursing school.

In the end, I can only speculate about why you feel the way you do and about what will happen to you, but perhaps you'll take some comfort in knowing that I went through the same kind of feeling, and right now, I'm loving life. Lots of hugs!

darkangelRN · May 10, 2014

I felt the same way. I remember being too shy to even tell people that I was in nursing school. I didn't feel worthy or smart enough to even be calling myself a nurse yet, even so close to graduation. Now I am one and a half months fresh out of school and I have only been an RN for 2 weeks, but I have to say I love going to work everyday so far. I feel like I am really learning and nursing school felt like I was just memorizing and cramming to get through weekly exams. I love the floor that I work on, the people, and my manager is wonderful. My graduation is actually next week (our school doesn't do pinning..) and I decided to not go. Nursing school was...an experience. But it's over now, and I am exposed to what being a nurse really means...and its way better than what I experienced in nursing school. Just give yourself some time. Once you start working, you should realize whether you love it or not. Nursing school, to me, was unrealistic in many ways. Good luck to you. Hang in there.