Could prior medical experience HURT me?

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

So far everyone had told me I will be at an advantage having worked as a Medical Assistant these last four years. I wounder if anyone had problems HAVING had experience when they entered the program. I am terrified of doing well at first and then after we get past the stuff I am already familiar will bombing. What if I really am not good enough to be a nurse. Am I really meant to be a "measly medical assistant' the rest of my life? I want to become a midwife, partly because I want to be in charge, not the one taking orders. Will I be "yes doctor" the rest of my life or will I some day be saying "can you please do this for me?" to my assistant? Any one else freaking out these last few weeks before class starts?

[LanaBanana]

I can't imagine that you would be at a disadvantage except that you may have to break some old habits in the way you do things. Instructors often have a specific way they want things done and you will need to do it that way. Even if you do sail through the stuff you are already familiar with, you will have gotten a confidence booster and should feel better going in to the other stuff. You'll be fine!

[smilin_gp]

My advice would be to carefully study all topics, even if you have had them previously in nursing school- then to answer any and all test questions based on the nursing text information. A few fellow students who had previously worked as medical assistants commented that at times, they had come up with different answers to test questions based on previous education and experience. They sure seemed to have the edge in confidence in clinicals though :).

[Achoo!, LPN]

I am a CMA also. I found that the teachers seemed to put a bit more pressure on me because I had experience. I tried to explain that I had NO experience in LTC, let alone doing caths, colostomies, lifts etc..I think as long as you don't get too cocky and assume you know your stuff already you'll do great. It has been an advantage in the fact that I am comfortable being around the patients, and don't get nervous just entering the room. You can do it! :)

[ukstudent]

It is mostly an advantage. Where it is a disadvantage is you have seen the real world. Nursing school is teaching for the NCLEX, and NCLEX world is a whole different place. Just keep this in mind and you will be fine.

[Critical LPN]

So far everyone had told me I will be at an advantage having worked as a Medical Assistant these last four years. I wounder if anyone had problems HAVING had experience when they entered the program. I am terrified of doing well at first and then after we get past the stuff I am already familiar will bombing. What if I really am not good enough to be a nurse. Am I really meant to be a "measly medical assistant' the rest of my life? I want to become a midwife, partly because I want to be in charge, not the one taking orders. Will I be "yes doctor" the rest of my life or will I some day be saying "can you please do this for me?" to my assistant? Any one else freaking out these last few weeks before class starts?

Yes I am going to go for my RN after 29 years as an LPN in both critical/intensive care and med/surg. The biggest helpful hint I got was to try and forget all you know and start from the beginning for classes. You'll either be as many members above state, looked to know everything by the teacher or as an example(embarrassing) by the instructor of what they think is wrong. Again,( as noted by others above, not in reality, but as the instructors and books teach) it pays to learn for the test unfortunately. This is why I fear so many do not have realistic ideas of nursing practice after school. We are taught the "ideals" that we know are the optimal care to be given but, are they the realistic goals we should be given? This is why it is hard as we know we would all like to be able to have great theory and team coordinated care(like most of the Drs. would really act on our ideas), time to teach effectively to all our patients and staff, but really....!

Just use the point blank accurate info you have been taught in the past without any reference to learned behaviors and opinions and your own theory as it makes it harder to absorb the sometimes ridiculous info that is being fed ( oops!, see how easy it is to have an opinionated thought).:chuckle

Good luck, I'm right there with you being that I'm almost 50 and have way too much knowledge of reality of the profession and too much respect for the patients we serve. It is a fine line of being taught far more for protecting the place you will work for verses the patients that you went into nursing to protect, heal and serve. I even thought of hypnosis to rid my mind of anything other than obedience to the instructors and books so as to gaurantee that I would later pass the exams. Now thats scared. LOL