Nursing School Blues??

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You know how there is post pardum depression and pre mestrual mood swings.... can there be such a thing as Nursing School Depression??

Well if there is such a thing, I must be going through it!

I'm on my second semester of the ASN program, I get high 80's and low 90's on my exams and I haven't had no problems in clinicals so far.... I know I'm a good student but lately I've been self doubting myself, wondering if I would ever be a good nurse. I've lost my motivation to study as much as I used to. I always have a headache and I'm soooo tired all the time. I know Nurising School is rough and I expected it to be hard work so why am I feeling so down and self doubting myself?

I just got a job as a nurse tech and my first day I messed up on all the blood pressures, the tech that was training me just gave me a wierd look. I don't know why I was off on the blood pressures, I know how to take BPs but I kept messing up.... I felt like an idiot because I should have been able to take all the vital's, that's was one of the first things we learned in school. That experience did not help my mood at all!

Has anyone ever gone through something like this??

Add me to the list....I started nursing school when my kids were grown (4 girls and 1 boy)......... and now????????????

Where the time went, I do not know...I am now a Gramma (my daughter went into labor and delivered the night before my first year nursing finals to boot) and I'm still here trying to motivate myself to finish.

If that isn't the blues I don't know what is--please add grammy to the list!

(i'm not giving up tho, I might die from old age but never giving up) lol

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you can add me to the list too. I feel completely overwhelmed. I despise clinicals because I feel totally clueless and terrified that my mistake will hurt someone. It is like as soon as I walk into the hospital all my knowledge flies right out of my head. I failed my very first test of the second semester today! Working on my assessment for this week (due thursday @4) and realize I did not get all the info I needed so I will not be handing it in. My Assessment skills SUCK! How do you improve on this???? This was the last straw, so now I have broke down crying. My husband and I got into another fight today. You can hardly walk through my house without steping over clothes or toys. I have this overwhelming urge to quick! If I hadn't spent so much time and money already and didn't have 3 little girls and a husband counting on me I just might. Well I think that is quite enough self-pity! I wlill take someone elses advise and pray pray pray! Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.:bluecry1:

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you can add me to the list too. I feel completely overwhelmed. I despise clinicals because I feel totally clueless and terrified that my mistake will hurt someone. It is like as soon as I walk into the hospital all my knowledge flies right out of my head. I failed my very first test of the second semester today! Working on my assessment for this week (due thursday @4) and realize I did not get all the info I needed so I will not be handing it in. My Assessment skills SUCK! How do you improve on this???? This was the last straw, so now I have broke down crying. My husband and I got into another fight today. You can hardly walk through my house without steping over clothes or toys. I have this overwhelming urge to quick! If I hadn't spent so much time and money already and didn't have 3 little girls and a husband counting on me I just might. Well I think that is quite enough self-pity! I wlill take someone elses advise and pray pray pray! Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.:bluecry1:

Wow, that sounds like a handful and a half. I know exactly how you're feeling though, believe me. My house is a disaster (why is it that we're the only ones who seem able to keep the house clean, and when we're out of commission, it just doesn't get done? What's wrong with this picture?). Today in clinical my RN asked me to do a Foley (I'm in my second semester). I gave her a look that must have been like "WHAAA? ME???" because she said "aren't you allowed to do them?" I said "well, yeah, we're allowed to do them, but I've only ever done one on a mannequin!" I asked if I could just watch her do it, and she agreed. About 5 other students asked if they could come too. I didn't feel right about that for my patient's sake, but the RN said it was ok. She did great despite the great challenge of my patient's size and condition. I think I could do one now if I had to.

Please don't quit yet. You've come so far and don't have that much to go, if you really think about it. This too shall pass. YOU TOO shall pass if you just put in a few minutes every night studying. Just bear down, dig in, do what needs to be done even if it means everything else sort of gets pushed to the wayside (I mean housekeeping). Maybe your husband needs to learn to do YOUR job for awhile and keep things picked up.

I don't know you, but your personality comes through, and I think you'll make a great nurse. The fact that you have enough compassion and caring to actually worry about your patients and their safety tells me you'd be great. It's the ones who say they have no stress or concerns that really worry me. Hang in there, ok?

