How Much Do You Remember???

MPKH, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2012

Nobody remembers everything they were taught in school upon graduation. You will find that, during your first year of work, you will find yourself feeling like school taught you nothing and that you didn't really learn much from nursing school. But you will also surprise yourself by how much you do know when you give yourself time to mull out problems. The knowledge and skills are all in you; I think it's the application of the knowledge and skills that may trip people over. Speaking as a new grad who's got 4 months of experience...I find that in the clinical world, you very rarely will encounter a patient who presents the signs and symptoms in a textbook manner. You draw on what you know to critically think and to troubleshoot your way through...and what you don't know? That's a learning opportunity for you to build your knowledge. Nobody expects you to know and remember everything you're taught on the first day of work.

I would say that the "use it or lose it" adage applies to nursing knowledge, as with anything else. What I also find is that with experience, you start to see similar cases over and over again, and you start to remember the cardinal signs and the interventions that are applicable to the situations. A lot of the knowledge that experienced nurses have come from the experience that they gain while working--school only teaches you the basics. You have to build on that foundation.

You can be an excellent nurse if you make lifetime learning a prioritiy. Nobody knows everything and nobody remembers everything. Look things up that are new to you, and ask lots of questions. The more you use the knowledge, the more you remember, and the more you remember.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Mar 22, 2012

You need to be thinking .. "how much of this crap did I really need to cram into my head" ?

SOOO much of the material.. especially that which required rote memorization was useless.

When you get out into the real world, you will remember and apply what is needed.

The Krebs cycle?? Forget it! Focus on your patient with your mind and your heart.. that is all you need to remember.

dudette10, MSN, RN · Mar 22, 2012

I'm one of the weird nurses who feels that my education set me up well for nursing. No, I didn't have the skills when I graduated, but those come quickly. Show me once, observe me once, and I've got it. What my education did for me was teach me assessment, patho, pharm, and standard nursing interventions. I was given a good foundation. I am certainly not a believer in the adage, "You're in the real world; forget everything you learned in nursing school." Hogwash. I didn't walk onto my floor knowing nothing.

What I knew nothing about was the mountains of paperwork. That comes in time, and you can't be taught that in school because it varies from place to place. We get a new flowsheet every week!

You will remember what you were taught when you enter your specialty. I'm not in OB, and I have no wish to be in OB, but if I walked onto an OB floor today, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be a total deer in the headlights. It might be fuzzy, and I might have to do some research to remember fully, but it would come back.

It will happen with you too. Don't sweat it.

GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 22, 2012

needless to say, we all feel that way with some of the subjects that we had to memorize. however, in order to graduate we had to abide by the program. having said that, once we got into the real world of nursing we realize it's a different animal all together, which we all had to learn how to deal with. therefore, don't worry about the little things, look towards the future that you're creating for yourself...wishing you the best always...aloha~

Vespertinas · Mar 22, 2012

Had a new grad tell a patient about her ectopic pregnancy yesterday when her diagnosis was molar pregnancy. I wanted to criticize him for it but then I remembered the way I myself went through OB class with mashed potatoes in my ears thinking all along, "My brain is full. I cannot take in this unnecessary information."

DroogieRN · Mar 22, 2012

You can't possibly remember everything. I am a tele nurse. Give me a cardiac dysrhythmia and I am fine. Float me to Peds (a class in which I received an A), and I might as well be the mailman.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2012

I remember some very specific things... like interpreting ABGs and forget a lot of others. I could have interpreted almost any EKG when I was in school, now I'm pretty sure the only thing I'd recognize would be A-flutter.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 22, 2012

I agree: you tend to remember the stuff that you use the most in your area of nursing.

As far as everything else (read: non-psych info) goes...I don't expect myself to remember every single little thing, but I try to stay on top of all the basics since my patients do have medical issues as well as psych issues.

LynnLRN · Mar 22, 2012

You will remember what you need to remember and if you don't know something the important thing is to know where to look for the information and never "just do" hoping you are right.

DixieRedHead, ASN, RN · Mar 23, 2012

I really think you tend to remember the things you are good at and you think you will put to use.

I can read an EKG at first glance, I know the Kreb's cycle backwards and forwards. But give me an OB question that goes beyond lay them on their left side and I am toast.

Guttercat, ASN, RN · Mar 23, 2012

I once worked with an ER doc with a photographic memory. I hated him for that.

I asked him a question once, and he said, "just a minute be right back."

Came back 60 seconds later carrying a sizeable medical book. He plopped it on the desk in front of me, threw it open and pointed to chapter and verse. "There it is!" he smugly exclaimed. "I haven't read that in 15 years. Ha!"

I'd sell children for that ability.