Nursing school stress

To be honest, I don't remember another time in my life when I have been this exhausted, anxious and just plain miserable. The 3rd semester workload is killing me with both Psych and Med-Surg I simultaneously. I'm averaging about 3-5 hours of sleep a night. Tonight I'll be lucky if I get even one hour. And I need to be at Med Surg clinical at 5:45 a.m. (which means leaving the house at 5:00 a.m.) with a huge 14-part care plan which was actually due today...

Is this more than usual for a care plan? Or is it just me not coping?

This is addition to the exam and journal entries and process recordings and nursing dx for Psych and the quiz for MedSurg that we had to do this week. And of course the classes and clinicals.

My grades so far have all been in the 90's, so people think I'm fine and don't have anything to stress about, but all these writing assignments are killing me and I'm in danger of failing clinical because I didn't hand the care plan in today. I'd rather take an exam any day.

Today I was so exhausted and sleep deprived and my clinical instructor was being so irrational and saying I was late with a progress note when I wasn’t (I had actually asked her to look over TWICE and had waited for 25 minutes for her to approve it so that I could go ahead and chart it since we’re not allowed to write in the chart without her okaying it.) that I actually ended up crying (didn’t let her see that though!).

I feel like I’m going to break apart.

Sorry, probably not helpful at all, I'm just venting. But at least, if it's any consolation at all, you're not alone in being overwhelmed.

There's no such thing as nursing school stress...really, it doesn't bother me to not get sleep, not have time with family (even when they are in the hospital), not be able to go to a friend's funeral in another state because I have a test...to have patient's be abusive...and instructor's be on powertrips. Really there is no nursing school stress.
(and I am not a complete blithering idiot right now, doing the finger between the lip thing either!)



Just keep dancing!

Kudos to that animation.

On topic: As stated by a poster in the first page, 'Just keep swimming'.

I know exactly how you are feeling! I am a first semester nursing student (full time) and am not working right now. And to think I feel stressed! I couldn't possibly imagine having to work!
One of the things really helping me get through this is getting stuff done early. The earlier you start preparing for a paper, or a midterm the better. I find it best if I study off of index cards, so right after we finish a chapter in A&P I will do the index cards up that week. Then when its time to study, they are all laid out.
Another thing to keep me on track (and I'm sorry, this may sound so silly!) is literally writing in my agenda "One week until midterm." and then "Two weeks until midterm." etc, etc. I do this for probably about a month before anything is due, that way I'm always in game mode. (lol!)

If nothing else works just remember that you aren't the only one to do this and you aren't the last. It's helping me get through this semester!

"My cohort is so so so tight...we are like one big family. I love it and I am happy I have these people to lean on."

In my program it seems like everyone is so competative, there is no comradery. I feel completely on my own. I wish I had a group of people to lean on. This site is about it.