Anyone else feel this way after finally starting nursing school?

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I am excited, but a bit overwhelmed and scared after my first week! I was thinking last night that it's kind of like postpartum depression/baby blues that I am experiencing right now. Let me explain.....You work so hard to get your baby here safely and you want to hold your baby so bad, meet them, etc--then you finally have the baby and all these crazy feelings sort of take over. How can I really be a mother? Seriously, I thought I was capable enough to be a Mother? Am I ready for this? *** have I done!!?? Is this really what I want? Am I good enough? What if I am not? What if I fail miserably? But change it all to working towards getting into nursing school and finally getting here--and all those feelings are the same except change the "baby" thoughts to nursing school. Making any sense?

Just my crazy thought process. Of course, you want your baby, and are just feeling overwhelmed with the reality of actually being a mother rather than just "thinking" about it when your are a pregnant--huge difference.

Everything works out once you get into the swing of things, get your routine down and start to feel a little confident in your skills.

I know it will be OK once I get settled in (is that possible?) but I was wondering if anyone felt this way too? I love my professors, classes, etc....I am just feeling overwhelmed and scared! I hate that feeling--as I want this so bad and I've worked SO HARD to get here!! I am supposed to be feeling super excited, elated, and on cloud nine to finally be here! Then I feel guilty for not feeling that and feeling scared and oh so not confident in myself.

:uhoh3:

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Whoa! What you just said is EXACTLY how I feel. I couldn't have said it better. I've got huge doubts in myself and makes me sick to think about my validations for next week. I try not to think about it but I know I need to practice them. I am super stressed and only been in school a week. I sure hope it gets better. I'm a nervous wreck when I have to do anything infront of an instructor.

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I feel exactly the same way! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. I have been working so hard for almost 3 years to gain acceptance into a nursing program and now I finally start next week at one of the best universities in my state. I was extremely excited when I received my acceptance letter over the summer but now I'm way more nervous then excited, I have all the same thoughts at you ; what if I'm not good enough or dont make it ect. I have heard nothing but great things about my school so like you once I get going to get settled I hope this feeling goes away! Good luck to both of us!!!

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I get what you're saying. I love my classmates, professors, the school, everything. But it's been so overwhelming, too. I've felt like I'm barely hanging on, trying to figure out what I need to do for all of my classes!

And as excited as I was to wear my scrubs for my first day of lab, I felt like such a poser! I remember seeing the nursing students around and hoping I'd be one of them someday and now that I'm that nursing student in her scrubs, I worry that people are wondering if I am really a nursing student or just a wannabe...

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And as excited as I was to wear my scrubs for my first day of lab, I felt like such a poser!.....

This is how I am feeling. That my brand spanking new scrubs and spotless, white athletic shoes will scream out "clueless wannabe" as I walk into my clinicals location. :redbeathe

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YES! I feel the same way. I just feel like there has been so much thrown at us this first week. I hope that I can keep up. On top of that, I've had a situation to deal with every day this week. Sick kids, son got stitches, plus he's having a hard time healing, forgetting materials, etc. So hopefully this was just to prepare me for how to handle things that get thrown at me during the next 2 years. We will get the hang of it ;) I believe so anyways.

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Oh, thank you guys! I'm just so relieved that others feel the same as me and I am not crazy!

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

Hahaha I still feel that way in Term 2 :) I also got that kind of deflated feeling since I started too. I think it just kind of has to do with how hard you work to get there and then it isn't really how you imagined. Not bad, just different. Anyhow congrats everyone :)

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Yup. You just summed up my emotions in a nut shell. :)

It's the unknown that drives me completely insane. What should I focus on the most? What will the tests really be like? Do these study tips really work? Am I over thinking everything? What if I'm awesome in lecture but totally bomb clinicals?...etc...

It's so scary to me. But I'm just gonna' take it one day at a time, do the best I can and put it all in Gods' hands. Oh, and drink lots of coffee and spend what few free minutes I have searching for solace on AN. :lol2:

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Specializes in Lactation.

I'm on day eight and feel the EXACT same way! I worked SO hard for this, now I that I finally have what I worked so hard for its overwelming and stressfull. I am NOT going to give up though. I look at all the other nurses out there and I know they survived it and so will I. :redbeathe:redbeathe

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This might not be the exact same situation, but before I became a nursing student, I was a teacher for many years. I worked so hard to get my degree, get through student teaching, prepare my class, etc....the first day of school (and the week before) I was A WRECK!! I felt like the biggest fake! I was dressed like a teacher - but people were really going to trust me with their kids??? And as a first year teacher, you get observed all the time - people come in your classroom on a daily basis, you teach your lessons in front of administrators all the time. I totally understand what all of you are saying, I do - all I can tell you is, IT PASSES. It really does. I gradually got more comfortable, more at ease, with my new role and it began to feel real. Give it time, take it one day at a time. Listen to the constructive criticism you get - but also, find something good you did each day - I kept a list of things that worked well, things I was proud of, so that I could repeat them the next year. If you get praise from an instructor or preceptor, keep that written down somewhere. Reread those things before each semester so you can remember that you are growing, learning and becoming a better nurse each day.

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I feel this way and haven't started yet ! I said this yesterday to a friend (non-nursing) I have wanted this since high school, now 23 years later I am getting to live my dream. Why am I not jumping up and down everyday? Is it because I am scared of the $10,000 in loans? the 4hrs a day of studying I will have to do? the chance of failing? especially with everyone watching me? Part of me keeps thinking what am I doing, I have cognitive issues after being diagnosed with Later stage Lyme this jan. plus learning disabilities????? am I crazy???? maybe this is the reason for my feeling this way? but yet I am still excited, and hoping the first day will end these jitters... I am glad to see I am not alone...

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