I wish I'd have known....B4 nursing school

Nurses General Nursing

Published

What is the one thing that you know NOW, but you wish you would have known BEFORE you started nursing school?:uhoh21:

I wish I'd known that I wouldn't know it all fresh out of nursing school. I mean, I thought I would be prepared to be a nurse. When I got out and faced reality, I felt inadequate; like I'd missed several courses that I should have taken and it was very scarey! Without much self-esteem at the time, I thought that my lack of knowledge was a personal thing, not just normal for a new nurse. Nursing is an art and a science; but they only teach the science in school. I knew nursing, but not how to be a nurse. I'm gald that horrible time is well behind me (been practicing for 27 years now).
Hi, 77.

I was indoctrinated into the art and science song and dance in nursing school. It didn't take me a long time to get hip on that bill of goods.

I've stated this before, but here it is again...Nursing has no scientific knowledge base to stand on. We use 6th grade level math most of the time, (MDs study calculus and then forget it) and may do only the M.D.'s good pleasure, or tasks that the medical profession has deemed that we can do so that they don't have to bother with it. And lest one brings up psychology, we can certainly make a psychologist ring a bell every time a dog salivates, but it is not science. It is philosophy, just as sure as psychiatry is. Psychiatry does not treat infective process or a somatic lesion, although that has been the definition of illness since Virchow defined it in 1858. The DMS invents, includes, exclues or modifies what is mental illness or is not based on politics, social changes, political correctness, on and on, at that time. I haven't recently seen any change in the definition of diabetes as a disturbance in metabolism of sugar. Nor of polio being caused by something other than that virus. Our 'scientific base' is the regurgitation of information which is tainted with the attitudes and beliefs of the transmitter. Ironically, I have heard only one M.D. refer to himself as a "technician", which is probably true of nearly all but the non-academic Physician.

Art? Art is self expression. It is hopefully fresh, original, and makes an impact on the listener, viewer, or taster. Aesthetics does not have to be beautiful, but it must convey or provoke an emotional response. It is not an ordered set of algorythms, or successfully following a set of orders, otherwise we'd all be artists. If cleaning poop is art, then call me Pablo Picasso. (During his 'Brown Period')

In short, we are 'the caring profession'. In other words, subordinates to some, helpers and friends to others. Caring; true caring comes from the heart, the circumstances, and our attitudes. It is metaphysical, and we are metaphysicians at best. Ergo we are philosophers (unless we regard it as assembly line job), and philosophy is only opinion. And even that's subject to change with the times. A philosophy teacher informed me that it has "been decided" that metaphysics is no longer a valid branch of philosophy".

Sorry, have to reject the art and science sacred cow.

----Snake

"A first rate soup is better than a second rate painting"--Maslow

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical.

I wish I had known that most patients are friendly and appreciative, and that experienced nurses talk about the other, hideous ones because we take the lovely ones a little for granted

I wish I had known that it's the hideous ones that come back... again and again and again

I wish I had known that there are some patients who're amazingly sick that you just can't kill 'em with a stick - one that we finally sent to rehab post BKA (with VRE) after four months on the ward re-presented last week with renal failure, hepatic failure, sepsis and a troponin of 99.7 and is now fine

I wish I had known that the measure of a great shift is making a positive difference in someone's life - even if the rest of the day went down the toilet

I wish I had known to trust my judgement about a patient going bad, and not listen to the resident (or reg) telling me they look fine to him

I wish I had known that nurse managers come and go, DON's come and go, and all you have to do is grit your teeth and wait them out

I wish I had known that everything that comes into vogue as the big new thing will fade away

I wish I had known that the paperwork will drown you if you don't eat away at it a bit at a time

I wish I had known that if you get the patient +/or family on side at the head of the shift everything will go more smoothly for the rest of the day

I wish I had known that it's always when you think something's more important than tidying up the bedside that patients crash

I wish I had known that, when needed, the authority I have as a nurse can be wielded like a club, a sword or a paint brush - try messing with one of my patients and you'll know about it, whoever you are!

Finally, I wish I had known it was the best decision I have ever made - would have staved off those 3AM what-am-I-doing? freakouts when I was a student

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg.

I wish I'd known how much it hurts to be standing in a room with a MD when he tells a 47 year old man with a 9 year old son and a 13 yr old daughter that he has cancer with mets to almost everywhere and has 3 months or less to live. Those are the days I would rather be working at McDonalds... :crying2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If dietary screws up a pt's dinner, blame the nurse.

If the pharmacy is late with med delivery, blame the nurse.

If a physician is late and the family wants to speak with him/her, blame the nurse.

If Xray is taking forever, blame the nurse.

If transport is taking forever, blame the nurse.

Can't get that private room with a view? Blame the nurse.

Bad weather? Blame the nurse.

Crappy golf game? Blame the nurse.

Also, I didn't go to nursing school to teach manners.

Amen, and right on!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I wish I had known that most patients are friendly and appreciative, and that experienced nurses talk about the other, hideous ones because we take the lovely ones a little for granted

I wish I had known that it's the hideous ones that come back... again and again and again

I wish I had known that there are some patients who're amazingly sick that you just can't kill 'em with a stick - one that we finally sent to rehab post BKA (with VRE) after four months on the ward re-presented last week with renal failure, hepatic failure, sepsis and a troponin of 99.7 and is now fine

I wish I had known that the measure of a great shift is making a positive difference in someone's life - even if the rest of the day went down the toilet

I wish I had known to trust my judgement about a patient going bad, and not listen to the resident (or reg) telling me they look fine to him

I wish I had known that nurse managers come and go, DON's come and go, and all you have to do is grit your teeth and wait them out

I wish I had known that everything that comes into vogue as the big new thing will fade away

I wish I had known that the paperwork will drown you if you don't eat away at it a bit at a time

I wish I had known that if you get the patient +/or family on side at the head of the shift everything will go more smoothly for the rest of the day

I wish I had known that it's always when you think something's more important than tidying up the bedside that patients crash

I wish I had known that, when needed, the authority I have as a nurse can be wielded like a club, a sword or a paint brush - try messing with one of my patients and you'll know about it, whoever you are!

