Confused Student needs HELP!

RNIAM, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2004

Hi all! I am new here and just realized that there was a student nurse forum. I am currently attending a two year RN program and am in my second semester. I wanted to know if this feeling of ALWAYS being confused, nervous and feeling like I never remember anything if normal or not? I like people and want to care for them but should I feel this way. If you have any suggestions please help! Thanks in advance.~~Annette

Hi. I wanted to let you know that you will begin to feel more comfrtable as time goes by. Your first couple of semesters are the toughest and after that it gets a bit easier. Not the content but your ability to handle it will get easier. At this point I am hardly a pro. I do have some idea of what I am doing which is a good thing since I will be graduating in May and taking care of patients soon after that. I feel ready to begin my nursing career and you will too! Good luck. :)

RNKITTY04 · Feb 22, 2004

Arkhunter,

I sent you a private post concerning this matter. Hope it helps :)

JenNJFLCA · Feb 22, 2004

I am feeling the same way! This is my first semester and I just feel so clumsy and fumbly. :uhoh21: We go out on the floor this week and I am really nervous. I just think that with time, it will get easier like everyone is saying. I can't wait until that moment arrives!

Arkhunter · Feb 22, 2004

Hi. I wanted to let you know that you will begin to feel more comfrtable as time goes by. Your first couple of semesters are the toughest and after that it gets a bit easier. Not the content but your ability to handle it will get easier. At this point I am hardly a pro. I do have some idea of what I am doing which is a good thing since I will be graduating in May and taking care of patients soon after that. I feel ready to begin my nursing career and you will too! Good luck. :)

Thanks you for your encouragement. They told me that it was going to be tough but I did not know how tough! I thought a lot of book work (and yes there is definitely a lot of book work) but I did not think I would feel this bad about my clinicals. When I get there I feel lost and I am trying to search my brain for everything that I have learned to figure out where I go first. I wish I had a handbook that told me everything to do starting at #1 until the last step. A BIG Congrats to you on graduating in May! That is so exciting! So do you have any tips for me on retaining all of this info while I am at clinicals? This week I start my OB/Peds rotation. Scary! Again Thank you!

Arkhunter · Feb 22, 2004

I am feeling the same way! This is my first semester and I just feel so clumsy and fumbly. :uhoh21: We go out on the floor this week and I am really nervous. I just think that with time, it will get easier like everyone is saying. I can't wait until that moment arrives!

Clumsy!!! Exactly!:) I feel soooo slow at everything! I think my instructor gets a little impatient with me for taking so long. This is my second semester. The first semester we did a nursing home rotation and I do not think it prepared me for the hospital. This week I start my OB/Peds rotation. A interesting floor with a hard instructor. I know they need to be hard to protect the patients but it makes me even more nervous. I keep waiting for that moment of enlightenment when I do not get sick to my stomach because I am going to school. I keep thinking ahead and try to see all of the good things when I/WE become nurses!

~~ Hanging on

suzy253, RN · Feb 23, 2004

Yes....hang in there. I'm in my 2nd semester of freshman year and we started clinicals after 6 weeks in the 1st semester. Talk about feeling clumsy--i felt I couldn't get a grip on things and I was sooooo nervous but I have finally calmed down and can handle things much much better here in my 2nd semester. I'm feeling much more confident and not nervous on clinicals and am quite enjoying having patients to take care of. Still a lot of studying but who ever said nursing school would be easy?! You'll be fine!!!

Best to you.

CPB · Feb 23, 2004

One of my favorite instructors once told me, "the day you come to work, and you aren't nervous, you need to hang it up and find a new career." Her reason behind saying this is because we have a lot of responsibility, and the minute we get comfortable and stop being extra cautious, that's when something will happen. :)