I am about to graduate and I feel like I know nothing!

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The title pretty much says it all. I am graduating in June and I feel like I know nothig , I feel so incompetent. Is it normal to feel this way?

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I feel the same way, I hear it's normal... I don't know though..

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I think it's very normal. I felt this way when I graduated in 2012. I mean if you think about it. You learn a ton of information in 2-4 yrs depending on your program and you then have to prove your knowledge by taking the NCLEX. I always felt that I would never get to the next phase of nursing because of all that darn testing my program had us go through. I.E. Hesi exams. When I graduated I felt, for lack of better words, stupid. I now work in a neuro ICU and I love it. I feel competent and I learn new things everyday. Of course there's always going to be more experienced RN's but nobody is an expert straight off the bat. Everyone started off as new. So just cut yourself some slack. If your going to graduate soon, that means you know a hell of a lot more than you think. Nursing school is extremely hard. Congrats and good luck.

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Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.

I suspect you know much more than you realize. I suspect that about myself, too. Or rather I hope so. I still have another semester after this one before preceptorship, but to be honest, with each semester, I feel like I know less and less. I think that's because things just get more challenging and therefore there are more opportunities to feel incompetent. You will rise to the challenges ahead of you, I am sure and find that you have a solid foundation to build on and become a competent nurse. No one is that right out of school. Congrats on making it this far in nursing school. You should pat yourself on the back several times. It's not easy to get to graduation.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

You don't know anything ((HUGS))....at least it feels that way. Nursing school teachers you basics only. It teaches you to be safe. You actually know more than you realize....but the first year to year and a half is the most overwhelming, challenging, mind boggling year of your life.

Trust that...you have gone to school and you know how to be safe. Never forget the 5 rights of meds. If you don't know it look it up. YOu are going to meet people who are just plain miserable....don't follow their path. Go around them, ignore them, make your own path.

YOU GOT THIS!

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Specializes in LAD.

I have been told this is normal! Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...!

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

I think a lot of us feel this way! That's why they say the first year of nursing is where you learn the most.

I bet you know more than you think you do! I know for me, a lot of it's so engrained, I don't even think about it, but then there are things people say, threads I read, where I'm like, I'm about to graduate, I should KNOW this!! I would say what you feel is quite normal. :)

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

Nursing school teaches us the basic. We get the basic theory behind the skills, we get to practice basic skills but not be competent in them. We get to learn basic safety. Everything is the very foundation of being a nurse. Then in the first year or 2, we learn to actually BE a nurse. I am still block I. But this is what my instructors tell my class frequently to remind us that we will never be done learning, and to not get cocky if we feel things are too easy. I have heard the horror stories of how hard further blocks are, and I'm sure I'm going to be in your shoes of feeling incompetent and lacking all knowledge. But for now, I just focus on what I have learned and will just go from there. You are completing nursing school. 5 years of knowledge jam packed into 2 years. Im sure you are more knowledgable than you think. You got this!!

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Thanks so much! This makes me feel so much better!:-)

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You feel like you know nothing because, well, you know nothing. Lol. From the very beginning of the program, at the information seminar, we were told it takes a solid year of full time work to start to feel competent. So relax :-) Your feelings are normal, and you WILL one day feel competent. When you start in the workplace, you will most likely have other nurses around to help out when you don't know what to do. If you second guess an assessment, you can bring another nurse in the room. And that is how you will learn.

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That was a light hearted joke btw. I agree with the above poster. You do know more than you think. It will come to you when you are in a situation at work. For example, if you have a diabetic patient and you see they are pale, diaphoretic and shaky....come on...you know what to do :-)

If you end up working in a hospital or nursing home, you will learn sooo much from your coworkers. Every single day on the job you learn so much. And stuff that you thought you forgot will come back to you. If you have a patient on abt, you won't be surprised if your patient starts having diarrhea. If your patient is on a schedule of narcotics and there is no order for any type of laxative, you could ask the doctor for colace if you're on the phone with him. You will know to encourage fluids if not contraindicated (chf). You'll get there :-)

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no it's not..the brain is a very powerful thing.so get it trained to be positive and do two or three reviews..and you'll be good to go.

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