In nursing school I had a clinical instructor who called me out for having issues with attendance, not participating in clinical, refusing to take accountability for mistakes, displaying unsafe clinical practices, and the list goes on. When an incident happened at clinical where I gave a pt thin liquid who was on ntl diet, she took it up to chain of directors who said flat out I was not a good fit for nursing and unsafe. It was especially traumatizing because I was in a desperate situation and my parents are immigrants, which raised suspicions that my parents religion or culture made me unable to do certain things in clinicals. I was offended by the assumptions about my parents and being judged. I was kicked out and had to repeat the semester, which I did, because I felt that I made it too far to give up, and I was too afraid to do something else. I spent the rest of nursing school on everyones radar and it was so humiliating to be universally hated and known by everyone for something negative. Now I've been a nurse for a couple years and haven't worked in a hospital and have no experience or confidence to do hospital work. I work in nursing facilities and community health. It's going okay I guess, I just feel like I may have a learning disability and I struggle with some of the issues I had in nursing school. I still feel like I may not be a good fit for nursing based on the opinions of many professors and I worry about being judged that way all the time. I don't know how to deal with my problems and feel confident as a nurse. I feel like I should see a therapist, I just have self esteem issues and don't feel comfortable talking to someone directly.
Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
Not sure if the OP is still around, but I feel like we've all had someone who felt it was their special place in life to either warn the world that we weren't fit to be a nurse, or put us through some misery to make us earn the title. Whether it happens in nursing school or at your first job or some place else, it's part of nursing culture unfortunately.
Not sure if the OP is still around, but I feel like we've all had someone who felt it was their special place in life to either warn the world that we weren't fit to be a nurse, or put us through some misery to make us earn the title. Whether it happens in nursing school or at your first job or some place else, it's part of nursing culture unfortunately.
It's not just nursing. Every job provides their own jerks that just want to make someone miserable. It's more disappointing that it's happening amongst nurses but if a hospital wanted to have a more humane culture, they would work on it. They just don't. They cater to the rainmakers, not the caretakers.
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
I had a preceptor tell me in nursing school that she didn't think I had what it took to be a registered nurse.
I had to bite my tounge not to say "if being a registered nurse means being a mean nasty ***** like you then you are quite right I don't have what it takes'
13 years later I'm still here. don't let grumpy old hags grind you down
Specializes in Family Practice Nurse Practitioner.
One of my clinical instructors told me I had no business being a nurse and caring for patients, that I should work in the hospital cafeteria instead. That was 30 years ago, and I have had a successful nursing career since. Work hard, study hard and do your best.
One of my clinical instructors told me I had no business being a nurse and caring for patients, that I should work in the hospital cafeteria instead. That was 30 years ago, and I have had a successful nursing career since. Work hard, study hard and do your best.
Since there are so many forms of nursing, we need different kinds of people. I remember an incident from back in the 80's watching a recovery room nurse (well-seasoned) tell a patient to stop giving her a hard time and just roll over for a Demerol (yes, that long ago) injection which he was refusing. He was disrupting the PACU with his moaning and groaning but had a needle-phobia. When she made that last remark he rolled over just enough for her to inject. Was she a little harsh? Yes, but that was just what the patient needed as well as the rest of the PACU. People in administration, IT, insurance reviews all need different skill sets suitable to their abilities and their personalities. That's the great thing about nursing. We have room for almost everyone as long as they are honest, willing to learn and work hard.
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RNMoxie
39 Posts
Imposter syndrome. I'm still dealing it.