Almost graduating and feeling defeated

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Hello,

I am graduating in a couple of months and and in my last clinical rotation where I am working with a nurse full time on a med surg floor. I just finished my first 3 12 hours shifts and am feeling overwhelmed and defeated. I feel like I know nothing and am clumsy and awkward all of the time. I am exhausted working such long shifts. I am wondering if it is normal to feel this way and if it will get better or if maybe I'm not cut out for this. I feel like I should be more proficient in some things by now like hanging IV bags and programming pumps, but it's something still struggle with..

Thanks

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I believe it is perfectly normal to feel that way. It takes time to adjust to the long shifts and the pace of med surg is fast, so of course that is going to be overwhelming. Deep breaths, you can do this!

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Specializes in Critical care.

It takes time and then when you start a new job somewhere else with different pumps and a different charting system it'll take some time again.

When I started my first nursing job I was so exhausted and would go home and immediately fall asleep. Like anything, it just takes time to adjust.

The first year of working as a nurse is the hardest. You haven't even finished school yet and have only completed 3 shifts- give it time and try to not stress.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Little of this... little of that....

Fear not... It'll come.

Unless it doesn't :-P

Seriously.. check out the boards. Everyone feels this way. Just put your head down, try not to stress TOO much (a little stress is good, means you aren't getting cocky), and work through it. It never gets easy, but you start looking at the skills you had huge issues with yesterday and suddenly realize they aren't so bad - I remember being terrified of IV Pumps too.. you get over that fast then feel terrified of drains, or trachs or whatever else is new.

Hang in there.

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

This post is slightly amusing to me... only because you don't see what's happening. I know it's not funny to you and I'm not mocking you.

You're a senior about to graduate from nursing school. Highest on campus. I think it just hit you early that you don't actually know how to be a nurse yet. That will come sometime after you've been working for a while.

Every time you move to a new level and become the bottom, it's normal to feel a bit impompetent. It happens to 8th graders, it happens to high school seniors, and it's happening to you. Just keep trucking along. You'll feel better.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Normal. It doesn't start to feel solid for the first year. Go peer in the First Year of Nursing forum.

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Specializes in Case manager, float pool, and more.

100% normal. Things you don't feel proficient in, go to YouTube, review in your textbook, ask your instructor, check out nursing magazines and review those areas. It takes most a good 1-2 years to start feeling more comfortable.

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