About to graduate and discouraged.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Nov 1, 2012

Employers know you do not get enough exposure to patients while in school - how could you? There are so many types of people and conditions, there is no way you could have that many experiences. If you have learned how to prioritize and where to reference information you need then you are ahead of the game. Your anxiety is due to a lack of experience. Every new graduate feels that way. This too, shall pass. Remember when your kids were in the "terrible two's"??? Well, you survived that

dudette10, MSN, RN · Nov 1, 2012

I think our anxiety comes from being older. I remember starting my first job in corporate America at age 21, not knowing what the hell I was doing, and just charging ahead with it. I ended up getting a performance bonus for my very first project!

As an older person, with kids, I have found I'm much more cautious, maybe because we've spent so much time in protector mode. When I started working I had to psyche myself up with those really weird self-motivational techniques. "You graduated at the top of your class; you got this." "You know the patho, you know the meds...just do it!" "Think this through; does it make sense? Be confident!"

NEVER let them see you sweat, though. EVER. Regardless of what's going through your head.

As for the job: network, network, network. People who had jobs as techs got positions after I did because I networked through school, shook a lot of hands, and introduced myself, all to get that much-coveted first job. Being older and having worked for 10 years (then 10 years at home), I knew how to play the "remember my name" game.

I didn't know how to work a pump when I first started. I would hate to think about what was going on in my preceptor's head when I needed to be taught the most basic nursing tasks. But, if you commit yourself to learning with just one hands-on experience, it will all work out in the end.

Commit yourself to that one experience because preceptors aren't really keen on showing you twice. I really don't blame them for that. Just make sure the first experience is HANDS-ON. Don't let them do it and show you. Ask them to talk you through while YOU are doing it. That's the only way to learn.

As for the critical thinking part: I hope you went to a school that focused on that. I did, and although my skills were lacking, my knowledge wasn't, I learned. I also spend a lot of time, even now, looking stuff up on my own.

Good luck!

kaydensmom01 · Nov 2, 2012

I am going to graduate in May and also still get nervous taking vitals. I don't think that it has to do with age b/c I am 22. I also have not worked while many others have in school. There is nothing that we can do about that though so try not to worry or panic about it. You can only control so much, the other stuff you will have to let go and just go with it:)

You will get a job, it does take time though. I too am a nice person but do lack in confidence, which I am working on improving because it does show. Just work on thinking positively about yourself. If you read what you are supposed to, prepare for your patients like asked, and keep up on the skills in lab then there is nothing else you can do and confidence will come with time/experience. You just have to tell yourself that you have done your best and that you will learn. That is what helps me. Worry about what you can control. Good luck:)

mkatts19 · Nov 2, 2012

I am going to graduate in May and also still get nervous taking vitals. I don't think that it has to do with age b/c I am 22. I also have not worked while many others have in school. There is nothing that we can do about that though so try not to worry or panic about it. You can only control so much, the other stuff you will have to let go and just go with it:)
You will get a job, it does take time though. I too am a nice person but do lack in confidence, which I am working on improving because it does show. Just work on thinking positively about yourself. If you read what you are supposed to, prepare for your patients like asked, and keep up on the skills in lab then there is nothing else you can do and confidence will come with time/experience. You just have to tell yourself that you have done your best and that you will learn. That is what helps me. Worry about what you can control. Good luck:)

When I was in clinicals, I used to put on the BP cuff inside out.. not because I was stupid or didn't know my stuff.. i just was that nervous at times. But, I can remember the times an instructor saw me talking to a patient and would tell me she never really sees people educating their patients the way I would. I would literally want that patient to learn what I was talking to them about and not just because it was on my care plan to do so. You may not feel like you have the "technical" skills down as much as other people appear to have.. but you probably have other qualities that they do not have. You might be more personable because you have not have to focus on using the skills during school.. that means you're easier to talk to from a patient's point of view and they're more likely to listen to you. When it comes time for you to interview at a job, I believe the RIGHT job will see that. They're supposed to know that some grads come in with work experience and some don't. We all start off at the same level in some way. They might want experience but they might get a reference from a teacher for you saying awesome things that no other interviewee had (though they "had the experience"). You just never know :). It's okay to feel discouraged because when you get hired somewhere you will feel 100% times better about it! You have made it this far for a reason.. and if you weren't meant to.. you would have failed a long time ago!