Anyone else a little "lost?"

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 12, 2008

Normal? How do you define normal?

hikernurse · Feb 12, 2008

I understand. Homework is always hanging over your head. Once I started work and could just come home and not try to fit in schoolwork in every spare minute, it definitely felt weird.

You'll adjust pretty quickly--and as soon as you do, you'll decide to go for an even higher education :chuckle. Nature hates a vacuum :).

pagandeva2000, LPN · Feb 13, 2008

It does take time, because while in nursing school, you are constantly operating under pressure. But, you will either return back to school or life will quickly give you new actitivites to take up your time. Maybe for the moment, make your new job a project. Write notes, develop a schedule of when certain things need to be done, study the medications and conditions you may commonly encounter. Maybe develop teaching plans for these patients. Application is the key, for the moment, but you can make it into another fruitful learning experience, because there is nothing like real world nursing. In fact, you may start comparing in shock how contrasting textbook/NCLEX nursing verses real world nursing really is..LOL.

I went through it myself, but knew I would not re-enter into formal education ever again. Continuing education, maybe. But, I have found new interests and projects that I study on my own, using the skills that I gained while studying in nursing school. I am corrently reading a great deal on astronomy, and a few religious texts that I had no time to get into while in school, such as the Gnostic books, and Urantia. I am still gaining knowledge, but learning things at my own pace and time, and don't have to produce evidence for someone else.

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2008

Wow!!! I could have wrote that post, I too graduated in December, passed boards in Jan and am currently orienting in the ICU monday-fri 7-3. Soon I will go onto to twelve hour shifts just a few days a week.

I had all these plans for when I was done with school--1) clean my house!!! 2) volunteer at my kids school. 3) Paint the kitchen etc etc etc the list goes on, yet never gets done!!! It is almost like I am lost too.

I did though sign up at a gym today. I put on about 20lbs at school, Starbucks and mini muffins were my study pals. So I am hoping to get into a work out sched. I will start there. I always said I couldnt work out cause I was too busy wtih school, well I dont have that excuse now!!!

Good luck. I am sure we will settle into a nice sched here soon, we worked hard for it!!!

Congrats on passing your boards!!

oldiebutgoodie, RN · Feb 13, 2008

Wow!!! I could have wrote that post, I too graduated in December, passed boards in Jan and am currently orienting in the ICU monday-fri 7-3. Soon I will go onto to twelve hour shifts just a few days a week.
I had all these plans for when I was done with school--1) clean my house!!! 2) volunteer at my kids school. 3) Paint the kitchen etc etc etc the list goes on, yet never gets done!!! It is almost like I am lost too.
I did though sign up at a gym today. I put on about 20lbs at school, Starbucks and mini muffins were my study pals. So I am hoping to get into a work out sched. I will start there. I always said I couldnt work out cause I was too busy wtih school, well I dont have that excuse now!!!
Good luck. I am sure we will settle into a nice sched here soon, we worked hard for it!!!
Congrats on passing your boards!!

A confession: Once I graduated from nursing school, I became obsessed with TV, which I NEVER watched before. Now my addiction is mainly movies from Netflix. I think I just like having time to rot my brain, and not be worrying about patients, management, JCAHO, etc etc etc/

(A guilty pleasure.. E Channel's True Hollywood Story... I'm so ashamed!)

Oldiebutgoodie

allnurses Guide · Feb 13, 2008

I went through it myself, but knew I would not re-enter into formal education ever again. Continuing education, maybe.

I dunno, took me 20 years to decide to do it, but I'm now only a few credits from finishing my masters. Never say never! :bowingpur

StrwbryblndRN · Feb 13, 2008

I know how you feel about being lost. I graduated in May and started working in June. Everyone was excited and congratulating me but I could not feel it. I did nothing useful and wondered if I was getting depressed. I found out that quite of few graduates at my school did this too. It was like a serious adrenaline rush that I was coming down from for 2 years.

I got back to "normal" withing 5 months.

But now I am going through another phase but that is a different story on it's own.

Good luck!

shellsgogreen · Feb 13, 2008

it is a weird feeling, isn't it? i think i wandered around aimlessly for a month, always with the feeling that i should be doing something, when in fact, there really wasn't anything pressing. i made lists of things to do, which i ended up ignoring, as it turned out, i really needed to just be and relax for a bit, watch mindless tv, and avoiding any reading. it's only now, after six months that i've taken up leisure reading again - couldn't do it before; every time i cracked open a book, i couldn't get past three pages

take this time to enjoy doing....nothing:lol2:

Diahni · Feb 13, 2008

A confession: Once I graduated from nursing school, I became obsessed with TV, which I NEVER watched before. Now my addiction is mainly movies from Netflix. I think I just like having time to rot my brain, and not be worrying about patients, management, JCAHO, etc etc etc/
(A guilty pleasure.. E Channel's True Hollywood Story... I'm so ashamed!)
Oldiebutgoodie

Maybe you're healing all the overloaded nerves in your brain!

Diahni