Feeling overwhelmed - not getting it

SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP · Aug 30, 2014

If you have a practice lab, ask the instructor to work with you on this. Be honest and say you're having a hard time hearing what you need to hear to give an accurate BP. Sometimes, just working one-on-one with someone can make a difference! If you don't have that opportunity, is there a classmate that would be nice enough to help you if you have no instructors in your practice lab? Or maybe a student from the class ahead of you? If you have a local SNA chapter, perhaps one of them could assist?

There are several YouTube videos on taking blood pressure. Sometimes, just seeing it done in slightly different ways can make it "click".

Are you having trouble hearing the systole/diastole? Or are you having trouble selecting the correct reading from the gauge?

In any case, lots of ((((hugs)))) to you! Hang in there. It takes practice and I feel confident that you'll get the hang of it!

stunurse2015 · Aug 30, 2014

Since you said you be up for some advice I'll give you my two cents. (From one first quarter student to another :))

First off you cannot let fear control you! In my prior non-health care job I was around "seasoned" professionals and was terrified of screwing up. Then I ended up doing worse because of it. So one day when I was up for the opportunity to train for another position I told myself; "I got this and I'm not afraid". Then I blew them all out of the water and finished my 8week training course in five! So give yourself credit and breathe.

Second of all we are students I would hope that they expect us to make mistakes while we are learning. In the hopes we don't make them in the "real world".

And final tip, use your resources! Other students that are farther in the program, teachers and the tutoring center should be our best friends!!

Hope this helps and good luck!

rob4546, ADN, BSN, MSN · Aug 30, 2014

What I have to say might upset you a little, but it is what I think about your situation at this time. I am saying it to possibly help you. So here goes....

I believe that most of the problems you are experiencing are due to the attitude you have and how you see yourself. This isn't the fellow classmates problem no matter what they do for a living or their experience. I know this sounds mean but let me explain...

I see you comparing yourself to the others in everything that gives you trouble. Run your race, not theirs. No, you are not expected to do everything correct the first time, that is why we practice. I practiced every chance I got and I never saw anyone in the skills lab with me. I was chastised by my peers because I always did everything correctly, but they never saw all the times I did it completely wrong!!!!!

Most of these skills need pure repetition and a little finesse. Training your ears to here lung sounds, subtle changes in heart beats, and correct blood pressures takes time and practice. It sounds like you are getting close, practice, practice, practice. Ask for help. Ask for help. Yes it might be a little harder to hear with the dual stethoscopes but that isn't the problem. Once you get it, you will understand.

Don't listen to your critics, you know it wont be anything worth listening to. Who cares how much time it takes you to practice a skill. As long as you get the skills down and the instructors pass you, you are doing good. Relax and breathe.

I don't know how your program is set up, but most of my class always looked like a deer in headlights until the middle of the second year. I even had my dumb moments which frustrated me, but I never gave up. What you are feeling is totally normal for most. There will always be a few that get it better or quicker, and the ones with more experience just have had the time to do it more than you. They are not better and at one time they were in your shoes but have forgotten the struggles. Shame on them for not being more supportive, or at least quiet.

So where do you go from here. Start by telling yourself over and over "I can do this". It may sound corny, but positive affirmations do help. Then spend extra time practicing. Ask for help, don't be shy. I am sure there are fellow classmates that would be willing to help. Be realistic and don't make expectations on yourself that you cannot live up to. You are in your third week, don't be so hard on yourself.

Stephalump · Aug 30, 2014

I wish I had some advice for you. I hated clinical because my anxiety would always get the best of me. I was always slower learning skills, but even when I did get them down pretty good, throwing me into the clinical "everyone is watching you" scenario made me a wreck. I. Hate. Making. Mistakes. And that anxiety made me make mistakes!

My instructor in my last semester really encouraged me to tackle those negative voices in my head. I can do it. If I make a mistake, it's a learning experience, and it doesn't negate all the great things I did.

It will get better. You'll get into a groove and the extra practice will definitely help. But it's even BETTER when you get out ??

