I don’t feel like I deserve to be a nurse. I’m a third semester student and I barely know how to hang and set up an IV. Like literally I don’t even know how to start the machine...that’s how bad it is. I absolutely loveee helping people and there’s nothing that makes me more happy in life than to help individuals in need. With that being said though, I just feel so incompetent. Honestly, half of the time when my classmates are talking about the Pathophysiology of diseases, or nursing interventions/priorities.....I don’t even know what they’re talking about half of the time. I just listen in awe as to how intelligent they are. But then reflect back on how little I know about the SAME subject that realistically all of us should know about.
I'm struggling. Hard core. Every bone in my body knows that nursing is the only career out there for me that would make me happy. Yet, every bone in my body also thinks that I’m not intelligent enough to be a nurse. It’s terrible. It’s like having the loveee and passionnn of wanting to do what’s good...yet not having a brain to back you up on it. I just feel so lost & all I want to do is cry. I just feel so dumb. & I also don’t like how faculty may potentially only judge you based on how you’re doing IN nursing school......honestly, things like Med surg don’t even interest me in the slightest bit. Yet I feel like professors judge you just bc they’ve seen how you are on a Med surg floor for example......in the end of the day, my heart is in aesthetics or women’s health.
does anyone have any success stories of HATING nursing school & feeling like a complete failure while you’re going through it.....yet are totally crushing it career wise?!
Specializes in Clinical Pediatrics; Maternal-Child Educator.
You might want to schedule an appointment and talk to your PCP. Some of what you're describing are symptoms of depression. Depression can make you feel foggy, slower than other people, and like you want to cry all the time. Please, talk to your PCP.
Nursing school is cumulative. As an instructor, I judge students on the criteria that is set for each project or clinical. However, I do not forget and also take into consideration their work on other material - in particular how to best help them where they are struggling. I teach Women's Health and Pediatrics. A lot of this information requires a fundamental understanding of Med-surg. A Med-surg nurse who has little experience in in Women's Health can get the answers on Women's Health NCLEX questions correct because they'll answer it like a Med-surg question and be right due the fact the basic concepts don't change. You just build upon those basic concepts with new information specific to the specialty. That is why Med-surg is so important.
You need to take a close look at how you're studying compared to how your peers are studying. You may need to put more time in to studying or simulations than they do for same outcome and there is nothing wrong with that. We all learn in different ways. The important thing is that you learn it if you're going to be successful.
I don’t feel like I deserve to be a nurse. I’m a third semester student and I barely know how to hang and set up an IV. Like literally I don’t even know how to start the machine...that’s how bad it is. I absolutely loveee helping people and there’s nothing that makes me more happy in life than to help individuals in need. With that being said though, I just feel so incompetent. Honestly, half of the time when my classmates are talking about the Pathophysiology of diseases, or nursing interventions/priorities.....I don’t even know what they’re talking about half of the time. I just listen in awe as to how intelligent they are. But then reflect back on how little I know about the SAME subject that realistically all of us should know about.
I'm struggling. Hard core. Every bone in my body knows that nursing is the only career out there for me that would make me happy. Yet, every bone in my body also thinks that I’m not intelligent enough to be a nurse. It’s terrible. It’s like having the loveee and passionnn of wanting to do what’s good...yet not having a brain to back you up on it. I just feel so lost & all I want to do is cry. I just feel so dumb. & I also don’t like how faculty may potentially only judge you based on how you’re doing IN nursing school......honestly, things like Med surg don’t even interest me in the slightest bit. Yet I feel like professors judge you just bc they’ve seen how you are on a Med surg floor for example......in the end of the day, my heart is in aesthetics or women’s health.
does anyone have any success stories of HATING nursing school & feeling like a complete failure while you’re going through it.....yet are totally crushing it career wise?!
is how I’m feeling normal? I just feel so lost.
Good post dude. I am in an accelerated BSN program. Way easier than my previous degree. My friend is in one too. My school is a private for profit school. His is at a CSU. Our tests are the same, and they both rely heavily on ATI. My school has a much better NCLEX pass rate. Go figure.
Anyways, neither of us think it's hard. That's just us. However, most of my classmates were struggling last semester despite bragging about how well they were doing. It was all an act. When exams came, they would stress and look for shortcuts instead of really trying to master the material like a boss. They also relied heavily on homework and projects to pass. Most of these people were very critical of others and made students that were doing a little bit worse than them feel bad. The better students like yours truly, didn't stress and were always positive.
Here is my advice. Stick with it. You will be fine. Don't compare yourself to others. Be the best version of you possible, and that will be more than enough to succeed. Peace
Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.
On 5/23/2020 at 7:16 AM, Nursing_1011 said:
...I’m a third semester student and I barely know how to hang and set up an IV. Like literally I don’t even know how to start the machine...that’s how bad it is. I absolutely loveee helping people and there’s nothing that makes me more happy in life than to help individuals in need. With that being said though, I just feel so incompetent. Honestly, half of the time when my classmates are talking about the Pathophysiology of diseases, or nursing interventions/priorities.....I don’t even know what they’re talking about half of the time.... does anyone have any success stories of HATING nursing school & feeling like a complete failure while you’re going through it.....yet are totally crushing it career wise?!
