I feel incompetent as a student nurse

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Today in clinical sucked.

I was put on medications and throughout my instructor was asking me questions about each one, which I was answering. Then it came to ones I wasn't so sure about. I wasn't given enough time to research. I know what diuretics were but she was asking me the different types, how they affect the body, what lab values I would look for and I was drawing blanks. For some reason I couldn't answer the question. It was hard for her to hold back a judgmental look on her face which made me feel even worse.

After being questioned throughout and not knowing the answers I felt terrible. I went to the bathroom and cried because I just feel incompetent, how did I not know the answers? How can I write a final and get an A but can't even answer simple med questions about my patient. I felt so stupid and disappointed.

My whole day was thrown off because of it.

I ended up messaging my brother (who's a nurse) and telling him how I felt, he said it's normal to feel like you know nothing.

I know my brother is an excellent nurse, even as a student nurse he excelled well. I know I shouldn't compare myself but it's hard being looked at as a second sibling that these instructors know and I feel like I don't even come close to how he was.

Maybe im being too hard on myself I Just wish I had more clinical time to prove to myself that i can do this and be more involved. It doesn't help we are only one day a week on hospital floor.

It is ok not to know all the info on your medications, there are just too many of them out there. Most importantly, when you feel that you need more info, you need to know WHERE to get it (drug reference guide, Lexicomp, pyxis etc). Make sure you review the reference before administering the medication and also never end up your answer with "I don't know" and feel terrible, better instead is to admit that you don't know AND say "let us check on that and find out". If you are giving potassium, know your patient's potassium levels, ammonia for lactulose, ptt for heparin etc. Sometimes patients ask me some very specific questions about meds and I honestly say "let us check it together" and quickly look it up for the answer. With time, you will become familiar with most medications that will be used at your future job and you will feel a lot more confident. For example, when I just started out on my own, a got an order from a doctor "give them four and four". Of course, I clarified if that was 4 mg morphine and 4 mg zofran both IV push, the doctor laughed and said: "well not tylenol that's for sure". You will get questioning attitude as a student and as a nurse, but don't let that bring you down, learn from it and move on and don't compare yourself to other nurses. Good luck!

Thanks so much for responding.

In the AM I was researching my meds using lexicomp, I didn't get enough time to do the rest because she wanted to give the meds earlier so I wasn't prepared. She definitely wanted me to critically think but on spot like that I totally blanked and told me to look it up which I did and came back with the answer. Then more questions I couldn't answer I just felt judged for not knowing. It was a ****** feeling.

I understand that I won't know everything I agree with what you said there. There's no way only being one day a week I can learn like that.

I know I shouldn't compare myself as we have different experiences.

Come consolidation where I'm on floor for 2 weeks maybe I'll feel more confident then.

I'm definitely going to do better next clinical shift and look more into lab values and understand medications affecting what value.

Thank you for your input, I appreciate the help.

Prepare better next time and save your tears. We all have an off day here and there.

I do the same thing. Once I miss one question I get so disheartened and begin to blank! What's helped me the most is to stop being so hard on myself. By not getting so upset, I prevent myself from going into panic mode and can then continue to think critically. Granted I'm still in prereqs, I'm sure I'll have the same struggles during clinical. Even now if I don't know an answer that I feel I should know I get SO upset with myself and freeze. I've been working hard on it and have come a long way. Just tell yourself (and truly believe) that it's okay not to know everything and look at it as a positive learning experience.

Specializes in Oncology.

Sometimes when someone asks you something, you can get caught off guard. Your brain doesn't have time to process what you want to say. It's like your brain is saying "No, no!!!! I'm not ready!!!", and it comes off as if you don't know something. I'm so used to being able to think on nursing exams, that when I'm asked something at the clinical setting, I'm like "let me think about that right quick, I'll get back with you". No more tears....this has happened to the best of the best.

Specializes in Telemetry.

I actually laughed out loud reading the title of this post. Not because I think your situation is funny but because it's just so darn relatable. I felt incompetent through almost all of nursing school. It wasn't until half way through the last semester that it finally all started to click. Hang in there! And if you have one of those instructors that tells you not to give a med if you don't know what it is, tell them you didn't get enough time to look them all up before you try and give your meds with them. They'll either appreciate your integrity or berate you, but it's better than saying "I don't know" a bunch of times.

Sometimes when someone asks you something, you can get caught off guard. Your brain doesn't have time to process what you want to say. It's like your brain is saying "No, no!!!! I'm not ready!!!", and it comes off as if you don't know something. I'm so used to being able to think on nursing exams, that when I'm asked something at the clinical setting, I'm like "let me think about that right quick, I'll get back with you". No more tears....this has happened to the best of the best.

I completely agree. Answering a question on a written test is completely different from someone asking you about a medication. Both have the same answers, but you're caught off-guard. And sometimes the questions delve deeper requiring you to delve deeper. I remember one time I was at clinicals and my instructor asked me a question about a PEG tube. There were three answers. I gave two. I was scrambling through impossible scenarios and giving random possible answers that were incorrect. She eventually said the third answer, and it was the simplest one. I felt stupid for forgetting.

Perhaps when you study the meds, you can ask a question out loud. Or you can play a recording of yourself asking the question. "Tell me about potassium chloride." Or "What would you monitor when giving your patient potassium chloride." Then when you answer, don't do it in your head. You can write the answer down as if you have a script. I find using bullets with the main pieces of info is easier to memorize than full sentences. Then read off of that. Perhaps that repetition of speaking out loud will better prepare you next time she asks you about the meds.

1 Votes
+ Add a Comment