half way through and feeling bleak

[leopold]

I've heard of nursing burn out but has anyone out there experienced nursing student burnout? I am almost halfway through, am still pulling As and Bs in classes, have passed all labs except the last -- I'm on probation for the first time -- been meeting all clinical requirements, care plans, skills, etc., but I seem to have lost my zest for everything. Today we did a new lab demo and I was watching and taking notes and just feeling this sense of dread like, I still have to pass the lab I failed and I just know I'm going to fail this one, like it's just a matter of time before the whole house of cards collapses. Really, I feel like it's only a matter of time before I just flunk out and I'm kind of like, I don't know, I had so much passion when I went into this, and I have jumped through A LOT of hoops and I can't imagine doing anything else but...phloop...I feel like a deflated balloon. Can anyone relate? And how do I get myself back on track? :uhoh21:

[JentheRN05, RN]

I graduated from nursing school 5 months ago. I remember this sooooo strongly. I wish I had found allnurses before I got out of school, because I thought I was nuts. I was sick of reading, sick of studying, sick of school, sick of answering to someone else for everything I do, sick of being sick and tired.

I had two deaths that hit me very hard within 5 months of each other and only 2 months to graduation I had a near breakdown. I took a week off after the second death (unexpected 18yo niece killed in a car accident) and re-evaluated what I wanted to do with my life, how nursing school had affected my thinking, how much (and how often) a patient said these all so important words to me "thank you so much for taking such good care of me today". I thought what would I do if I quit now, I am just sooooo tired. You know what I realized? I would be the nurse the made so persons day better, and made possibly made the person better. Their life could be forever changed by what I have said/done and for that they would/could be forever grateful. That and that alone got me through to graduation.

Guess what? The other day, I had that person whose day and life was changed by my being her nurse. She was a patient in with back surgery after 20+ years of lower back pain. I having lived with lower back pain for the last 2-3 years could sympathize with her pain. She was now in a different kind of pain, this kind of pain WOULD indeed end, and she would feel better. But to top it off she was incredibly nauseated. I did everything within my power to make her comfortable in all aspects.

At one point, I came into her room, (I had been in her room quite a bit due to her nausea and vomiting and pain) when I came in the room, I walked up to her bedside and placed my hand on her bed rail. When I looked down at her, she had tears in her eyes, she grabbed my hand and said to me with a quivering voice "I didn't get you in trouble did I?" I of course had no idea what she was talking about. I told her "of course not why?" she went on to tell me that she heard someone say "this is your last warning". She thought that I had spent too much time in her room and that I was being warned that I better get on the ball and stay out of her room - or else. I truly had no idea what she was talking about. I told her that, I said, "you must of overheard someone elses conversation, I promise you that it wasn't me" she asked me if I was sure. I promised her I was. Then she went on to say that she was told that a 'nurse in training' would be caring for her today. I said, "that was me". She looked dumbfounded for a moment, squeezed my hand and said, "no, that couldn't have been you they were talking about, you ARE a TRUE nurse, and the best nurse I've ever had." I told her how much I appreciate her kind words and she said, "I mean it, I felt that you truly cared about me the entire time you've cared for me." I told her, "that's my job" she said, "no your job is to take care of me physically, you have done more than that, you have truly taken CARE of me, and I can't tell you how much that means to me - you have been a wonderful caring nurse, and I thank you for that, and I won't forget you".

That my friends is what I needed to hear to make all those last two months worth while. Someday, you will hear those words, and those will make your days where your exhausted and burned out worthwhile. I keep a journal of things like that. So that I will never forget. But I can tell you now, I wouldn't need to journal to remember that.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I was burned out like you are feeling quite a bit in nursing school.

I think your control freak nature made your thinking sprial out of control...."I've failed one lab and now the whole house of cards is falling apart". All or nothing kind of thinking.

Just put one foot in front of the other. Sounds like you're very determined.

It's quite normal to have feelings of burn out, impending doom and fatigue. Just don't give into them for long. Good luck!

[MarcyRN3385]

Just hang in there ok? I also agree that you may need to take some time off for yourself. Just one day could make a HUGE difference. I wish I would have done that. I was like you...studying all the time and was SO stressed out. By the end of my first semester I was a basket-case and I ended up dropping out of the program. I didn't think I wanted to be a nurse anymore. But now I realize what I BIG mistake I made and I really do want to be nurse, more than anything. I'm now planning on going back and this time I will finish..I'm determined! So don't let this tough time get to you. Think about how happy you are going to be on your graduation day and what it'll be like to be able to put RN after your name, how proud you will feel :). Just don't do what I did and give up. Because I really, really regret it now. But now I have set my mind to it and I know I will make it and I will be a nurse. So just hang in there and it'll all be over with before you know it. Hugs!!