I'm having doubts about nursing... :(

[Texasstudent0]

Okay everyone, I am just starting my second semester of nursing school and I just had my first day at orientation on the med-surge floor that I will be at this semester. This is my first semester doing clinicals.. Long story short, I absolutely hated it. But there are several factors that may have affected my experience with it. Because it was orientation we were not set up with computer access so some of us were set up to shadow an RN, and others were set up to shadow a CNA. I got set up to shadow a CNA, I felt so unfulfilled.. We literally changed sheets, and cleaned poop the whole time. I was envious of my other classmates that got the opportunity to shadow nurses. The whole day I kept thinking to myself, am I really busting my a** in nursing school for this? It was extremely disheartening and discouraging. I went home almost in tears. Now let me back up and acknowledge the fact, that YES I WAS WITH A CNA, and I am sure it is much better actually shadowing a nurse. I was able to pop in and tag along with other classmates, but even then it was kind of boring. I know I should probably give it another chance but it was not a good first impression at all by any means.

I guess I just thought it would be more exciting... I would be able to use more of my nursing skills. I just don't know if I will ever like the med-surge floor.

[fitfabfunnurse2b]

I agree - like she doesn't want to be a nurse anymore because she spent her day doing "menial" tasks. Perhaps not what she intended, but that my my impression nonetheless.

You love to troll people, don't you? You sound so smart!

[lilstudentnurse19]

Hi! I am also a nursing student and in my 4th semester (yes, 4th!) I was placed in a clinical setting that were mainly given to 2nd semester students. My classmates was in a medical ward and learnt IVs, tube feedings, wounds. I was in a restorative unit that was basically an aged care. I was basically halfway through nursing and felt like I was learning nothing.

It is your first day and I know you had your hopes high but imagine all the other opportunities you will have in specialities you wanted to do. I know personally maternity and paeds were for me and my love for nursing came back when I was in those areas. The skills you learn now will be vital for what you learn later on. They will not pair you with a CNA for the rest of your prac, maybe it was a staffing issue on the day? And if you don't feel like you're learning anything, I found that me being proactive and asking around to learn new skills always helps.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Nothing wrong with having doubts. Although basing it on one day is a mistake. Nursing isn't for everyone and if you decide it is not for you that is cool. Find what will suit you better. Just don't base on such a short sampling. There is a lot more to experience.

For the record I did not get the impression that you thought there was nothing to learn from following the CNA or learning basic care, but just that you were disappointed. Which is fine except when you make decisions based on one short experience. That will bite you in the butt eventually in any career.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

The extreme lack of diplomacy?? First and foremost my university has an open door policy. We are encouraged by our professors and by the Dean of Nursing to be vocal about any problems we may or may not have within the college. They want our feedback on our clinical instructors, they actually ask that we give feedback and fill out surveys on our experience with them. There is no extreme lack of diplomacy on my part by any means. She was just sticking up for me since most of these people on the thread are crude and distasteful. Some of you act like you were never a nursing student. It was one post. The majority of comments on here are accusatory based what they interpreted from the original post. A lot of "reading in between the lines" but they completely missed the boat.

I think you are completely overreacting both about this one day at clinical and the comments from others. CNA skills are a useful and needed part of bedside nursing as others have pointed out. You should be paired up with nurses for the rest of your clinicals. But usually clinicals aren't enough and there is quite a culture shock when you have your first nursing job. I've only encountered a few nurses who were truly adequately prepared and they either had CNA, LPN or intern/extern experience or had an unusually lot of different clinicals working in a variety of different settings.

That is why I suggested working as a CNA or applying for an intern or extern position if you have the chance. Hopefully in a few years you will look back on this experience as a minor blip and maybe even see some positives in it.

Those you disagree with are probably trying to help you put things in perspective. Good luck with your nursing journey.

[Elizabeth1414, RN]

Hi, i'm in my last semester of nursing school, and your post resonated with me a lot.

I understand the disappointment when you're so excited for your first day of clinical and you end up making beds the whole day. I've been there.

I really considered dropping out of nursing school for the first 2/3rds of my degree. However, i'm now in my last year and I LOVE IT.

