How did she/he get through nursing school?

Nurses General Nursing

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I have more than one coworker that I'm amazed that they got through school. I really like them, but marvel at their cluelessness. These are not new nurses, to say the least.

You know how I went through Nursing School?

I opened the door in the front of the building and walked out the back door!!! That's how I went through!

I love your answer.

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I'm worried I will be a clueless nurse even though I had no issues weeding out hardcore mathematics and physics. Brace yourself.

How about we support each other? If they refuse and become a problem, too bad so sad, we all get to swim alone.

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I just read this very quickly but here's a little thought: is it possible that they are brand new to the particular area that you have been in for quite some time and if the roles were reversed (you being in a brand new area/unit where they have been for quite some time) they might say the same about you? And another quick thought: is it possible that they are nervous and anxious ? Just something to think about a bit before deciding they have a low IQ. -L

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I just read this very quickly but here's a little thought: is it possible that they are brand new to the particular area that you have been in for quite some time and if the roles were reversed (you being in a brand new area/unit where they have been for quite some time) they might say the same about you? And another quick thought: is it possible that they are nervous and anxious ? Just something to think about a bit before deciding they have a low IQ. -L

If they expect new nurses to know everything, I'd say it's quite an unrealistic expectation.

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Specializes in ER.

There were 3 sentences in my introductory post. See if you can read them again and decipher whether these nurses are

A) New nurses

or

B) Not new nurses

There will be a pop quiz to test your knowledge of the material...

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I did read your post well the first time but just re-read it once more just in case. If you read mine again as well, you will be able to see that my point is that although they are not new grads.... they may be nurses who may be new to ANOTHER area/unit. As we know there are infinite areas and units within the giant umbrella that is "nursing". One may have worked for 5 years in mat/child and decide to apply to med/surg after all that time after graduating as an example. All I was trying to say is that you may very well be right that they are clueless but there could be other circumstances. And needless to say that yes there are some irresponsible careless nurses on this earth sadly but just saying that's not always the case... when people are overly anxious and nervous the performance goes down even if they know what they learned through school and clinicals. -L oh and the answer to your quiz is B!

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I just read this very quickly but here's a little thought: is it possible that they are brand new to the particular area that you have been in for quite some time and if the roles were reversed (you being in a brand new area/unit where they have been for quite some time) they might say the same about you? And another quick thought: is it possible that they are nervous and anxious ? Just something to think about a bit before deciding they have a low IQ. -L

No. And no.

I work ER. I could probably get up to speed in the ICU in fairly short time, other than that, I would be out of my element, and not particularly competent in another specialty. If I had to work LTC, or a floor unit with 8 PTs, I would be downright scared. And possibly scary. But, I highly doubt anybody would wonder how I had even passed nursing school. I would have studied the field before showing up. I would be asking questions, and having experienced nurses critique my work. I would look for opportunities where my skill set would help others in the unit- I am probably better at IVs than most LTC nurses, for example. And, I would improve. Or quit.

When a competent nurse from another field switches to ER, they are nothing like A- a new nurse, or B- an incompetent nurse.

The folks mentioned in the first post do not shine in any field. They can't. Just like there are a million things I can't do. Or learn to do. Not everybody deserves a gold star.

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Specializes in LTC.

Well, they got through nursing school because they studied and did what they were told. Nursing school isn't going to teach you everything, just the basics. This doesn't make anyone dumb. Some people take longer to catch on.

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That is a fair enough and a really good answer too. I am on my way to bridging as of this September and the more I can learn the better and this type of forums are probably one of the best advice sources because everyone can say exactly what they are experiencing and all the frustrations they have. The more I read the more I want to read here. And absolutely true not everyone deserves a golden star. My post was on consideration of other possible circumstances that *could* be happening. I'm on my way to go to my bridging to BScN and I can't count the number of times I've been silent out of sheer shyness,NOT because I don't know my stuff but because I don't want to seem confrontational or dramatic, my nerves about this type of wrong perception do get in my way. This the type of thing I'm talking about. But reading all of these posts is a very productive thing for me, and I will continue to learn from what I read here. -L

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Ps--- in my response to your post I forgot to include 2 important points: 1- I also seek for criticism, clarification and knowledge from experienced nurses even if it gets busy. 2- my shyness has not compromised safety for patient or me, I have questioned others but in a very private and peaceful way (as I'm shy and walking on eggshells for a large portion of my days because I definitely don't want drama or confrontation). Just wanted to clarify that. -L

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You've been a Nurse for 25 years? When you started in 1993, Food tasted better so definately more cardiac patients I miss the honeybee pancake house in Petersburg, Virginia. It's gone! Make it come back!!

Today food is to healthy!! So healthy it taste terrible.

I be going to the hospital for food withdrawal

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Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).
I have more than one coworker that I'm amazed that they got through school. I really like them, but marvel at their cluelessness. These are not new nurses, to say the least.

OK, I'll confess: I've wondered this at times, too. And I do get that this is a vent, and it does raise some useful questions about how nurses are being trained. But I see Triddin's point, too. My own perspective is that I was working in an unlicensed role when I decided to go to nursing school. At the time, I worked with several nurses I wouldn't have trusted to watch my cats. By the time I graduated, their wasn't one I couldn't learn something from. Same nurses, different me. Which is not to say I ever thought all of them were excellent nurses, but some did have more on the ball than I had originally understood. What I took from that is, you don't graduate nursing school, attain licensure, and stay employed without something going for you. That last-in-his-class med school graduate has done something not everyone can. It's axiomatic that half of all nurses are below average nurses, but far from credible that anywhere near half of all nurses have below average IQs. So, I dunno, I guess a bit of frustrated head shaking is inevitable. And I have been at this long enough to have seen a few RNs not survive in the real world, despite being qualified on paper. But I still think it behooves us to have a degree of respect for our profession and those who practice it. Marveling at cluelessness, or lack of work ethic, or those dad-blamed nose studs (seriously???) is natural, but after venting, I hope it's also reasonable to take some time to reflect on how our peers can best be helped to reach their full potential.

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