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Aug 30, 2014

You will all be on the same footing in a couple of weeks. My fundamental class is only 4 weeks long. You are letting yourself be intimidated over nothing really. Use their experience to your advantage. One of the girls in my cohort is currently a tech at a large heart hospital. So pretty much she knows everything going on in this first 4 weeks. We sit beside each other and decided to partner up to work on check offs today and skills I have never done before. She was a wealth of information for me and if I was doing something wrong, I wanted her to tell me so I would get it right for next week. You need to calm down a little or you are going to get yourself to the point where you fail.

nowayis · Aug 30, 2014

To preface what I am going to say, I was by far the best clinical or lecture student, but what I really feel I am good at is "sucking". I think it takes a different mindset to know that there is a lack in whatever thing that is done. I think if you learn the process of taking a blood pressure you can learn anything. What?? There are many ways to learn, but in this case there is only one correct bp reading. So by going through the various process of "perfecting" a bp reading , skills lab practicing on the cat, etc. you may find a process that works well for you when learning other upcoming skills. Or maybe I'm wrong and I think I found a process, but only "suck" slightly less. In any case good luck, hang on tight and just keep on moving forward... Baby steps... Or maybe more of a toddler sprint...

dexm · Aug 30, 2014

It's your third week of nursing school, take a chill pill. Even though taking a manual BP seems like a basic thing, you aren't expected to be a pro at it yet. So relax. Just practice, practice, practice.

Stop comparing yourself to others. Even though they don't show it, your classmates are just as nervous/scared/worried as you are. I promise. I've been out of nursing school for 8 months now and I still look like a deer in headlights sometimes. This feeling of inadequacy you have will not go away. Its definitely a part of nursing school and probably one of the hardest parts to get used to. You may think your classmates aren't feeling that way, and maybe they aren't, but you can rest assured that they will (prob after the first round of tests)!

With that being said, you just gotta fake it until you make it. Fake confidence, study harder, and practice the skills you are having trouble with. It will be really hard at first, but in a couple of semesters things will finally start coming together.

Grateful.Mom · Aug 31, 2014

The feedback that I can give you...relax! You are a first semester student, and you are there to learn. It's okay that you don't have the tech experience of your classmates, because that will only get them so far. You will all be on the same page in no time! Be honest, these instructors are just people, that's all, and they want to teach, I'm assuming, or they would be doing something else. If your struggling, go to your instructor, the course chair, the director, whoever you need to. It will be okay, have some faith in yourself. Putting yourself down, or facing this with an :I'm not good enough" or "I don't have what it takes" attitude will only set you up for failure. You are not the first student who has never worked in a clinical setting, and you will not be the last. You are responsible for your success, and you can do this!!! Good luck!!!

allnurses Guide · Aug 31, 2014

BP? piece of cake! Now, handwashing. How do you fail handwashing checkoff? I'm not sure, but I managed it.

That was some 35 years ago, I graduated, later MSN, now teaching BPs. And handwashing.

Give yourself a break, take deep breaths, and only measure success by your own passing the skills stations, no one else's. The ones that know it all, already? usually don't.

Junebug14, ASN, RN · Aug 31, 2014

I was a lot like you when I first started. It was awful, I remember trying to do sterile technique( I think I was trying to do a foley) in the lab with everyone watching and shaking like a leaf when the instructor said hurry up you can't take your time in the er!!!! So humiliating and awful, but I learned to block it out. Everyone else is thinking of getting it right also. Sure you don't want to be the one taking forever and not getting it, but later on when it matters you'll be the one doing it right. You can't let the others get to you. I know it's hard, but you can do it. Block them out and positive self-talk yourself through it. Remember, this is your first semester and the skills will come much easier from here on out! Practice on anyone you can! :) good luck

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Aug 31, 2014

I'm going to preface my story with this: I'm a Paramedic turned RN. Until I entered RN school the vast majority of vital sign measurements I did were manually done. Conservatively speaking, I've done somewhere near 20,000. Yes, it's possible to do that many when you do a minimum of three per transport...

Anyway, when I first started doing them, I was not all that good at it. I had a very hard time hearing the sounds. Over time I got better and now I'm actually usually faster at acquiring a BP than just about everything but an A-line. How did I get that good? Simply through much practice and repetition of the skill.

Don't try to compare yourself to others in your class. For a while they'll be ahead of you in doing certain skills. That's OK. If you need help doing the various skills, you should ask people to help with those skills. As I'm a Paramedic, I'm cartainly very familiar with some skills that we do in nursing already. There were lots of skills that I'd never or rarely performed, so I was just like everyone else. How did I get through it? Just like the others above have said - I told myself that I can do this. With some of the less frequently practiced skills, I usually watched videos on how to do the skill and then I would do some visualization and pantomime me doing those skills too. When you do this, you activate the same mental pathways that you do when you actually perform the skill. If you watch high-level skiers, you'll see them going through the motions before a run. This is something done by many high-level athletes because it allows them to practice perfectly and does improve performance.

Don't give up because of your classmates. They're not you and they're not at the same level you are. Toward the end of the program, you will all be at about the same level.

Good luck and as long as you do your part, you'll do just fine.