Please help me, I'm a foreign graduate and I recently passed the NCLEX. yayy i'm an RN but...
I really feel so incompetent because I'm positive I have poor clinical background.
I have no idea, what to do on field, i mean we did one return demonstration per skill that's it and that was two years ago on my 2nd year, 3rd and 4th year were nonsensical clinical duties. we didn't even do staffing. i know shame on us but that's behind now i want to know what i can do to solve my incompetence
modesty aside, i want to say, i study good, i remember almost everything for a short time, but for me to remember and act like it's second nature to me the way real RNs have instincts and gut feelings i have to repeat studying it over and over. and that's okay
Anyway, I want to know, which skills do I have to know as a starting nurse in US, the most important ones.
What would I be expected to know wound vac, all kinds of medication administration, assessment everything, insert foley caths ?? Please help me, I am dying of anxiety.
How do i start on the field, i'm afraid, something will come up with the patient and i won't even recognize it?
which concept in Nursing is the most helpful?
I am willing to study.
P.S. Please don't make me feel badder by putting in your two cents about how terrible my educational training is. I already know about that. I grasp what they could give. I couldn't afford a better school. I know that I passed and it wasn't luck, I can study good.
I would greatly appreciate and forever be indebted to helpful RNs who would give me specific areas to focus on, and give me a bird's eyeview of what nursing is really all about starting your shift, the common denominator in all areas, what is expected of a new nurse ergo easing my transition as a really clueless RN
and will you please any threads that might be helpful to me if you know some?
Please help me help me help me, I am really really anxious and upset and going nuts and stuck and scared to death and ready to grasp whatever you could help me with. I need to work good so I could provide for my mom and dad and my siblings. Your help would help me save our lives.
There is a big gap between the "book-learning" of nursing school and "real world" nursing. It is tough but it is do-able. Try to get hired at a hospital or facility that orients/precepts new grads for a MINIMUM of 16 weeks. Six months would be better, but let's not reach for the moon.
My friend went back to the Philippines for her BSN & she stated it was the biggest mistake. She felt so unprepared for the real world of nursing. You I can sense will make an excellent nurse because you seem to know your limits & know where you are lacking. She ended up taking a refresher course approved by the BRN in CA to help bridge the gap. She stated it helped a lot but that she was still unsure of herself. Luckily she entered the profession when there were tons of new grad programs to choose from. For her it was worth it, she didn't want to jeopardize a patients life so she went that route. Take that into consideration and choose a refresher course approved by your board. There has been a lot of great advise left for you on this thread soak it all up & GOOD LUCK!
Specializes in future OB/L&D nurse(I hope) or hospice.
Oh, and Willow, I forgot...:hug:big hugs to you, sweetheart!
That was an amazing post!! I have written down all you have said and will tuck it away until I am also ready to begin practicing...I will just begin NS next year. Thanks so much for caring. I know Willow will appreciate it...:redpinkhe
elprup, BSN, RN
1,005 Posts
I wish most hospitals/employers felt this way!!!