It's Not All Bad

[Joe V]

Nursing students have so many challenges to handle. You can get so caught up in deadlines, classes, studying, etc that you wonder if you will survive. When something good happens, it almost seems overwhelmingly impossible.

Tell us how you felt when you started seeing that you are making progress in becoming a nurse.

[Davey Do]

3 hours ago, Joe V said:

Tell us how you felt when you started seeing that you are making progress in becoming a nurse.

When I was going through the LPN program in 1983, I felt really good when I could understand the medical terms on TV shows like St. Elsewhere:

 

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

My first new grad job was in a 17-bed PACU in a 700-bed hospital. They hired three of us new grads at the same time: diploma nurse from their hospital school, ASN from another state, and me, BSN from another state.

I distinctly remember feeling like a real nurse the day the head nurse told me I would be orienting to charge. The other 2 new grads were never oriented to charge, and I started taking charge on eves and weekends (we were open 24/7). A few incidents shocked me when I realized the other 2 had made errors based on really significant deficits in physiology and the other sciences, and I was getting recruiting feelers from the ICU. Wow, guess I’m really a nurse now! It was a real year of growth for me. 

[Davey Do]

On 6/30/2021 at 5:30 AM, Joe V said:

 you wonder if you will survive. When something good happens, it almost seems overwhelmingly impossible.

 

[SmilingBluEyes]

On 6/30/2021 at 7:48 AM, Davey Do said:

When I was going through the LPN program in 1983, I felt really good when I could understand the medical terms on TV shows like St. Elsewhere:

 

LOL HAHAHAHAHAAAA

2 hours ago, Davey Do said:

 

truth spoken here.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I suffer hypocaffeinemia chronically myself.

[Davey Do]

2 hours ago, SmilingBluEyes said:

I suffer hypocaffeinemia chronically myself.

 

[SmilingBluEyes]

2 minutes ago, Davey Do said:

 

love it

[9kidsmomRN]

When my first preceptor broke her ankle about 2 weeks into my new grad orientation I was assigned to a different preceptor. I was already a lot impressed/a little afraid of her.  The first thing I remember her saying to me: “I hate orienting new grads”.  At the end of orientation she said “you weren’t bad for a new grad”. I took it as a compliment. I worked and studied hard to grow as much as I could. During my second year I was shift lead asked to help with skills days and sit on p&p committee. Soon was floating to ICU as pair of hands help, and when able took the opening there. Very little turn over in those days. Each of these mile markers made me feel like I was progressing nicely in my chosen career. 

[Davey Do]

11 hours ago, 9kidsmomRN said:

I was already a lot impressed/a little afraid of her.  The first thing I remember her saying to me: “I hate orienting new grads”.  At the end of orientation she said “you weren’t bad for a new grad”. I took it as a compliment.

You, 9kidsmomRN, are impressive.