feel like such a giant moron all the time

[catechin]

I am a 4th semester nursing student (BSN) just wondering if others have felt the same. I often leave clinicals feeling like a giant idiot. I am ok at my tasks: putting in IVs, hanging meds, calculating drips, patient care and nursing skills. I always try to make sure I give my patient a bed bath and change their linens, always, because I know the CNA appreciate it. There have been three times I was the first to notice a critical change in my patient and reported it (and I was right about it) and I get excellent evals from my instructors. But after I get home I often remember something silly that I forgot to chart or that there was a time I forgot to lower the bed and the CNA had to come by and do it for me, or didn't raise the third bed rail, or I didn't know that you have to plug a bed alarm in to another plug when moving from bed to chair, or I forgot to chart % of lunch or something like that...and the list goes on. I try to be cognizant of these mistakes and each time I make one I add it to my clinical "brain" and bold and highlight it so that I don't forget it next time. But each week there is another something and my list keeps getting longer!

I feel like I am constantly overwhelmed and struggling with time management. I don't know how I will manage after I graduate and have to do this on my own. I often wonder if the nurses think I am just a complete moron, and if they do I wouldn't blame them because I feel like a complete moron! I am worried that by the end of the semester they will be so sick of me that they'll be like: oh no, here she comes!!!! :sorry:Sometimes I feel like I can slightly grasp the *bigger picture* but there are all these little miniutiae of tasks and skills that nobody tells you about and that I am just clueless on. I feel like I'm constantly screwing this up and I am seriously worried I will do something serious or worse.

Please tell me it gets better because right now I just stare at the ceiling at night in hopes that I will someday figure out what I am doing.

[Wise Woman RN]

From the sound of it, you are doing a wonderful job... I would be glad to have you on my team.

Hang in there, you will be a great nurse. Pat yourself on the back once in a while, and give yourself

time.. It will all come together.. You have to remember that you have entered an alien world, with a whole new language, culture, and way of being...

Best,

Wise Woman

[rubato, ASN, RN]

I feel this way every day in clinicals and so does everyone in my group. Other groups say they don't feel that way, but I have a tough instructor and she expects more than we can deliver. I wouldn't worry too much. It sounds like you're doing a fantastic job. Some of this will just come naturally once you are working for awhile.

[catechin]

Thank you for the vote of confidence. Usually I feel like this, but this week was especially hard. I mixed a med wrong to give via ng tube, to no fault of my own - I was following the MAR but the RN forgot to tell me she wanted to hold the senna bc pt. had been having diarrhea at night.. I didn't give the meds, reordered from pharmacy, waited, re-mixed without senna and then promptly tripped and spilled them as I was walking into the room. At this point I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I sucked it up, explained what happened and my RN who was awesome burst out laughing. I was already frazzled at that point but took a deep breath and kept going. The next day was better - I had been doing really well until at the end of shift my stable patient who had been NPO for over 12 hours suddenly went hypo, I reported it to RN, and I had to be in the room with him constantly, getting juice, reassessing, calling doc and hanging d51/2NS (with my RN). My other pt. had an elevated BP so I had asked another student if he could reassess for me which he did but he also moved the pt. and didn't reset alarms (which I did not ask him to move pt). I got the BP from the student when I came out and reported it to my other RN who didn't say anything but she had been totally pleasant before and after I came out of the hypo room she had changed into another person. i didn't know any of this happened with the pt. getting moved until after clinical. So I left with one RN thinking I did awesome and another RN being super mad at me (I think). I just wish I had known before I left so I could explain it. I did rush back when I found out to make sure he was restrained and all alarms were set...but they already were and I couldn't find the nurse to apologize. I literally just felt like I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Here I had been doing ok all day and then one thing (a big thing, no doubt) completely ruined it for me. I had really wanted to work on this unit after I graduate but I am afraid this has ruined it for me. And I am totally obsessing and beating myself up about this week. Please tell me I will survive nursing school.

[Wise Woman RN]

Look at it this way: All of these mishaps are also part of learning, and are preparing you for things that DO happen

working on the floor, and you will already be prepared. I know you will get through, and you will be an EXCELLENT

NURSE. Not only that, but when you become part of the old bat society, think of the great stories you will be able to

tell the student nurses that look to you for encouragement.. I used to go to post conference for the students, on my day

off work, and they loved the "war stories." Like I said, you could be on my team anytime, and I am one of those old bats..

Best,

Wise Woman