Do you feel that you have lost alot of knowledge since NS?

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

In school, I knew so much about different disease processes, treatments, etc. But since working as a nurse, I find that Ive forgotten alot of what I knew as a student. The longer Im out of school, the more I forget. I asked my Charge nurse and she feels the same way. She and I sometimes have to look a disease up because we dont remember what it is. We dont encounter those rare diseases often and if you dont use it you lose it. Anyone else feel they have forgotten alot of what they learned in Nursing School?

[Euskadi1946]

Nothing beats on the job training and of course the CEUS. If you're unsure of something, always, always look it up, ask a nurse with more experience or even ask the doc. Some docs are real hams when it comes to teaching and they will be more than happy to show off their knowledge and be informative.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

I don't think it is as much as loose knowledge but gain different knowledge and more specialised knowledge as once you qualify and get a job it changes as you work more in one area whereas in nursing school you cover all areas . As mentioned you can always do courses to keep up to date

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I have gained plenty of knowledge regarding the aging process since working in nursing homes. On the other hand, I have lost a great deal of the acute care skills that I learned while I was a student. Other than removing sutures/staples, dressing wounds, administering simple IV medications, and inserting catheters, I'd be somewhat lost on a med/surg floor.

[bossynurse101]

Was just thinking about this today after reading an H&P and encountering some unfamiliar terms (anasarca) that I used to know (still havent looked it up, shame on me!)

One of the reasons I have always advocated for hiring new grads is that they have so much fresh knowledge. I used to wonder about this when I was a student in clinicals and I would ask an in depth question to one of the hospital nurses; the nurse wd usually just look at me and change the subject! Ironically, I was probably trying to make her think that I wasnt as dumb as I looked. :chuckle

[uscstu4lfe]

i took 6 months off (didn't even think about nursing!) after nursing school/the boards. man, i lost a TON of information! i feel like a pre-nursing student again.

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

Well, I have gained alot of knowledge while working, but its a shame we have to lose the tons and tons of knowledge we had in school.

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

i took 6 months off (didn't even think about nursing!) after nursing school/the boards. man, i lost a TON of information! i feel like a pre-nursing student again.

Yep, I know what you mean. I hate it. I do CEU's and try to refresh online whenever I encounter something at work I have forgotten. But I just HATE that because I knew so much in school.

[Spatialized]

I wouldn't say lost per se, it's just shuffled back in the files, you just know how to access it. I would venture to say that I've learned quite a bit more; more specialized knowledge, better understanding of disease processes, better understanding of emergent situations and most importantly, what to do in them. The info from nursing school just sits back waiting to be called up when it's needed. Just because you don't think about it every day doesn't mean it's not there.

Tom

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

As others have stated, most are proficient in their specialty, but are lost with the rest. I work in a clinic, and do a great deal of teaching, so, believe it or not (and only because I have to teach it so much), I remember alot of disease processes, but, I had to force myself to start doing med-surg per diem, because I never did IVs, dressings, tube feedings, or even pass multiple medications within a short time frame. I am getting it together slowly.

I stopped feeling bad when I don't know and stopped carrying a million books with me, when I learned that we have a great deal of computer resources to print, or review before communicating with patients. In my clinic, the patient doesn't have an idea that I didn't know what sort of medication they were on or why, because I already pulled up the site on the screen they cannot see and am reading from there. Also, I noticed that patients trust more when you do say I have to look up the information and I'll get right back to you with a printed copy for you to keep.

I come here to my other home at allnurses and ask a million questions, share what I know and I also take continuing education courses. I continue to read, look at medical documentaries (because they were always interesting and enjoyable for me) and that is how I try to keep up to date.

[Jo Dirt]

Overall, I know and am capable of much more the longer I am a nurse. I may not remember some obscure fact or definition but I am more competent in so many other aspects.

[lpnflorida]

I am not so sure we have in fact forgotten the information we learned in school.

I think we all have ah ha moments when we refresh our memories with a quick look up of something . Often the first few sentences bring it back, we smile internally as we pat ourselves for remembering parts of it at least if not most of the information.

We had this discussion at work a few months back. While we no longer had that capacity for the instant recall, it was noted if we took our time, or someone jogged a memory. Many of the nurses were able to recall what they knew back when. I agree what we are currently doing in our practice is what it more instantly recalled.

Personally when I do not have the instant recall of something. Nor a book at hand. I turn to the newest grad on the floor who perks up and can rattle information off as if a human computer... God I love that.

Keeping up on Ceu's outside of our field of pratice is one way I try and keep up and jog my memory of things I too once could rattle off at a heartbeats speed..