I feel dumb as a rock in comparison to my classmates

[Nursing_1011]

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.

[AlmostThere19, BSN, RN]

If you're a hands on learner, nursing school will make you feel like this. I know when I was in nursing school, I mostly was only allowed to watch everything at clinicals and was only occasionally allowed to do skills. Once I started my first job, I felt like I knew nothing. I wouldn't have been able to hang a primary bag of fluid (let alone a secondary) and program an IV to save a patient's life. Now I could do that in my sleep. I used to drive to work praying that my patient wouldn't need an IV because I couldn't hit a vein if it slapped me in the face. Now starting IVs is one of my favorite nursing skills. Once you start working, they'll actually let you touch the patient and practice your skills. That's when it'll start coming together. That's when you'll start feeling like a real nurse.

[Guest1136788]

On 6/8/2020 at 11:14 AM, Leader25 said:

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.

Good luck to you and your career choices.

How, nursing school is easy. If you can't pass nursing school, then maybe, school isn't for you.

[NurseELew]

There's a whol lot of ways to be a nurse. The super skilled clinical component may not be for you, and that's OK. Push your way through for school, get your licensure, and focus on the field that works for you. Mental health, case management, hell- data entry. All nursing jobs.