Looking for something...not sure what (a little long and whinny)

[BunnyBunnyBSNRN, ASN, BSN]

maybe it's reassurance that I'm not the only one that feels this way...

I fell like I don't get it. Even on "good" clinical days, I end up messing somehting up - and it's usually in front of my instructor.

Yesterday, I d/c'd an IV. I did everything okay, except after I wrapped up the cath in my glove, the pt started bleeding under the cotton ball, so i held the cotton ball to put pressure and stop the bleed, but I did this w/o gloves, so my instructor "talked" to me about it. Right after that, my husband showed up to change cars with me and I pecked him good bye at the elevator - I was then taken to task for being too "demostrative". :stone

Last week, I started to go into the pt's room w/o the MAR - after checking the meds agains the MAR three times, and my instructor asked me if I wanted to fail the course. :stone

At this point, I just don't feel like I know what I'm doing. I have no confidence in myself, and everybody else in my clinical group seems (at least in my opinion) to have it so much together. Other people in my group have told me that I'm doing okay, but it seems so easy for them.

Am I the only nursing student in the world that feels like this?

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I think your instructor may have a stick up her butt. With the exception of not taking the MAR in. I can see why you might not have an extra pair of gloves on your person (after just taking a pair off) and would think nothing of a nurse kissing her husband on the cheek.

Try not to let the stress overwhelm you, as you will make more mistakes if you are freaking out aroubd your instructor. Just play it cool, act respectful and count the days.

[chris_at_lucas_RN, RN]

Well, I don't see any whining here....!

Been there, done that. Seems like there are days when you can't even get out of bed right.

Take a deep breath, take their criticism to heart--peck the hubby's cheek around the corner, let the pt put pressure on their own site (it's their blood, afterall), and consider that each step is a step in the right direction.

You might want to see if you can lower the temp between you and your instructor. For one thing, the comment about "do you want to fail this course" probably says more about the instructor's crappy frame of mind than the quality of your work. don't tell her that, though, let's just keep it between us!

Go to the instructor and ask for her help. This kind loves to rescue. Be real about it, do it without a shred of attitude, and the odds are good that you will succeed. Tell her about your thought that you needed to put pressure on the bleeding and were just trying to make the best decision at the time. Ask her what she would have done, "so I can do it that way the next time this happens."

Here's a little something I learned a long time ago, and haven't always remembered to put to use--everytime I get criticized, and I mean EVERY time, I should say, "thank you." People who care about me know that I am grateful for their input, and people who don't care about me haven't a leg to stand on!

Good luck--and if you have finished half your clinicals and do fail this course, consider a nontrad course. I'm doing Excelsior College, and I can't tell you how much my mental health has improved! ("No more teachers' dirty looks," indeed!)

Thanks for posting--we all have those days....

[ManEnough]

One thing I was thinking about on the way home from clinicals the other day...

We (students) are held to such an insanely higher standard than our RN counterparts. Of course, this is often a good thing, as in the case of ensuring med accuracy. But, at the same time, it's often impossible to live up to the expectations of instructors who expect us to know everything and have every skill mastered before ever doing it on a real person.

Try to keep your head up, learn as much as you can and try as hard as you can not to take it personally. Many a super-nervous, can't-seem-to-get-anything-right clinical student has gone on to become a great RN. Keep the faith!

[JuicyJem]

I dont think you did anything wrong. Every instructor I had was like that. I have been out of school for almost three months and I am going to guarantee you that how much you mess up in school has no relationship to anything in your real nursing career. I was the queen of stupid embarassing messups, but now I am on my own and when I do mess up, they are not life threatening messups, and no one usually sees me!! (except the patients)

School sucks, but it will end eventually. And you will appreciate most of it when you are done.

[#1rnstudent]

Hi sara610

You are soooo not alone here. And what really drives me up the wall, internally of course, is that certain students get patients who require no care at all from a nursing student and some of the others (esp. me) get patients who cannot even take basic care of themselves and require total attention. And everyone else acts like we all get the same amount of difficulty and workload when we are working with the patients. Sometimes I think I am going crazy. :uhoh21: I have nurse friends who keep telling me real nursing is nothing like school. I am counting the days and praying that my friends are right!

[Sheri257]

Good luck--and if you have finished half your clinicals and do fail this course, consider a nontrad course. I'm doing Excelsior College, and I can't tell you how much my mental health has improved! ("No more teachers' dirty looks," indeed!)

Not all traditional college instructors are bad. Sure, there are some bad ones, like any situation, but that doesn't mean it's the norm. Most of my instructors have been pretty reasonable.

[Jennerizer, ASN, RN]

She's trying to break you. Rather than guide you, she's criticizing you...some people have that style. She may not even feel that she comes across that way. I've had both extremes---instructors that are miserable to be around & those that are very helpful & inspiring. Gotta take the good with the bad. I think it prepares us to be around not-so-nice doctors & nurses in the future. You'll get through this. Always believe in yourself.....don't let anyone take that away from you. When I had to deal with a not so great instructor, I would just reply "I appreciate what you have to say..., I appreciate what you are trying to teach me." I really didn't appreciate her at all, but it definitely diffused the criticism & she eased off.