Random thoughts:
-Not knowing how to hang and set up an IV is NOT an indicator of you as a nursing student and/or a new nurse, period.
-Loving to help people does not solely make a good nurse.
-Many people hated nursing school, felt like failures, wanted to quit and then came out and are amazing nurses now, because they put in the work.
-The real issue that stands out in your post is your lack of knowledge of pathophys and nursing interventions/priorities. I highly doubt it is because you aren't intelligent enough, as you allude to in your post, otherwise you likely wouldn't have been admitted into your program and made it this far. Rather, it might be because you aren't putting in the right work that you need to be doing to understand these bigger picture concepts. A lot of people who feel nursing is their calling and their love tend to have this very glamorized and watered down version of what nurses do (ie just hold hands type of care) so they don't understand the work and effort that needs to go in to learning all these things. I don't mean that in a negative way nor do I know if that scenario applies to you. But it is something to consider.
I’m a third semester student and I barely know how to hang and set up an IV.
Technical skills mostly just take practice.
On 5/23/2020 at 8:16 AM, Nursing_1011 said:
Honestly, half of the time when my classmates are talking about the Pathophysiology of diseases, or nursing interventions/priorities.....I don’t even know what they’re talking about half of the time.
Sometimes insecure people are just talking. They learn the tip of the iceberg about something and pontificate about it because they believe doing so makes them sound smart and that makes them feel better.
It's even possible that you don't know what they're talking about because they don't know what they're talking about and the words coming out of their mouths aren't even correct.
However. You know the truth about this issue, deep down. If you actually have learned almost no basic nursing principles and aren't beginning to form a very basic picture of the nursing role and the work we are doing, that is not good and doesn't bode well if you don't take corrective measures. Corrective measures will depend upon the underlying problem. If you haven't been studying, you must. Study to learn, understand and retain, not to pass. If you have trouble processing the information, get a tutor, attend office hours, join study groups. If you are awkward with skills, practice; attend open lab. If the underlying problem involves your psychological health, get help. Etc., etc.
Love of and passion for something have their place in making choices about what career to pursue and then later in enjoying the chosen career. But there's an intervening time frame where love and passion sometimes must be accompanied by sheer grit and determination in order to get to the part where you can join the ranks of those practicing the profession.
There is also infatuation, which is something different that doesn't really have the structure needed to get through the hard parts.
Soul-searching is in order. Talking with a professional may help you work through it and ultimately increase your confidence in your decision(s).
Sometimes insecure people are just talking. They learn the tip of the iceberg about something and pontificate about it because they believe doing so makes them sound smart and that makes them feel better.
It's even possible that you don't know what they're talking about because they don't know what they're talking about and the words coming out of their mouths aren't even correct.
However. You know the truth about this issue, deep down. If you actually have learned almost no basic nursing principles and aren't beginning to form a very basic picture of the nursing role and the work we are doing, that is not good and doesn't bode well if you don't take corrective measures. Corrective measures will depend upon the underlying problem. If you haven't been studying, you must. Study to learn, understand and retain, not to pass. If you have trouble processing the information, get a tutor, attend office hours, join study groups. If you are awkward with skills, practice; attend open lab. If the underlying problem involves your psychological health, get help. Etc., etc.
Love of and passion for something have their place in making choices about what career to pursue and then later in enjoying the chosen career. But there's an intervening time frame where love and passion sometimes must be accompanied by sheer grit and determination in order to get to the part where you can join the ranks of those practicing the profession.
There is also infatuation, which is something different that doesn't really have the structure needed to get through the hard parts.
Soul-searching is in order. Talking with a professional may help you work through it and ultimately increase your confidence in your decision(s).
Best wishes ~
I think most learning problems come from poor teaching or unnecessary stress. These programs are not difficult, but a lot of teachers make it seem like they're teaching scientists to find a cure for cancer or making a rocket to stop an asteroid. It's mostly nonsense to boost egos of insecure people. I know for fact that there were students who were getting Cs that were smarter than me. I get As. They were just so stressed, they tried to learn the whole book while I just remembered the stuff I thought would make me a bad *** nurse. We even had people who were one semester ahead of us talk to us like they were Captain America. They were probably lousy students, and people were buying their nonsense. It's mind boggling.
I think maybe you wrote this because you wanted reassurance. But since none of us know you, we can’t really weigh in! Do you really have no idea about nursing interventions? You say you don’t even know what people are talking about... that is concerning. (Setting up the IV doesn’t matter, I can’t do that either, I work outpatient.) You’ll have to check in with your professors. But don’t go in their office and say “I don’t know anything and I can’t be a nurse.” Think through your actual questions. “I feel like I missed some important information when we took Foundations of Nursing. What is your impression of the work I’ve turned in for your class so far?” Ask your clinical instructors how you are doing. (NOT in a self-loathing way, because that will just be annoying. Be an adult. “What do you think I need to work on the most?”)
