Is anyone else SCARED, after reading some posts from 1st years?

no your not alone!! I start lpn program in Oct. and I am very nervous especially after reading some of these posts however it is helpfull to hear about other people's first days. I also have thought long and hard about this nursing thing and I have wanted it for a looooong time. I am going to do this one way or another. It makes you wonder if it is realy worth it but I guess that is a question only you can answer. you have heard the saying "there is safety in numbers" and I think that is why I LOVE THIS SITE!!!!
good luck to you and me too
take care

I am still a new nurse. I quit my job after only 3 months due to lack of decent training. I was frustrated and being shoved well beyond what I thought I was safe to do. When it comes to your license you know what your able to do and not, and going beyond that for anyone isn't worth it. I have ended up with ulcers from that experience.
Don't let this deter you however. Nursing is what you make of it. If you find a place with good orientation (CHECK IT OUT PRIOR TO ACCEPTING THE JOB!!!) then you will do fine. You don't have to be belittled if you are trained well. You are capable (once you've graduated) to make alot of decisions when it comes to patient care. All you have to do is spread you wings and fly.
I cannot stress enough the importance of a good orientation however, to find out this info ask alot of questions at the interview. Such as:
1. How long will orientation be?
2. Will have just one preceptor or will it change day by day?
3. Do you have a nurse educator on board and what does she do with the orientation program?
4. Is the nurse educator capable of being reached easily?
5. Will I have to float to any other departments during my orientation to my unit? (if so I wouldn't take it as a new grad - experience is great, but not until you have your bearings)
6. Do you have classroom training, educational videos or hands on? If all how much time is spent with each?
7. Are there forms I can have copies of to see charting practice?
8. Who will I answer to during orientation?
9. What will be expected of me during my first week?
10. What will be expected of me by the end of orientation?

Geez- why didn't I think of these questions before my last two interviews!!!
Jen

There's a great book if you can check it out at your local library!

Nursing America: One Year Behind the Nursing Stations of an Inner-City Hospital. By Sandy Balfour. ISBN: 1-58542-281-9

The world of nursing, as seen through the prism of eight nurses' lives over the course of a year at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, TN.

Nursing is one of the fastest-growing occupation in the U.S. What draws people to this most challenging of professions? And what is it like to return, day after day, to a place where lives hang in the balance? in Nursing America, Sandy Balfour describes the daily joy and discouragment, hope and despair experienced by eight nurses, each from one of the different speciality units of an inner-city hosptial.

"Nobody ever came to the hospital to see a nurse," one of the nurse profiled in this book points out. Yet it is often the nurses whom the patients never forget. From the painstaking job of providing people with care and compassion, to intricate doctor-nurse relationships, the nursing profession brings new meaning to the term "people skills." Balfour addresses the current climate in hospitals, in which funding is becoming more and more scarce, and its effects on nursing work.

In this refreshingly candid and intriguing account, Balfour takes readers to the front lines of nursing to reveal the men and women who work in this fascinating field.

Sandy Balfour is an award-winning television journalist who has written, produced, and directed programs for CNN, the Discovery Channel, Disney, and the BBC. He lives in London.

Yes the author is a man named Sandy!! LOL

Not really because I never knock things til I try them.

Every story is on an individual basis and we can always be positive and hope for the better. Good luck.

You are definitely not alone. Sometimes I stop and think, "Oh my gosh. Can I really do this? Is this what I want?". But then I remember that this is all I've ever wanted to do. Keep thinking about why you wanted to be a nurse in the first place. We can do it.

At this point and time, I think about, "If I can get past chemistry, I can get past nursing school!" lol

Or......

"If I can get past nursing school, I can be a great nurse!"

Determination, Motivation, Dedication....words to live by!

Good luck to ....US ALL! lol

I too try not to dwell on things I have no control over.

Is this semester going to be hard, yup it sure is. But, I've given birth twice, that was hard and I made it through

I have a way of "letting it roll" I might get nervous, or anxious but never really stressed, or fear. To me, its nerves on the unknown. What exactly is my A/P professor going to be like etc.....not can I do it

We can do it........its all a matter of determination

Brandy