:::hugs:::

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Wow, that sounds like a handful and a half. I know exactly how you're feeling though, believe me. My house is a disaster (why is it that we're the only ones who seem able to keep the house clean, and when we're out of commission, it just doesn't get done? What's wrong with this picture?). Today in clinical my RN asked me to do a Foley (I'm in my second semester). I gave her a look that must have been like "WHAAA? ME???" because she said "aren't you allowed to do them?" I said "well, yeah, we're allowed to do them, but I've only ever done one on a mannequin!" I asked if I could just watch her do it, and she agreed. About 5 other students asked if they could come too. I didn't feel right about that for my patient's sake, but the RN said it was ok. She did great despite the great challenge of my patient's size and condition. I think I could do one now if I had to.

Please don't quit yet. You've come so far and don't have that much to go, if you really think about it. This too shall pass. YOU TOO shall pass if you just put in a few minutes every night studying. Just bear down, dig in, do what needs to be done even if it means everything else sort of gets pushed to the wayside (I mean housekeeping). Maybe your husband needs to learn to do YOUR job for awhile and keep things picked up.

I don't know you, but your personality comes through, and I think you'll make a great nurse. The fact that you have enough compassion and caring to actually worry about your patients and their safety tells me you'd be great. It's the ones who say they have no stress or concerns that really worry me. Hang in there, ok?

:::hugs:::

Thank you so much for you kind words. I am feeling a a lot better. After lecture yesterday we went over our test and I was not the only one that seemed to be having a nervous breakdown. My instructor asured me that I could easily recover from this bad score. It is just scary knowing that I have 6 more tests and that is it. That is all we have grade wise in that class. Plus is doesn't help that second year students AND the instructor herself call our final for second semester the final from hell!! My dad called me today and helped me talk through all the feelings I am having which helped greatly. Being able to come to allnurses helps a lot also. I think in clinicals I will just pretend I have confidence until I actually do. My instructor called me her nervous nelly. I really don't want to be known as that.

Thanks for listening. Well I better get back to my books!:studyowl:

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Specializes in Alzheimer's Disease, Geriatrics.

Count me in! Last semester was my first semester of nursing school, and I study my butt off until we got to Thankgiving break, and when we came back to school, we still had 3 wks of school, and 1 wk of finals. And i just quit studying. I could not do it anymore. And i didn't... but I made it out of the first sem with 3 a's and 2 b's. but I don't recommend that.

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I have been looking for your posting. Now that I have, I know I'm not alone. I too am all messed up right now. Perhaps all we need is to keep trying.

Best of luck.

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Hang in there!! There is actually a light at the end of the tunnel (and it isn't an oncoming train) Most people that are not in the medical field have NO IDEA how difficult and time consuming nursing school is, plus family, etc. Top that off with varying standards from instructor to instructor and trying to figure out what they expect...it's a miracle any of us are sane!!!:jester: :banghead:

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Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.
Top that off with varying standards from instructor to instructor and trying to figure out what they expect...it's a miracle any of us are sane!!!

I'm already seeing this this semester...it is amazing the difference between last semester's instructors and these so far...but then, we haven't had our first test yet....and if thought staying motivated through 16 weeks last semester was tough, I am having TERRIBLE time making myself hit the books again after winter break....and the thought of clinicals starting this week, care plans, and the total unknown in the hospital is making my gut just ache something fierce!!!

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Specializes in Nursing Ed, Ob/GYN, AD, LTC, Rehab.

Thank god for this thread, i was so depressed tonight even the hubby who so nicely tries to comfort me wasnt working. I too feel soooo burned out and just saying the c word (clinicals) makes me want to crawl into a whole and cry. I feel like nothing we do is good enough and we will forever be nursing students. Please tell me is it over yet?

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This is one of the last 3 days of our RLE in the Nursery. While others are having fun because of taking care of the babies, I'm really having a hard time because I don't know how to carry a newborn, I failed my first quiz in that area and I didn't come to that area today... I feel I'm not really ready to face this day.

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WoW! Check out the dates for this board. It's from the graveyard!!! A good one to bump yup, however.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Ob/Gyn.

I know how you feel. I'm a nursing student as well. Don't feel down and out about nursing school because you have come to far to start rethinking things now. I know that once you are done, you will be a great nurse!! As far as messing up on doing BP,you were just having a bad day. You were probably just tired. Give it another try, I'm sure you will do better next time!! Good Luck!!

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