How are you the least bit interested in med-surg?like the core of nursing school. How are you passionate about it and you don't even know anything? Anything you are passionate about, you excel in. You should understand what your classmates understand. Holding hands and caring about people can do be done on any level. You can volunteer to do that . However, NURSING requires WAY more than that.
Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.
I wrote a post on this a few years back, about the many rocks I tripped over on my way to and through nursing. Feel free to read, it might make you feel better. Also lots of great advice already in this thread. Feel free to PM me if you need more support.
I spiked 2 bags of IV fluids before my senior practicum/capstone, my very last quarter of nursing school. I really didn’t learn any skills until my practicum but I recognized my shortcomings, worked like crazy, and rocked it. We weren’t given many opportunities in nursing school, obviously. I feel worse for nursing students during this pandemic though.
I still feel like other nurses are way smarter than me and I’ve been a nurse 4 years now. But I keep trudging along, learning and I’m now a charge nurse, preceptor, and get good evals.
A lot of students in my class who struggled/Just barely passed are doing amazingly well now in their careers!!
so once you've vented a little bit, stop beating yourself up and do some self analyzing. Are you passing tests and understanding concepts? If not, reach out to a teacher or one of those “smarter” people to help you. In clinical, don’t be a wallflower, reach for every opportunity possible.
I don’t like med surg either, but there’s other places to start! Or you can start there and you’ll learn a lot and then move on
I don’t feel like I deserve to be a nurse. I’m a third semester student and I barely know how to hang and set up an IV. Like literally I don’t even know how to start the machine...that’s how bad it is. I absolutely loveee helping people and there’s nothing that makes me more happy in life than to help individuals in need. With that being said though, I just feel so incompetent. Honestly, half of the time when my classmates are talking about the Pathophysiology of diseases, or nursing interventions/priorities.....I don’t even know what they’re talking about half of the time. I just listen in awe as to how intelligent they are. But then reflect back on how little I know about the SAME subject that realistically all of us should know about.
I'm struggling. Hard core. Every bone in my body knows that nursing is the only career out there for me that would make me happy. Yet, every bone in my body also thinks that I’m not intelligent enough to be a nurse. It’s terrible. It’s like having the loveee and passionnn of wanting to do what’s good...yet not having a brain to back you up on it. I just feel so lost & all I want to do is cry. I just feel so dumb. & I also don’t like how faculty may potentially only judge you based on how you’re doing IN nursing school......honestly, things like Med surg don’t even interest me in the slightest bit. Yet I feel like professors judge you just bc they’ve seen how you are on a Med surg floor for example......in the end of the day, my heart is in aesthetics or women’s health.
does anyone have any success stories of HATING nursing school & feeling like a complete failure while you’re going through it.....yet are totally crushing it career wise?!
This is the beauty of nursing: there are many different specialities. Don't strive for what others desire or value, you won't even see them after school. Seems like you already know what you are naturally good at. You may be a great women's health nurse, community health nurse, psych nurse, home health, geriatric, pediatric or school nurse. These are all great options and you will still be able to make an impact as a nurse.
t’s terrible. It’s like having the loveee and passionnn of wanting to do what’s good...yet not having a brain to back you up on it. I just feel so lost & all I want to do is cry. I just feel so dumb. & I also don’t like how faculty may potentially only judge you based on how you’re doing IN nursing school......honestly, things like Med surg don’t even interest me in the slightest bit.
Hi,I have seen this happen many times,nurses that were excellent hands on in clinicals and failing even after repeating several courses,.These students never made it.It is a screening process for a reason,you love people interaction but cant do the book stuff well enough, look into your soul and maybe there are other helping professions you would be happier in,or if you decide to stick it out hire a good tutor to help you.
LovingPeds, MSN, APRN, NP
108 Posts
You might want to schedule an appointment and talk to your PCP. Some of what you're describing are symptoms of depression. Depression can make you feel foggy, slower than other people, and like you want to cry all the time. Please, talk to your PCP.
Nursing school is cumulative. As an instructor, I judge students on the criteria that is set for each project or clinical. However, I do not forget and also take into consideration their work on other material - in particular how to best help them where they are struggling. I teach Women's Health and Pediatrics. A lot of this information requires a fundamental understanding of Med-surg. A Med-surg nurse who has little experience in in Women's Health can get the answers on Women's Health NCLEX questions correct because they'll answer it like a Med-surg question and be right due the fact the basic concepts don't change. You just build upon those basic concepts with new information specific to the specialty. That is why Med-surg is so important.
You need to take a close look at how you're studying compared to how your peers are studying. You may need to put more time in to studying or simulations than they do for same outcome and there is nothing wrong with that. We all learn in different ways. The important thing is that you learn it if you're going to be successful.