feeling down

It is EXTREMELY common to not feel like you know absolutely anything! I still feel like that sometimes, and I will be graduating this May. But you know what I realized? All the times I felt inadequate, there have been times when non nursing students have asked me a simple question about a disease or something random, and it really boosts my self esteem when I'm able to provide education. For example, these was a pregnant lady who asked me about what to expect during her pregnancy. I kinda sucked at Maternity and I never thought that I learned anything. It wasn't until I started telling her what I knew, that I realized just how much I DID know! I honestly believe that there is NO WAY to really remember everything. I think it just takes being exposed to things and actually putting knowledge into practice. It will come to you, and even if you forget things, just look it up, no big deal. You are soooo not alone and I know you are A LOT smarter than you might think. Good luck to you and be encouraged!

thank you and im glad to hear im not alone... lol. and you are right, the same thing happens to me. the other day someone asked me about pain and how it works. i just talked like it was just a normal conversation then after i left i realized that i had amazed her! lol. love those moments! i heard a phrase the other day that i think is true. "were not computers spitting out facts" i never looked at it that way before and that was how i was feeling. were in school to learn the basics and get exposed to different things and learn how to think critically. not be able to recite every medication action and adverse effects off the top of our heads. haha

There's just no way you can remember everything. If you get to the end of your nursing program and you know WHERE to look if you don't know what you need and you can take that information and make a solid clinical judgment based on what you find, you've been well trained and you'll be fine. We are not human computers! Of course you need to know a lot of basics, but you'd never pass the exam if you didn't. Sounds like you'll be fine to me!

the more i learn, the dumber i get!

I just feel burnt out. There is still some element of interest in the material for me, but just tonight I was reading a chapter thinking, "ok gastroenteritis is something I want to know, but I couldn't care less about ulcerative colitis." I have however lost all interest in clinicals, and I just want to be done and move on with life. I'm tired of the school routine. I didn't feel like this a decade ago in college.

You are probably feeling a little burnout and need to talk to someone, feel free to e mail me if you need to talk [email protected]. You should not feel dumb, most of the materials taught are not sense making until you do the hands on stuff and deal with real life in hospitals. My learning started outside of nursing school.

i think being burned out is common. i am very burned out right now. especially because i work as a CNA (have for 3 years) in a local hospital. so working 12 hour shifts on the weekends plus 2 twelve hour clinical shifts some weeks are enough to do me in. plus class time and studying, its all just a big blurr. i just keep telling myself, 9 more weeks and i get the summer off! ill spend my summer having a good time with all the people in my life, and, learning how to be a nurse (i have feeling the latter will go on for a while....)

I feel the same way! I'm in my 2nd semester of my PN program, so to be entering into the RN program.

I've done really well in school so far - never gotten below a 'B' on anything, yet. However, I feel stupid a lot of the time. Especially when it comes to tests. I feel like I don't remember anything and I often wonder why.

But, then, today I realized that I'm not stupid, not at all! I had an out experience - I was able to shadow various nurses in an OR. I saw a few surgeries and a lot of endoscopies. There was an RN there who couldn't have been an RN very long - max, 4-5 years. She wasn't stupid but she kept asking the doc (who loved to teach us and was very nice and respectful) all kinds of questions that I already knew the answers to.

Also, remember that everything's different once you start working. Things don't always go by the textbook and you will learn the truly important things when you're on the job. For example, it's unlikely that a nurse will need to memorize all the normal lab values - maybe for the NCLEX, but not for clinical.