Cold Feet

NYbabyRN, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2014

Yes, I worked hard and long to get into nursing school and a few weeks before I was about to start I had cold feet, felt emotional, and felt like I couldn't do it. I was really afraid of failure. I just immersed myself and kept going, found great classmates and study mates and had the best educational experience of my life!

scrubgirl16 · Apr 16, 2014

I feel the same way excited, but scared I just got accepted to start this summer 2014. I can't wait to start, but at the same time I know it will be tough, emotional, stress, and long days and nights. You have come so far don't give up now it will be a good experience and you will meet so many new friends that will help you along the way as well, as you helping them. If everyone else can do it so can we. Stay strong we got this. We made it through all the pre-reqs just think most people don't make it that far. Congratulations on getting accepted

Alison92629 · Apr 16, 2014

I'm feeling the exact same way, so I hope it's a normal response :)

vettechtoRN · Apr 16, 2014

everyday!! lol!

Dodie_A · Apr 16, 2014

I've not yet applied to the program my school offers and I've had cold feet this whole semester. That's actually what led me to this website! It's mostly a fear of failure and the unknown. I kept having nightmares of being expected to handle high-trauma ER situations straight out of school. Pretty sure that won't happen. Like you, I've been talking it slow, about four years just to get through ASN pre-reqs. But, I'm older and have other responsibilities, etc. My age scared me a great deal too until I found this site.

I don't know about you or your age, but for me, this kind of commitment this 'late' in life is scary. What if it doesn't work out? Will I have 'wasted' all this time? This was my one shot to start a second career, if it doesn't work out, I'm doomed.... those kind of thoughts can get me down.

SpssSpss · Apr 17, 2014

Don't underestimate yourself, Crew2Nursing! Stay focused and enjoy the ride! Don't miss it! Dodie_A, the time is going to pass whether you work towards this goal, or not. Might as well apply yourself, meet amazing people, and learn things about yourself you never knew before. Best of luck to all of you!

RunBabyRN · Apr 17, 2014

Yup! I was terrified when I actually could see nursing school WAS, in fact going to happen! But you'll find your way, and you'll quickly learn that everyone in your class feels the same way! You'll also sometimes feel like you're in over your head, and that's okay, too. Stay strong!

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Apr 17, 2014

Having cold feet is a normal reaction to proceeding toward the unknown. If you know what you want and you've done well in your prerequisite courses, you should do just fine in nursing school. Here's the thing: nursing school isn't as hard as they say it is, it's harder but it's NOT because the material is all that hard to learn. For sure, there's a lot of material to learn, but the majority of it is not that difficult. What makes nursing school so hard is the exams are geared more toward application of that knowledge and the exams are different from anything you've likely ever experienced before. In your pre-nursing studies, your exams are geared toward essentially regurgitating information you've learned. What is different is that your information is often contained within the question and your answers are designed to see how you apply that info and prioritize the answers. Your exams may have several "correct" answers but you need to know how to find the most right answer. That shift in thinking and evaluating things is what makes nursing school hard.

The fact that you've been accepted into 3 programs is awesome! You should choose the one that fits your situation best. If at all possible, choose the BSN program as that will maximize your chances of finding employment right out of school. If all are ADN programs, choose the one that suits your schedule best and has excellent NCLEX pass rates and retention rates. You should know about how many students enter the program each year and you should be able to find out how many students graduate and pass the NCLEX every year. If your program accepts 60 students every year and only 20 students graduate and pass (100% rate) something is not right because two-thirds of the students never actually get to see the NCLEX and therefore the pass rate is artificially inflated because the retention rate is so poor. You want to see a program that has most of the graduates attempt and pass the NCLEX, which indicates both a high retention rate and a high pass rate.

In my case, I had to choose between two very good programs with excellent retention and pass rates. Since both were very good in that regard, my next step was to look at the schedule and I saw that the program that had the least impact on my work schedule was the one I'm in now, so I chose that one. I'm due to graduate in a few weeks and I'm just starting to have some cold feet again because I'm approaching another big change... leaving a job I've had for the past many years and starting out again, at the bottom rung, in a new job in an entirely new field of work. I'm eagerly anticipating this change too because it's something I've worked toward for the past 7 years (counting all the prerequisites).

It's OK to be apprehensive... but that also signals you're approaching an opportunity! Don't let fear rule you, seize it, throttle it, dominate it and move on. A little fear/uncertainty can be your buddy... it can help you know you're about do something really dumb, but don't let it rule you. Are you doing the right thing for you? Only you know the answer to that question.

In my case, it's right for me. I feel at home doing the work that I'm doing. That means that I've found the work that I'm meant to do. Can I see myself doing other things? Sure. Where I'm at is where I'm supposed to be. I hope that whatever you end up doing what you're meant to do too. When you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life even if you're at work.

ambitiousBSN · Apr 17, 2014

I was absolutely terrified because of, as someone else mentioned, the unknown. I think it's perfectly normal because you're about to embark on something you know nothing about, yet you're so excited to finally be there after working so hard for many years. I remember last summer right before I started my first semester of nursing school that I started having difficulty breathing and anxiety attacks at work, so my supervisor sent me over to the emergency room and come to find out, they all chalked it up to be my anxiety that I was going to start nursing school and that it was going to be a huge change in my life. I was changing my work hours and would obviously be waist deep in reading and assignments, so it was something I was somewhat terrified of, yet excited to start.

That feeling of cold feet still stays with me every time I walked into a clinical. :-) It's still so exciting, but it's sometimes anxiety driven because of the unknown of every situation. But I think that's what makes it fun- at the end of the day, I'm over the moon with how much I've accomplished thus far.

Best of luck to you! :-)

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2014

Good day:

My clinicals / full nursing program starts this coming August. I'm turning 51 in a few weeks; and yes, I've stage fright. Yet, I know Jesus has helped me thus far, and will continue to move forward letting go of the fear as I'm able, as I conquer more areas.

Thank you.

Crew2Nursing · Apr 18, 2014

Thanks, to all of you....

I felt like I was the only one feeling anxious to be nearing the (start) of actual nursing school. I'm not sure if it was the anticipation, or that goals to climb that made me not look at the hill I was climbing but..... Now I’m at a new Mountain and at the base and its looks high.

Yes, It’s truly the fear of it and I'm glad that all of you had such a positive outlook.