You have to learn all the basics before you can move up, and no, they're not glamorous, but that's a part of life, and illness. You really do get used to that stuff and end up being able to do it very fast, and matter-of-factly.

My final year placements have been in emergency, labour + delivery, and with a health unit, and I have loved them all. There are SO MANY places an RN can specialize.

So yes, cleaning poop sucks, that's true, but when I got to hold a woman's leg while she gave birth, got to scrub in on a C-section, assisted with giving clot-busting meds to a man having an acute heart attack, or ran a clinic at a school to give girls vaccines to protect against HPV, it was worth it.

Nursing is such a fascinating profession! There are just so many things you can do. You can work in the community, OR, ER, NICU, Labour and Delivery, ICU, Medical/Surgical, Dialysis, Oncology etc. etc. etc. Just check out the specialties tab on this site for inspiration:) Find areas that interest you and just keep your head in the game and your eyes on the goal. You don't have to work on a general medical floor, but you do have to learn those skills. Nursing school goes by so fast, though.

[Summer2016]

My first semester of clinic was cleaning poop and more poop, making beds, vital signs and glucose. But, it was a learning experience. Do you think when you become a nurse that you will no longer do this? Oh, you will continue to do this. Your CNAs are extremely busy and sometimes it takes a while for them to get to your patient. So, will you let your patients sit in poop? I hope not. If you are serious about nursing learn from the experience and enjoy the patients interactions. If not, get out now because once you are a nurse you will not be the best nurse you can be.

[Maplessharon]

Give it a little time. I was sure when I started nursing school I would eventually end up in L&D or pediatrics. I disliked them both. You will find your niche.

[Lynn LPN]

I was a CNA for over 20 yrs when I decided to go to nursing school. During my yrs as a CNA, I always felt that the best nurses I worked with had been CNA's prior to becoming a nurse. Properly positioning a patient in bed, changing an occupied bed, and yes...cleaning poop are some of the things that are important to be able to do. This is the foundation of your total learning experience. Embrace it. They are all important skills to have in your journey in your nursing career. Best of luck, and keep moving forward.

[OliverElio87, BSN, RN]

It's probably a good thing that you were paired up with a CNA. So when you're an RN you should have more empathy towards them and what they contribute to the team.

IMO, every nursing program should require students to be CNA certified to apply.

[Heather Reeves]

First: pay attention to what those CNAs do and learn how to do it well. Pitching in to do the lowliest of jobs is not "unfulfilling" it's part of being a team. If you learn how to do that you will be better than any nurse who can tap the keys on a keyboard. Be humble and set aside any elitist "RN" crap that has trickled down. They will respect you if you make a bed more than if you sit at the computer.

Second: nursing school is a means to an end. Let go of the kumbyyaya crap. You will be wiping noses and asses until you are 65. Let your paycheck fulfill you. I can clean up as much **** as you need me to for what I get paid. You want existential fulfillment? Take your skills and volunteer. I get more from that than I've ever gotten from a paid job.

Third: everything I needed to know about being a great nurse I learned from great. Nurses after graduation. All those papers and theories and nursing diagnoses? ********. But do it. Absorb it all and learn everything. What you gain is the ability to continue to learn and THAt is what will serve you through your career.

its ok to have doubts. It's ok to second guess. It's ok to be jealous of your classmates who may seem to have to flashy assignments. Be patient, pay attention, be kind to the ancillary staff. You will

come out ahead in the end because you will

be well rounded, humble and appreciative of all it takes to be a good nurse.

[operations]

I know how you feel OP. I've been waiting for ever for my nursing school to actually guide me and focus on making me a great nurse rather than have me spend all my time navigating nursing school and self teaching from disorganized material.That has been my entire experience. I truly hate it. I feel like the professors just refs who step in when they see something wrong, otherwise are aloof, vague, and uninvolved.

The only thing I am learning in nursing school is learning how to navigate nursing school. How sift through unecesarrily sloppy material for hours so that I can find the thing that I need, which should have just taken a few minutes. And worshipping the Elsivier gods and their glorious evolve products which are completely terrible for learning and insanely overpriced.

[sregan]

You are right. You shouldn't become a nurse. Just fyi RNs clean up "poop" too.