Am I burnt out? What should I do?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Nurse tech in CCU.

I'm in my second year of a 3 year BSN program. For about a month now, I keep thinking of different jobs that I could pursue. Don't get me wrong, I love nursing... really the clinical. However, I do find myself being very sluggish this semester. All of non-nursing friends are always out and about, having fun and going to the saints games and LSU and everything.. and I ALWAYS have to study. I feel like i'm so over studying and school! I just want to have a life! I've talked to my mom about it and she told me that nursing school is temporary and that soon I will be able to afford my own fun! Well, I don't know how much more I can take! I study constantly and barely pass the tests (I'm in OB/Peds). I'd rather take a nap or have fun than study and go to class. I don't know if I should drop out of nursing or not. I believe that I will probably regret that decision. But like I said, I want a life.

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kstevens2- Your mom is right. :) I too am in nursing school and it SUCKS!!! Especially when you are at the end of your semester and it takes all your energy to just show up. :) What I have done is every time I start to feel like this I make a list of all the things I want to do after nursing school. (travel, new house, more kids, etc) then I read it and re-read it until I am somewhat motivated to keep going. You can do this!!

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

Hahahahha well yes but I also feel this way but I am in my third year of a 3 year BSN program. Its hard and Im having a very hard time feeling motivated this year :( Im so burnt out and just feel so over everything! Everyone keeps saying well, "you graduate next semester, aren't you excited?" and no, I'm not..I'm too tired and exhusted anymore to be excited :(

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Specializes in Nurse tech in CCU.

I just don't know! It's just that a lot of bull occurred last semester with my clinical instructor to where I was and still am an emotional wreck! I HATED the medsurg class and clinical and I believe that I might dislike my OB class. Last week, I made a mistake in clinical, had a clinical eval with some 'needs improvement', AND I missed my OB class today bc I was tired (all of which is taught the same teacher). I just feel like that because of all the mistakes and my absence within such a short time period, that she'll have it out for me and I'll be even more of an emotional wreck! I don't want to deal with the same bull this semester again. Ugh!!

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

I graduate in approx 6 months. I am so burnt out. It takes all of my energy to just get in my car and drive to class/clinical. Guilt/Fear of failure keep me in line vs. excitement. Some days I cry because I just want to go back to sleep.

Do what I do and take it in increments: Look forward to Thanksgiving, then Christmas. Small steps. Or go even smaller: Look forward to just making it past today or getting to the weekend.

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Specializes in Nurse tech in CCU.

Thanks guys! I think I will keep moving forward in nursing. I think I was really questioning this bc last week was such a bad week for me.

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Have you read the posts from actual nurses? Is all of this "busting our butts" actually worth it when we get into the real world? We have such good intentions in becoming nurses, but what is the real world of nursing going to look like when we are done?

Scared that I'm getting into the wrong profession...

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Do you think that actually being a nurse will make the schooling (and torture) worth while? I was such a "gung-ho" student not very long ago, and now I'm SO concerned I'm making the wrong decision. Do we want to keep up with school for guilt and fear? I'm in exactly the same boat! Ugh... :/

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Specializes in Cardiac Critical Care.

QuarterLife has the right idea. I am wrapping up 3rd semester of a 4-semester program, and senioritis is beginning to set in (partially just because this semester is the most fast-paced in our already accelerated program). Every Friday I think "man, if it weren't Friday, I have no idea what I would do!" Of course now that I have Saturday clinicals and have picked up a second job as a PCT, I guess I'll have to pick a different day to get excited about :)

I will say this though - if you find yourself really not enjoing nursing, maybe it is time to rethink things. As much of a pain school is, I still love nursing, love learning about it, and can't wait to be a nurse. If you are just in a bit of a rut, it sounds like you just need a break. Don't worry, just like QuaterLife said - Thanksgiving break and Christmas break are coming up! Hang in there y'all!

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Specializes in ICU.

It's called senioritis. The hallmark signs of this disease are fear and guilt as motivators ... as well as a general feeling of "I don't want to do this right now!" It's supposed to be relieved with graduation. It seems to happen to a majority of nursing students.

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Specializes in Cardiac Critical Care.
It's called senioritis. The hallmark signs of this disease are fear and guilt as motivators ... as well as a general feeling of "I don't want to do this right now!" It's supposed to be relieved with graduation. It seems to happen to a majority of nursing students.

I think it happens to the majority of all students! I have a previous degree and let me tell you, I couldn't wait to be done with that one either. But the grass is always greener on the other side... after working for a while, I couldn't wait to be back in school.

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Nolagirl, from what you were describing I think you and I may go to the same school but I'm a semester or two behind you. If that's the case, I have to think this semester has been pretty hard on everyone because of losing time with the hurricane and having to push harder than normal to make up class and clinical time we missed that week. I agree that this has probably been the worst semester of my life, and I just have to keep telling myself that nursing school will end! And it will pass by sooner than you or I think - if you're in OB/Peds, you're more than halfway done with nursing school! Just keep trucking and when you're done your friends will still be there, but you'll have more money to have fun with them :) Hope the semester has gotten better for you!

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