Discouraged and in need of honest advice

morte, LPN, LVN · Mar 14, 2012

since it is prob too late to withdraw, do the best that you can in completing the semester...at the same time approach the counseling dept for help in evaling your strengths and weaknesses. Especially take what is called an "Interest Inventory" test.

Good Luck.

sugarmagnoliaRN · Mar 14, 2012

Thank you for your response morte! So in a nutshell... I shouldn't feel this way? I just want to clarify that I'm not saying that I definitely don't want to be a nurse, I'm really looking for what the best way for me to figure it out is. I think I am going to talk to my instructor and see how she thinks I'm doing, and see if she ever felt the way I'm feeling now. I do want to hear from some more of y'all though :) any advice is appreciated!

ckh23, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2012

The beginning part of nursing school is tough and can be a significant adjustment for a lot of people. However, nursing isn't for everyone. I would suggest making a conscious effort on overcoming fears because it may just be that you need more exposure to it to become more comfortable. If you still feel the same way than you may need to re-evaluate your career choice.

JLA · Mar 14, 2012

I recently withdrew midway through my first semester. I was having feelings of doubt and yes fear. Afraid to make a mistake, discomfort over being out of my comfort zone, and then the ordinary stresses of nursing school along with the time commitment. That being said I realize I made a huge mistake by leaving the program. I have, since leaving, talked to the Director of my program and realized many people go through these feelings of doubt. Looking back on my own situation I would say talk to a few of the students you feel close with. Also, talk with your instructors on how you feel or the school counselor. I say ride it out through the end of the semster and re-evaluate on your break. I wish i would have taken more time to think things through. Nobody is going to be completely comfortable at first...it takes time. Hang in there!

brillohead, ADN, RN · Mar 14, 2012

If possible, I would try to get a part-time job as a CNA or "patient tech" or "patient care associate" in a hospital, nursing home, or home health agency. The people in my program who have struggled the most in being comfortable in clinical have been the ones who don't have ANY familiarity with dealing with sick/fragile people.

It's really not that uncommon to feel this way in the first few semesters, until you get your "sea legs" under you. If you really want to be a nurse and this lack-of-confidence feeling is the only thing holding you back right now, I think you will be able to work through it with a bit more experience.

Also, see if your skills lab has "open lab" hours. Ours has time slots where you can go in and practice any of your skills, with a R.N. available to help if you need pointers.

allnurses Guide · Mar 14, 2012

I felt that way my first semester. Then I got over it. Now I'm a nurse and honestly loving it.

Only you can decide if it is a terminal problem for you or just discomfort that you have to push through. Do you doubt yourself on other things easily?

sugarmagnoliaRN · Mar 15, 2012

Thanks again for all the responses! not.done.yet, yes I do have a tendency to be hard on myself. It's really reassuring to know that others have felt this way during school. I know I should at least finish out the semester; I want to make sure if I do leave the program that I'm 110% sure that it's what I want. I will definitely talk to my instructor and a couple of other students, although I don't see any of them feeling that way. Brillo, my lab does have "open" hours, and I do take advantage of that. If not, it would be pretty much impossible to learn the skills in time! Hopefully I will start to feel more confident and at ease with patients with more exposure.

tsm007 · Mar 15, 2012

You know you might not like the area of nursing you are currently doing clinicals in. You might go through another specialty rotation that you love. I would give yourself a little more time to decide.

malisahug · Mar 15, 2012

I have been uncomfortable the whole way through nursing school! It has been really tough! I have been going to therapy to get through and it has been my saving grace... so think about getting support outside of school from another perspective. Good luck!

maccheese · Mar 15, 2012

I know in our Therapeutic Communication lecture, we talked about sympathy vs empathy. Sympathy being, being sad for the patient, getting emotional, and feeling bad because of their condition. The most effective way we are going to help our patients to to empathize, meaning we still put ourselves in their place, but we objectively treat them from a position of wanting them to get better instead of feeling bad for them. As a PP said, finding more about your strengths and weaknesses may help you to get a better hold on this.

sugarmagnoliaRN · Mar 19, 2012

Thanks again for all the advice y'all! Much appreciated. I will definitely work on being empathetic as opposed to sympathetic. I'm not really sure how to do that exactly, but I'm sure my instructor will have some pearls of wisdom for me. I am hoping that it resolves itself and I'm able to get through it relatively soon (this isn't a good reason to hurry up and decide, but I really can't afford to spend time and money at school if it's not something I can push through). I thought about it a lot and I'm just going to dive in head-first and hope that some of my doubts go away as the time passes. Thanks again everyone! I'll try to remember to update with the outcome in case anyone has a similar issue and searches for this in the future :)