I am a nursing student, and was just wondering, how much knowledge do you retain from nursing school??
I just got done with my pharmacology course, and honestly, i feel like (or wait, I KNOW) i forgot everything i learned.... can you honestly say that you remember everything from that course, all the drugs, names, s/e, everything?????????????
I just wanna know, because i'm terrified of the day when i'm actually a nurse working on the floor........literally terrified.
You'll be surprised, the info is there but will make sense when you actually see it or do it. I use a lot of what I learned in nursing school. When you study, study to learn it not to memorize it and it will click. Once you begin working as a nurse, the learning just begins, you will learn so much more in orientation.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I find that I say to myself "I remember hearing something about this...". In most cases a nurse masters that area she is most often assigned. For example, I am working in Adult Ambulatory Care, so, I remember a great deal about HTN, Diabetes, CHF, etc...but don't remember much about pediatrics or OB/GYN off the top of my head.
The best thing I would suggest is to subscribed to a nursing journal and take CEUs to refresh your memory on things. And, also, keep a favorite textbook within immediate reach, especially as a new grad.
The best thing I would suggest is to subscribed to a nursing journal and take CEUs to refresh your memory on things. And, also, keep a favorite textbook within immediate reach, especially as a new grad.
This is excellent advice. One of the best nurses I know, who has been a nurse for a long time, has a folder where she keeps reference materials. I've seen her pull the folder out many times, and am a lucky recipent of some of that information! I have a three ring binder I put reference materials in. Trust me, it helps.
I believe you'll remember more than you think you will. I know I did. Once in a while I'm faced with a situation that I don't remember ever having in my 17 years as a nurse, but somehow, ideas/thoughts start creeping into my brain, and I begin to remember and troubleshoot. It's kind of cool, in a way.
I use to think most of what I learned, I would never use, but I was wrong. I've used it all, and then some.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
wow, you remember "everything" you learned in 06! I would like to figure out how to do that!
If you are referring to me, well, I can't say that I remember everything, but because I work in a clinic, therefore, because I have to do a great deal of teaching, I have to continue to update myself often. As others mentioned, it may become easier because of the application of what you learned. I don't believe that all of what is learned in the textbook has applied to real world nursing, but what makes me remember much is that I see more of what people are NOT doing. Sometimes, you understand why, other times, you don't.
People (employees, mostly) laugh at me, but recently, I ordered Dummies/Complete Idiot's books on Diabetes, HTN, Heart Disease, Menopause, Nutrition and even Prescription drugs. At this point in my life, I don't need the intimate details, but these books give a wonderful overview (at least in my opinion) on what is important in a reader friendly format with excellent bibliographies for further reading. I use these things as references for my teaching. I deal with a population that is not savvy or educated, and I want to be able to teach them about the disease processes, treatments and outlooks in a simple way without losing it's meaning. I remember so many of the snipets mentioned in these books that I easily incorporate this information into my teaching and many of the patients look for me when they come because they know I will explain in a way that they will understand. And, in many cases, I recommend these same books to them and even tell them that this is where I got my information from. Many have listened! I also make copies of easy to read pamplets to give out. All of these things help me to remember because each time I teach it, or read it again, I am reinforcing my own understanding of the material.
In addition, most hospitals have computers that have Micromedix, or other resources that can be referred to in a pinch. I have the time to look up information (especially medications), that I am not familiar with, and before I call a patient in, I review the chart and if I see a disorder, med, lab or treatment don't remember or know, I quickly review it before I call the person in. If it is that bad, I have the information up on a screen before me (the patient doesn't see it) and read from that. I may sound like a college professor sometimes, but it can very well be the first time I actually came across this information. Because of this, I gained confidence that in most cases, I can access the information I need. There are modernized things available that have not been before, such as PDAs, pocket drug digests and computer downloads that are better accessed than before, right at our fingertips. What school does do is teach you (although you don't realize it until later) that what you don't know, you are taught to look up. This is why they teach you the importance of obtaining information from reputable sites ending in .org, .edu rather than .com. Nursing on any level is a working progress, and the reason I believe it is called a 'practice' is just that...we are literally practicing as we go.
Michifura
59 Posts
You'll be surprised, the info is there but will make sense when you actually see it or do it. I use a lot of what I learned in nursing school. When you study, study to learn it not to memorize it and it will click. Once you begin working as a nurse, the learning just begins, you will learn so much more in orientation.
Good Luck!