Is it just me?

[czerwodl121]

Ok so to start this is not a rant or complaint but more of just looking to see if I'm truly nuts or if other nursing students feel this way. I'm almost done with my first semester and am doing descent with A's and B's.

I will be completely open with you all...I am not a full time mom or wife nor do I work full time which makes me feel I have no reason to feel this way since so many people have a billion things going on...I will say that I work very hard for my grades since tests and school have never been easy for me and support myself financially.

With that being said I feel like I am a completely different person in nursing school. I love what I'm learning but I'm stressed and anxious all the time. Days I feel like i could cry at the drop of a hat. I'm tired of the instructors never being on the same page and never wanting to help AT ALL because it seems like it's an inconvenience to even give a minute to explain an answer. Every professors answers seem to contradict the others so I never really know which is the right way to do things which makes me insane when it comes time to do skills testing. I don't expect teachers to spoon feed me or wipe my butt, but at least steer my in the right direction! Give me the correct info so I can pass these ridiculous tests!!

I feel inadequate and hate clinicals because all the nurses talk to you like your a burden more than an asset (keep in mind the only time i see the patient's happy and taken care of is when we are there as student nurses taking care of them)

I have become a recluse and all I do is study because it's the only thing I can do to ease my anxiety. The minute I try to spend time with family, my friends, or bf I think I should be studying because I need to pass! It's always in the back of my mind with everything I do.

I miss the happy sociable person I used to be. I hate what I've become and how I feel but is this just the price we pay to do something we really want to do? Is our sanity and mental health and happiness worth the low self esteem I'm now suffering from? I just feel lonely and kinda let down by the whole thing.

I'm 35 and I've waited most my life to figure out what it is I really wanted to do. I mean it's only the first semester how can this be happening already? I know it's only going to get worse and I'm prepared to deal with it I guess but does anyone else feel this way?

[RunBabyRN]

Sounds about right. I think most nursing students feel this way, especially the first semester, when you haven't found a balance yet for school and family/friends/self-care. It's a major life shift going into nursing school, so trying to make the other parts of your life fit around it is a struggle, but you'll get there. I know I had more anxiety during school. Learning how to manage that is important. I made sure to work out as much as I could. The school had a gym, and I would often run as well. It was great stress relief.

The first semester, as a student, you are extra work for your nurse. Period. The nurse you're working with has to take extra time to show you stuff when she's already strapped for time. You have one patient, she has at least 4 (depending on where you are- here in CA, med/surg nurses generally have 4, depending on acuity). There's a lot to learn throughout school, and right now, you're still learning how to be with a patient, let alone more specific nursing skills.

Some nurses enjoy teaching more than others, and it sucks when you end up with ones that don't like teaching. Try to show them that you're eager to learn.

As far as your instructors not being on the same page, that can happen, and it's BEYOND frustrating, I know. I think a lot of us have experienced that, too. The exams are about choosing the MOST CORRECT answer, which sucks, but is how you need to learn to take tests in order to pass the NCLEX. Is there a process for challenging questions when you've received conflicting information from instructors?

Have you started to bond with anyone in your class? It might be nice to be able to chat with others who are in it with you. By the third semester, we had a weekly night of grabbing a beer or a glass of wine among the 30+ crowd (or as the younger students called us, the Momfia). It was nice, and we could vent about instructors, clinicals, and the like.

You can get through this! :)

[AnArtist]

Um, yes, I've felt stressed.

Going in, I told myself the stress couldn't be that bad; after all, my dad died of cancer when I was a kid and I found my pre-reqs enjoyable because I'm a nerd. Unfortunately, that didn't make me immune to nursing school stress. In fact, I think it's made me more susceptible to stress... I keep thinking, "What if I don't study enough and someone else's parent dies?"

Then I feel guilty and that makes it hard to concentrate on my schoolwork.

The best advice my professors have given me is to pray and write my worries on paper. I have to mentally "let go" of patients that I cannot help anymore and stop worrying about if they got better or worse after I left. Since I did good work; I have done all I could.

It sounds that your stress is mainly related to the difference of nursing school study from more precision oriented disciplines such as science. At first I blamed my stress on that, but then I realized that there was also my worry about being responsible for other people's health. You might want to see if there are other contributing factors to your stress.

Also, I have gotten more used to the nursing school type of studying and test questions. Take time to read the question carefully and get it right.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

This sounds about right, especially for having just started. Here are a few things that will happen as you begin to acclimate:

1) The "guilt" that you feel when you attempt to do anything outside of nursing school will fade. It must. You will get fed up enough that you know you will have to start putting yourself first.

2) That "you guys are a burden" vibe the other nurses are throwing out at you will stop once you get into your specialty topics. You'll begin to understand why those nurses feel that way and you'll be grateful for the ones that aren't like that.

3) Your skin will start to get thicker whether you intend for it to or not.

4) You'll learn to be kinder to yourself. In order to survive, you will put yourself first.

5) It will get worse and then, as you start to realize all you've accomplished, it will start getting better.

In other words, you will survive this. I know it's completely disorienting right now and it takes a good year to really settle in. Are there any senior-level students you can talk to? In my program, our campus student nurses' organization has a mentorship program that puts you in touch with people who are there to help you through all the nonsense you described (especially when it comes to instructors who seem to teach and test however they want to). Good luck! :)

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

It's pretty normal. Most people got used to it after the 2nd semester.

[RachealAnne]

Hello there!

I don't know if this helps or means anything since I only start my prerequisites this fall and am only a CNA (just saying that in terms of I haven't been through the tough stuff school wise) BUT just remember that the 2-4 years you are pushing through is just a short span compared to what you have been through and have yet to go through. In the end it will be worth it and you will be glad you did it (at least that is my thought process). My mom, brother, and cousin have all gone through 2-4 year nursing programs and have said it was completely worth it. Anyways, good luck and I wish you the best!