How was your first week in nursing school?

labman · Sep 16, 2005

Wow this is tougher than anything I have ever done. I am glad I quit my job or I would be so far behind that it wouldn't even be funny. My reaction is still :selfbonk: :smackingf :uhoh3: . Everyone on my floor is wondering what major I am because while I am studying everyone else is having fun and :beercuphe :cheers: :smiley_aa . Oh well it will be worth it.

I hope everyone else is doing well and enjoying school.

KENT

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Sep 16, 2005

We just finished out third week. We're covering a lot of information, but we haven't begun clinicals yet. So far, it's been very enjoyable, but I'm amazed at the amount of work there is to do outside of class. Reading, researching, writing, reading and writing some more... I'm really liking it!

One of the neat things our school does is to maintain a "Big Brother/Big Sister" program. Each of the freshman students are paired up with a junior or senior student. We met at a breakfast provided by the SON faculty. The idea is that the freshman will know at least one friendly face who has "been there" and is available for questions, concerns, comments, ventings... pretty much anything. My big sister is a senior and she's wonderful; she leaves encouraging notes for me in my mailbox at school, questions about what we're studying, and always offers of help. The program is voluntary; I mean, she didn't have to be nice to me. I hope to be a "Big Brother" next year because of her.

Hoosiernurse, ADN, RN · Sep 17, 2005

My first week in nursing school was just GOD AWFUL! I failed my first skill in handwashing and was bawling in the bathroom. If I blew test number two, I was out of the program! How could a 4.0 student walk into nursing school and then blow it on handwashing??? I made it past that, though, and did very well on ROM, but then I had to have my second time on bed making (DON'T leave the rail down, and don't let your nerves make you crazy like I do!) and then also on bed bath (Left the stinking bed in the upright position while I went to get water, shot myself down in the first five minutes but then went on to finish the bed bath perfectly....crying in the bathroom some more...). I'm still waiting to do my repositioning, which I feel I am pretty good at, and then my second bed bath on a dummy this time will be Wed, and we'll be testing on TPR and BP this week sometime as well.

My first week I felt low, miserable, and like I'd been hit by a train. It's not much better now on the beginning of my 5th week. It does go up and down, but many days I sit around feeling overwhelmed, worried, and like perhaps I made a mistake trying to do this at 36 with three girls, two under 8. My husband tries to help me emotionally, but this is just very hard. My family is counting on me doing this, and it's so much pressure sometimes that I just feel washed out and depressed. I do, however, think, as time goes on, I seem to be improving. Clinicals scare the bejesus out of me just thinking about them.

I would have sworn, going into this, that I was a fairly strong person. And I guess because I don't quit and go crying into the corner permanently, I AM a strong woman. But nursing is MUCH harder than I ever imagined, or at least, nursing school is. I get tired of the high expectations, the pressure, the overload, and the perfection expected in the skills. I know WHY they are doing it, but it gets very tiring. I'm not famous for being able to see a skill on Tuesday and perform it perfectly on Thurs, and so that's why quite often I seem to bomb the first try on things.

A nurse told me that she feels we have a lot to cope with this first few weeks, and that if I take two tries to do things I have never had the slightest experience doing, well, that's not really so bad, is it?!

I'm still plugging away, dreaming of that license at the end of it all and the good job, and the feeling of self-worth. I may even go totally crazy and shoot for an RN. Who knows?

Cara

Hoosiernurse, ADN, RN · Sep 17, 2005

[
Oh yeah, one more quick story... yesterday I walked into the classroom to get my water and there was a student there from another section watching a video on bed baths that we have to watch before next week... and there on the screen is this giant lady parts with the nurse gently washing all the parts! It hit home that in a few weeks I will washing other people's genitalia! lol!
I'm going to have to agree with WannaBLPN2005 But I am sure it will get more manageble after a few weeks.

I noticed alot of you saying you ar epracticing turning, hand washing ect. Did your schools not make you get your CNA license first?? Just curious!

Just wanted to butt in here. No, people in our program in Indiana at Ivy Tech State College didn't make you have a CNA first. But I wish I had. It would have made things a lot easier. Also, I notice a lot of you mentioning practicing skills, but didn't they hit you with a test for them in just a couple of days? They did for us! I'd LOVE to have a few days to practice skills without them announcing testing for something I was just shown!

Cara

Hoosiernurse, ADN, RN · Sep 17, 2005

Um, since I started school over a month ago I have felt virtually every emotion and been through all the stages of grief/denial/shock. Like this:
:stone :uhoh21: :barf01: :selfbonk:
Right now, I am back to this: :uhoh21: +
And so is the roller coaster ride I guess.

Me too. I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this. I do it weekly! One day I think I can do it and feel competent, the next day I feel stupid and idiotic, the next day I'm crying over something I goofed up, the next day I feel better, the next day I feel stable but like I'm hanging on by my teeth.

Good grief!

Cara

Hoosiernurse, ADN, RN · Sep 17, 2005

Awwwwffffffuuuuullllll!!! We started school Monday (15th of Aug) and had orientation all day. The next day we had skills check off on Sq, IM, IV piggyback, NG tube and Physical Assessment. I screwed up horribly on the injection station. I had to draw up demerol and phenergan in the same tube. I was so nervous and the professor checking me off made me even more nervous. She kept asking me questions that took me awhile to answer and we only had 50min to complete all 5 stations. She was really mean and kept looking at me like I was stupid. I ended up having to redo that area.
Then in lecture I couldnt stay focused b/c of the awful job I did no checkoff. I started thinking that I wasnt suppose to be a nurse and that I should just get up and leave class now. (This is my second and last year of nursing school.) I only hope that this week is better.

Did this ever hit home! But to have so many skills right off the batt, my gosh! This is the fifth week this coming week, and we're just doing our vitals, and the physical assessment comes after that. Maybe we don't have it so bad after all.

Cara