Graduate in 4 Weeks--Not Ready...

[Despareux]

I'm ready to be done with school. It's been a long four years for me and my family. I graduate in about four weeks and sometimes, I don't feel ready at all. I've even considered working as a CNA before I take my NCLEX. Seems that anyone with a medical background or exposure to the medical field has so much more confidence. Sometimes I wish I would have become a CNA before applying to nursing school and going through all of this only to be scared to death RIGHT BEFORE graduation.

On the other hand, when I'm not with my instructor at clinical, I'm so much more confident--I feel like I know I can do this. I really like my instructor. She goes above and beyond to make sure we have the experiences we would like to work on and then some. I think the fact that because I'm still in school, there is always a looming danger of possibly failing and it's an uncomfortable feeling. So maybe because of that, I have this horrible fear of doing something wrong.

I don't know. But what I do know is that, I need some ideas or someone who can relate to help me get over this.

[JBudd, MSN]

Pretty much, we all felt that way. Good thing too, because there is always more to learn. Going in cocky & oversure of yourself is the surest way to crash and burn.

Very few places will put a new grad out by themselves, my hospital has a 6 month preceptorship. I did a paper on funding nursing education, the literature uniformly has DONs acknowledging the need to mentor and bring along new grads.

Be willing to ask questions, learn and go for it! :yelclap::kiss

[Despareux]

Pretty much, we all felt that way. Good thing too, because there is always more to learn. Going in cocky & oversure of yourself is the surest way to crash and burn.

Very few places will put a new grad out by themselves, my hospital has a 6 month preceptorship. I did a paper on funding nursing education, the literature uniformly has DONs acknowledging the need to mentor and bring along new grads.

Be willing to ask questions, learn and go for it! :yelclap::kiss

I'm certainly inquisitive and very willing to ask question, even questions that seem far fetched. No problems there . Thank you for responding. I'm glad there are others who feel [or have felt] the same.

[Pneumothorax, BSN, RN]

you'll be ok.

sometimes you need trial by fire.

i have worked in other areas in the medical field , and my first day/week/month i was terrified bc i had zero experience and only my schooling to fall back on. but by the end of those "firsts" i felt much better.. ijust had to get my feet wet :)

[Despareux]

you'll be ok.

sometimes you need trial by fire.

I agree. When my instructor comes around, I always feel like she's trying to trick me or something. I'll think I'm doing something right and then she comes in questioning me. At that point I'm feeling frustrated because I know that anything is possible and then I start thinking maybe I am wrong, maybe I missed something in theory...I think I would like to hear that I'm doing something right; some positive feedback.

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

Nursing school teaches you the basics and teaches you how to pass the NCLEX. There is so much about nursing that you can't learn in school and it's totally normal not to feel ready to start working. You're really not ready, and no one who just graduates is truly ready. Keep in mind that you will have an orientation period. Generally the more specialized the position the more orientation you'll get (acute care orientation is longer than public health. ICU longer than a general floor, etc.) This orientation is when you'll really learn how to to prioritize, manage your time and balance a full patient load.

Realize that you aren't going to know everything and that's okay! Don't be afraid to ask for help. Question things. Seek out mentors at your work place that you can lean on. Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know but I'm going to find out." Don't beat yourself up for not being perfect, but be willing to do extra reading and studying at home after your shifts.

I'm guessing that what you feel most anxious about at this point is not performing the nursing skills, but with recognizing critical changes in patient condition, responding to emergencies and managing a full patient load. All skills that nursing school doesn't have the time or ability to fully teach you. I'd suggest that in your last few weeks of clinicals you focus on those things. When you have a patient, think about their underlying condition. How will you know if they take a turn for the worst? What specifically do you want to assess about them to make sure they are still stable? Plan ahead in your mind what you would do in the event of an emergency: trouble breathing, chest pain, cardiac arrest, etc. So much of our fear comes from the unknown and if you know you have a game plan it can really help you feel more comfortable. You might also consider asking your clinical instructor if you can have more than one patient and practice managing a larger patient load.

You're going to be okay. The fact that you're concerned about not being ready shows me that you care about your performance, your career and your patients. You're willing to learn and look for ways to improve, and that's so much more important than just knowing how to perform skills.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

Seems that anyone with a medical background or exposure to the medical field has so much more confidence.

The only way to acquire that confidence is through experience. You'll get there too.

[Despareux]

Wow! Thanks for the super great advice and words of wisdom. I'm going to use every bit of it. I will make a plan of action; and yes, I will be okay. I can do this and I will.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.