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Discussion

Doubt vs. Reality

Hey everyone! I've been in nursing school since jan '13 and have had so many ups and downs along the way (said every nursing student ever, i'm sure!) I've learned that nursing school is no joke and every nurse today needs a hug. The amazing amount of knowledge the nurses in the field need to have is absolutely mind boggling... kudos to all of you who have been successful.

As a nursing student, I feel very back and forth. Some days i feel like is this for me? Am i able to really help save the lives of the patients that enter the hospital? Am i capable of making quick decisions and not second guess myself?

I am in a program that is accelerated. I love my school, i love my teachers, and i love that everyone there seems to want to help you succeed. Every 8 weeks, we get a new set of classes. 1-3 at a time depending on what you signed up for. Sometimes i find myself incredibly bored, or incredibly overwhelmed. I never feel like i have a hold on what is actually going on. Is that normal?

Sorry for babbling...

I started school in jan '13. I should be graduating in Dec of this year! (2014) but i am still far from it. During all last year, while in nursing school, i was working as a patient transporter at childrens hospital, serving in a restaurant (i have big girl bills), and planning my wedding.

yeah.

2 days before my wedding i had a meltdown in my advisor's office. I withdrew from micro, pharm and medsurg I ... yep, doing all that and planning a wedding was no party! Because of the how the classes are arranged, i had to wait to return to retake those classes in jan of 2014. So that put me back a whole semester... I passed.. thank the lord... but when it came to medsurg II... i failed.

I dont know why. I dont know. i dont know... i still shake my head. i dont know.

Again because of how the classes are arranged, i have to wait to retake medsurg II.

I only get one more chance to pass medsurg II, otherwise i am kicked out of the program. My clinical instructor has offered to tutor me which i am going to make appointments with her each week to review.... etc...

Has anyone been depressed in nursing school? I find myself giving up my life for this and i'm finding more and more that i dont like who i am, my attitude, its so hard to get up in the morning..

i question is this for me. I doubt myself. I worked really hard and so far i'm barely making it. But with as much work as i put in, i feel like it shouldnt be this difficult.

I register my books, i practice questions, i read, i make care plans, etc...

After a while.. i wonder is my doubt is really my reality... or am i just being negative?

Some days i cant help the way i feel. Some days i hate nursing. Some days i say "I CAN DO THIS!!!"... most days, i dont want to think anymore.

My mental health is just as important as studying for tests in my opinion.

Sometimes i dream about doing other things. Other things that dont involve possibly killing someone or following so many rules and regulations.

Am i crazy?

To anyone who has just read all of that... wow. thank you. lol i really needed to get this out.

what are your thoughts? ideas? advice?

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    You're life sounds a lot like mine. I am a second year nursing student in an ADN program. My program is accelerated, so I start a new quarter every 10 weeks. Although I love nursing, I find myself overwhelmed, and just done with it some days. Come to think of it, most of my classmates are going through the same thing. I failed microbiology as well. In my program we need a B or better to pass. I missed it by a half point. Although I passed Med/Surg II, I had to sit out of Gerontology and retake Micro. I had to wait 6 months to retake Micro, because it is not offered every semester. I was supposed to be graduating December 2014, but now I won't be done until June 2015. I know it sucks, but nursing is what I was born to do. Don't worry. You're living the life of a typical nursing student. Just prioritize, study hard, take time out for your self, and you will be okay.

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    Generally they recommend working the bare minimum and to avoid major life changes if possible during nursing school. Wedding planning is stressful enough and then to add it onto nursing school? I don't think I would be able to do it. However, a lot of people do fail a nursing class or have to withdraw. You are not alone in the situation. So many people have had a semester setback. Also, your clinical instructor is tutoring you? That means she must have thought you'd make a great nurse for her to invest time in you outside of clinical.

    I was very negative during nursing school too. There were days where I was counting the points and trying to figure out what the bare minimum I needed to pass.

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    • Author
    Also, your clinical instructor is tutoring you? That means she must have thought you'd make a great nurse for her to invest time in you outside of clinical.

    I was very negative during nursing school too. There were days where I was counting the points and trying to figure out what the bare minimum I needed to pass.

    Yes she reminds me of how a dementia patient i had never talks to anyone.. but she talked to me. She said keep in mind that there is something in you that makes patients feel comfortable. She said thats a very special quality to have.

    Sure, nurses are compassionate by nature and want to help. But to have patients open up to you shows that there is a trustworthy quality that they can feel.

    Counting points... haha i count points like its my job!! :)

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