Post Nursing School Blues

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Since school ended on Tuesday more than a few of my classmates have been feeling blue. They have crying spells and a general feeling of sadness. I have not experienced any of those symptoms as I am glad that school is finally over. Has anyone else experienced the end of school blues? What causes it? For the longest time all we wished for was school to end, so I dont quite understand whats going on with some of my classmates. I wish to offer support, but I dont quite understand and dont want to seem insensitive.:confused:

I found myself feeling a little blue also. It's a very strange feeling. It's like ... is it really over? What do I do now?

First you absolutely hate it and can't wait to get outta there. Then you adjust and deal with it, but you still can't wait to get outta there.

Then, when you are actually outta there you miss it. Weird huh ...

Maybe it's like the Stockholm Syndrome ... you've been held hostage so long you actually get emotionally attached to your captors.

:typing

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ei im a student nurse from the philippines and hoping to graduate on 2008 batch and also a new member of allnurses.com. We are having a thesis about the effect of music therapy on terminally ill patient and planning to visit hospice institution. Can you give me some advice to help me and my group? what to expect? what the things we should or not do? What kind of therapy/communications and also what the best thing to do to help them and even the staff... thank you and god bless!

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Specializes in Geri, Home Health, OB GYN.

I know a few of my friends and I had the Post-Nursing School blues. We had became a family. Spending day in and day out with each other and in very stressful situations that you get through together and then all of a sudden you are out the door and kinda told "see ya' when I see ya'" Everyone goes there different ways and you have to fend for yourself. It was a big bummer... try to keep in touch with those really important to you.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

Yes I too went through something similiar...its like all of a sudden you don't know what to do with yourself...I also think the crying was a sense of relief...I bawled my fool head off the night I got my final grades and knew I was going to graduate the next day...I also think like someone else said...you become like a community and you may never see some of them again....then theres the stress of taking the NCLEX...then the stress of starting work...thats the point I am at now...I have been on orientation going on 5 weeks now...and there are days I come home crying wondering why I ever went to school....but then I have a wonderful day like I did yesterday and get my paycheck and remember why I went to school...good luck to you!!

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I can also imagine this day, I'm only through the first semester and I've made some really great friends!

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

...I went thru it also. I think a debriefing would be a good way to "end" the schooling. In one of the hospitals where I had clinicals there were notices in the breakroom for a New Nurse Support Group, for new grads. That would have been very beneficial, imo.

...I also can agree with the Stockholm syndrome, hahaha!

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I am not out yet, but I think I can understand.

I think transitional periods are full of unknowns. Unknowns create anxiety.

I think Nursing school is like that preverbial bottle that constantly is getting shaken. The students are all in it together so when you are let out, you are like "where are my cohorts, I still feel shaken". I had this feeling when I left a difficult job experience. People like structure and lets face it, Nursing school is full of structure. The best thing to do to adjust is to structure your life, whether set a work schedule or excercise. This will help the blues pass. To much free time to think is not good. There is also the job stress. New Grads need to find jobs, Familys dont understand that you just wont be handed a job, you need to find one. There is also the fail of failure, you have a huge NCLEX class to take.

I think the best thing to do is to be kind, offer support, and definately promote structure.

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this phenomenon is not unusual imho. I heard of several from my class who went thru it, myself included. It involved a feeling of loss, and a feeling that 'I should be doing something' (studying, homework etc). My advice is just to go with it. It made me sleep a lot, made me restless, and I was kind of unfocused for about 2 weeks. Its a change, a transition. Your brain gets the chance to relax and then has to remember how to do it. The tremendous amount of stress/pressure is suddenly GONE. Plus there is anxiety about the next step--NCLEX looms. Let yourself unwind, feel your feelings because soon enough, you'll start a new job, and you will find yourself on a learning curve again.

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Specializes in trauma, float.

I also found myself very down when I completed nursing school. The program I attended looked for reasons to broom you out which created a lot of stress. It also encourage all of the students to bond strongly then all of these bonds are broken as you move on!!!

For those of you just starting in your orientation ask if your unit has mentors(these are not the same as preceptors). A mentor can help you become accustomed to the new culture. A mentor is also a safe person to ask about a co-worker who is giving you a hard time. Some of the other emotions a new nurse MAY exp the first year or two is not feeling competent, not liked, dumb, isolated. I promise if you give it time all of this passes and one day the new nurse is comming to you for advice.

Nursing is the third profession I have had and I only wish I had found it when I was 30!!

UMNURSE

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