Finally, I wish I had known it was the best decision I have ever made - would have staved off those 3AM what-am-I-doing? freakouts when I was a student

Goes double for me!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU.
Stop saying that already, Tom! :p ;)

:rotfl: :roll :rotfl:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I wish I had known how rewarding nursing is, and how much I was going to truly love my career. It would have made nursing school a little easier to get through. Also, how many wonderful people I come into contact with every time I work.

What is the one thing that you know NOW, but you wish you would have known BEFORE you started nursing school?:uhoh21:
Up Vote Up Vote ×

:) Thanks Brenda, that is encouraging!!!!! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU.
Hi, 77.

I was indoctrinated into the art and science song and dance in nursing school. It didn't take me a long time to get hip on that bill of goods.

I've stated this before, but here it is again...Nursing has no scientific knowledge base to stand on. We use 6th grade level math most of the time, (MDs study calculus and then forget it) and may do only the M.D.'s good pleasure, or tasks that the medical profession has deemed that we can do so that they don't have to bother with it. And lest one brings up psychology, we can certainly make a psychologist ring a bell every time a dog salivates, but it is not science. It is philosophy, just as sure as psychiatry is. Psychiatry does not treat infective process or a somatic lesion, although that has been the definition of illness since Virchow defined it in 1858. The DMS invents, includes, exclues or modifies what is mental illness or is not based on politics, social changes, political correctness, on and on, at that time. I haven't recently seen any change in the definition of diabetes as a disturbance in metabolism of sugar. Nor of polio being caused by something other than that virus. Our 'scientific base' is the regurgitation of information which is tainted with the attitudes and beliefs of the transmitter. Ironically, I have heard only one M.D. refer to himself as a "technician", which is probably true of nearly all but the non-academic Physician.

Art? Art is self expression. It is hopefully fresh, original, and makes an impact on the listener, viewer, or taster. Aesthetics does not have to be beautiful, but it must convey or provoke an emotional response. It is not an ordered set of algorythms, or successfully following a set of orders, otherwise we'd all be artists. If cleaning poop is art, then call me Pablo Picasso. (During his 'Brown Period')

In short, we are 'the caring profession'. In other words, subordinates to some, helpers and friends to others. Caring; true caring comes from the heart, the circumstances, and our attitudes. It is metaphysical, and we are metaphysicians at best. Ergo we are philosophers (unless we regard it as assembly line job), and philosophy is only opinion. And even that's subject to change with the times. A philosophy teacher informed me that it has "been decided" that metaphysics is no longer a valid branch of philosophy".

Sorry, have to reject the art and science sacred cow.

----Snake

"A first rate soup is better than a second rate painting"--Maslow

I am sorry watersnake, but your arguments are weak and very hard to follow. I am a molecular biologist and I think I know a thing or two about what science is and Nursing can easily be described as a science.

If nursing is not a science,what exactly is the the nurse doing when he/she interprets blood gasses, EKGs, knows all the interactions of the medications that their patient is taking, and is constantly on guard for subtle physiological changes in their patients condition that mean the difference between life and death? None of that stuff is based in science? And what was all that garbage about psychology being philosphy and nurses are metaphysicians at best? Ummm, not to sound like a snot, but you sound like you attended some wacked out version of a philosophy course and are now trying to superimpose this pseudo-knowledge onto nursing.

You say that Nursing is also not an art. Well, I think that it takes the creativity and soul of an artist to be a nurse. How else are you going to figure out a way to walk that very thin line between compassion and proffessionalism? To be a profficient care giver and still be a patient advocate, takes all the "artistic abilty" that a nurse has.

Are you a nurse? It is very disturbing to me that you could hold this view. Yes caring is a BIG part of what nurses do, but it is not the only thing that they do. :rolleyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I wish I had known that I would be really good at nursing, I would have really let a few clinical instructors have it.

I wish I had known how really sad you can feel when you get to the end of treatment and realize there is nothing left and the patient is going to die and nothing you do will change that fact.

I wish I had known that doctors are just goofy people like us , I would have been more proactive instead of being intimidated and letting my patients down when they needed me to be their advocate.

There is so much I wish I had been taught...a course on how to survive a crisis instead of sociology, a course on dealing with death and how to ask for a DNR , or how to tell a family their loved one is dead or horribly injured....why was none of this covered? We got weeks of patho and anatomy but nobody bothered to have a class about real issues that we face every day...how about a class that roleplays the patient that won't get off the call bell, the family that makes everyone crazy...I wish I had been given real skills for that instead of learning by trial and error.

I identify with your post totally, and I couldn't agree more.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LDRP; Education.

Watersnake,

While unsure where I stand with regards to your perspective on nursing, I have to say your post is thought-provoking.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
What is the one thing that you know NOW, but you wish you would have known BEFORE you started nursing school?:uhoh21:

I wish I had known how many more doors would open for me with a BSN. It only took me 12 years after my ADN to get it... :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment