Im in my final year- and incompetent.

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Im in my final year of nursing and I am going to have 2-3 days of clinical a year in a pediatric ward. I LOVE kids so I know that I will love the ward- I am just worried SICK about my critical thinking!

In my ENTIRE 3 years of nursing I have felt like I know nothing- I really don't think I do. I think I know as much as any average person who has not been in nursing school.

I can barely remember ANYTHING i learned in first year (i.e. anatomy, pharmacology) and I have to constantly review things (EVEN STUFF LIKE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE KIDNEY!!!)

EVERYONE seems to know more than I do. Even last year when we were in groups for clinical, it seems like everyone knew more than me! I was having to review anatomy and physiology of the liver and kidney when in the meantime some other people in my group were lecturing us on receptors I have never heard of!

And just today for example I was looking up the urea cycle to remind myself what it was. WHAT AM I? LEVEL 1?!?!??!

How am I expected to in 8 months (when Im an RN) be like the nurses I see in the hospital who are like "doctor I think we should up the oxygen on this pt because hes struggling to ______ and feel that the contraindication of _____ would affect his condition"

do you know what I mean?

I love nursing. I just feel like an IDIOT!

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Well...for one thing, I don't believe any new grad on planet earth is going to come out on day one and be "like the nurses I see in the hospital". :)

I'm in NS myself now, so take this with a grain of salt, but it's my understanding that you learn most of what you need to know while working.

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Specializes in Wound Care, LTC, Sub-Acute, Vents.

correct! real world nursing is ojt (on the job training) supported by textbook knowledge.

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Dude, you're not alone. You'll be okay. School is for learning and they're not going to throw you to the wolves on your first day on the job. Today I felt like a total dunce, there was this patient whose IV had clearly infiltrated and I couldn't remember to do, I had to go get the RN. I mean, I knew what to do, but I wasn't confident in it. It was my first day back on the floor since the spring and I just felt so rusty. It's also good to review things, even experts have to refresh themselves on certain things.

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Thank you so much everyone- I really REALLY appreciate it.

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

you'll be fine! i'll bet 99.5% of new rns and lpns are nervous wrecks when they start their first real nursing job, so i'd say you're right on target. i would emphatically not want a supremely confident new

nurse either taking care of me or as a member of my nursing team. why?

those are the people who don't double check what they do,don't ask questions when they aren't quite sure of something, are so afraid of looking dumb or stupid that they don't ask for help until it's too late

and they have made a mistake...

we have all made mistakes when we were new nurses, despite our very best intentions. it's simply part of the learning process. a good caring new nurse doesn't assume s/he already knows. she reads about her patient's condition/disease, looks up the patient's meds, asks any questions necessary, and gets help rather than tryto fake it.

you won't be on your own as a new nurse for a reason. your employer knows pretty much what you know and what you can't be expected to know, and knows what skills they must teach you or give you a chance to practice more times before you can solo safely.

you will never ever look stupid if you ask questions because they'll expect it. seize every learning opportunity with both hands. they'll just make you a better nurse. as you do more things, you'll gain

confidence. and, yes, when a patient's family member calls, "nurse..." it's you they want and not your

instructor!

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I completely empathize. I just had this conversation with my husband the other night. I started crying I was so depressed. I feel like my brain is empty. Like I have no recall button, and even sitting down and trying to think things through is just not working. I have to look everything up. I feel worse than when I was pregnant, and for me, it was bad. example: asked my husband for the up-down pole thingy, when looking for the ladder. Not to perpetuate stereotypes of pg women, that was my experience. I feel like that now, just in a total brain fog, and completely overwhelmed by my lack of knowledge. I really thought that I'd be a rockstar by now, but it's not happening. All I feel like I can do is "go to the mattresses". Just work. That's all I got, all I can do. Which is what I'm going to do now- breaks over.

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I completely empathize. I just had this conversation with my husband the other night. I started crying I was so depressed. I feel like my brain is empty. Like I have no recall button, and even sitting down and trying to think things through is just not working. I have to look everything up. I feel worse than when I was pregnant, and for me, it was bad. example: asked my husband for the up-down pole thingy, when looking for the ladder. Not to perpetuate stereotypes of pg women, that was my experience. I feel like that now, just in a total brain fog, and completely overwhelmed by my lack of knowledge. I really thought that I'd be a rockstar by now, but it's not happening. All I feel like I can do is "go to the mattresses". Just work. That's all I got, all I can do. Which is what I'm going to do now- breaks over.

Thank you so much for that. Im sorry that you're going through the same thing but it really helps knowing someone is in the same boat. I know 100% that we will be okay- it's just hard going through a (long) phase where you feel like you're not like everyone else no matter how hard you try.

I wish you the best of luck in the future- and I know this sounds hypocritical of me but : we can do it :)

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I'm glad you all posted this! I'm in my 3rd semester of an ADN program, and I worked as an intern over the summer, and I feel like I go completely brainless in clinical! I'm wondering if it's some form of test anxiety or something, just because the instructor is right there, asking you these questions that you really ought to know. I think it's test anxiety and fatigue from staying up so late the night before getting all the preplanning work done--med sheets, labs, nursing dx + interventions, etc. It's overwhelming. Then I'd look around me and all of my classmates seem to have it all together and radiate with confidence and answer all the questions right. I seriously wondered if I was the only one going through this.

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I learned how to be a nurse during my first year on the job. Don't worry - you will get it.

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I'm glad you all posted this! I'm in my 3rd semester of an ADN program, and I worked as an intern over the summer, and I feel like I go completely brainless in clinical! I'm wondering if it's some form of test anxiety or something, just because the instructor is right there, asking you these questions that you really ought to know. I think it's test anxiety and fatigue from staying up so late the night before getting all the preplanning work done--med sheets, labs, nursing dx + interventions, etc. It's overwhelming. Then I'd look around me and all of my classmates seem to have it all together and radiate with confidence and answer all the questions right. I seriously wondered if I was the only one going through this.

THATS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL!

I feel my problem was not only rooted in the exhaustion of pre-planning but the fact that my university has MANY electives you have to take (that have NOTHING to do with nursing) that take all of your time and effort that when it comes to clinical its like you're pooped already from all your work for your electives you have no drive left. I wish it was just ALL clinical.

Best of luck to you. and thanks SO much for replying.

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