About to Start my Senior Practicum ... and still doubting myself.

Nursing Students General Students

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Alright, I'm about to start my senior practicum I'm nearly done with school but yet I still don't feel confident in my ability to be a nurse. Up until this point I've been telling myself that I'm sure everyone feels that way and that it would all come together once I started practicum and was actually working. A few weeks in clinical though, my co assign nurse and instructor brought it to my attention that they felt that I was lacking too. Apparently I have no confidence, I'm not sure how you are suppose to have confidence doing things you've never done before. Anyway, I had a long talk with them, my instructor passed in the course by a hair... but ever since, I just can't get back into the groove. I know I just need to knuckle down and work harder, but it's made me want to work less and just give up. I've worked so hard, spent so much money and time... and now I feel like I don't even want to be a nurse anymore. This was my dream and after TWO years of school and coming close to graduation...I should feel better.

Any suggestions... anybody else feel this way.

I feel the same way, I am not in my practiculum until next semester though. I have been uncomfortable in clinicals from day 1 and I do not feel like it has gotten any better. I have gotten A's in most of my nursing classes but am unable to pull the information together quickly in clinical.

I just had my first clinical of the third semester and it was a disaster as usual for me. I went the night before and had done everything about the meds, and felt like I really knew about the patient but my clinical went much worse than anyone elses. The instructors have always liked me but I do not think that this one does because I seemed so unorganized, and anxiety ridden. I have cried every first clinical because I get so overwhelmed and feel as if I do not know what I am doing. In my clinical I couldn't catch up from the beginning. I do not know how I will manage to pass clinicals because I feel so incompetant. There is nothing else that I can do to prepare though because I have gone to the lab and I prepare sufficiently with my patient info, I just can not get it together in clinical.

I also feel like giving up because the instructor made it clear that I am not up to par with everyone else. I do not know what to do and do feel like giving up. She told me that I just need to stay calm, but I really can not. It sucks because I work my butt off. They all tell me that I am doing so badly because I do not have any confidence in myself.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

YOu need brain sheets.....organization is key!

brain sheets.......here are a few.

doc.gif mtpmedsurg.doc doc.gif 1 patient float.doc‎

doc.gif 5 pt. shift.doc‎

doc.gif finalgraduateshiftreport.doc‎

doc.gif horshiftsheet.doc‎

doc.gif report sheet.doc‎

doc.gif day sheet 2 doc.doc

doc.gif ICU report sheet.doc‎

‎critical thinking flow sheet for nursing students

student clinical report sheet for one patient

i made some for nursing students and some other an members (daytonite, RIP) have made these for others.....adapt them way you want. i hope they help

Kaydensmom, I'm happy to hear that someone feels the same way. I too, get As in all my classes and am very organized and prepared for clinical. It seems no matter what I do I seem to get scatter brained during the day. Nurses will ask me questions I don't know the answer to and/or I'll do something stupid like forgetting to clamp/re clamp the IV tubing. I can't think on my feet, especially when I am nervous... which I always am in clinical. I feel like this will go away with repetition, but I worry it won't. I also feel like in clinical I'll make one silly mistake and my co assign nurse generally looses trust in me and doesn't let me do anything the rest of the day... which doesn't help me get practice or gain confidence.

Esme, brain sheets help and I will for sure look at some of those. Thanks.

Specializes in Cardiac Care.

I am a working LPN.. I do things every day, like draw up meds, flush IV sites... etc... and when it comes to clinical .. I am in an LPN-RN program, when the instructor or another nurse is there that is watching me and quizzing me, I get nervous and forget simple things or even get flustered or go blank. But I can help my fellow nursing students and teach them the skills, and even the patho behind a condition, but some days I just blank or lose my confidence.

I have had 30 residents meds to give, treatments and dressing changes, charting and skin assessments to complete in an 8 hour shift, yet having 1 patient in a clinical setting and I feel like I am stupid sometimes.... it's the unfamiliar and the fear of failure that are probably dragging you down, but you can do this. You are right because it's not the material you don't know it's just the routine. Clinicals are NOT the normal situation, you have higher expectations thrown on you and more micromanaging than you will when it's your turn to manage the total care of your patients.

Specializes in ICU/Medical/Surgical.

How did it all turn out and how are things now? I'm about to start my practicum in med/surg and I am nervous!

I am about to start my preceptorship for last semester, we have to do 120 hours which is ten 12 hour shifts. I met my preceptor today and she doesn't seem that friendly and I remember meeting her from a clincal I had last semester and she seemed the same way. I am excited about working with a nurse and getting the experience, but for the most part I am very nervous and scared.

@squarestate, do you still feel the same way two years later? I am struggling with the same issues!

I am struggling with the same issues and it's making me doubt whether I've chosen the right profession. How do you feel about it, a year and a half later?

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