Last semester blues...

jollydogg_RN, ADN, BSN · Mar 2, 2009

I know EXACTLY how you feel! The first and second semesters were hugely motivating, and I think it dropped a little somewhat for me in the third semester, because clinicals in peds, OB, and psych we really didn't get to do that much.

I think one of the reasons for me that I'm losing so much motivation is because of the friendships and connections I'll be missing once I graduate. I went into the program not having very many reliable friends, to making friends I now study with all the time, and now 2 guys that I consider two best friends. (One of them actually lived with me for a few months when things weren't that great with his living situation. Thats how close we got.) I think just knowing that my routine will be different, and knowing that I'll be missing the people I've come close with is kinda bringing me down.

I've been able to get some confidence back in the past couple of weeks. I've been focusing on thinking how I can finally be financially independent, not worrying about bills, not worrying about how I will pay for stuff month to month, because I'm only 24, no house, no kids, no wife, so I can surivive on a new grads pay with ease =) I just keep reminding myself that because I put forth all the hard work and effort that I can finally be comfortable and do what I want to do!

It helps when I just think of all of the positive outcomes of nursing school, all the different nursing roles I can someday do, and it feels good knowing that I can help people and make good money at the same time.

MLMRN1120 · Mar 2, 2009

I graduate in May as well, and during the 2nd week of this final semester, I was feeling the same way, not that I don't want to do well, but I started getting "Senioritis"...what helped to motivate me was thinking about all the people in my class who readmitted from a previous class, some who failed only one test and had to repeat:crying2:..I do NOT want to go through Nursing school twice! That put my butt in gear, and I earned a B on our first exam (not an A, but I worked for it)...The other thing you could use to motivate yourself is the fact that you have a job waiting for you..In this economy, many of us new grads (myself included) are struggling to find our first jobs, and would definitely be even more motivated to finish strong in our last semester if we were guaranteed employment! Good Luck!

Lovely_RN, MSN · Mar 2, 2009

I feel your pain! I only have 5 weeks to go and I know I should be excited about becoming an RN but I feel really blah. I am finding it really difficult to do my assignments and I dread reading my textbook. Guess I have no choice but to keep on trying because I am so close but it's not easy.

itsmyturn · Mar 3, 2009

You know there is an end coming and your too burned out to get there or so you think..."I can do this, I can do this, I can do this..." I remember writing this on my mirror, God it was so hard when the light at the tunnel could finally be seen. I took my NCLEX and p that I took a 3 week vacation....slept in late, did a lot of tv watching, reading something else besides a nursing book, and took a nap almost every single day!

SnarfGirl · Mar 3, 2009

Thanks everyone! I only have 5 weeks till finals....I'm almost there :yeah:

chicookie, BSN, RN · Mar 3, 2009

That last semester for me, I was sooooooooo beyond lazy. I didn't want to do ANYTHING! But you will get there before you know it. take it a day at a time. =D

Congrats on getting to the finish line!

SnarfGirl · Mar 3, 2009

Thanks so much!

CrufflerJJ, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Mar 6, 2009

I am in serious need of a boost here. I'm in my last semester of nursing school and graduate in May. .. I have done considerably well thus far - and I am seriously loosing motivation. . I'm so exhausted, and can't seem to get motivated to finish this last semester strong. Did anyone else have this dragging lack of motivation in thier last semester - or am I loosing my mind?

Hmmm...Not a good sign....you're almost certainly the ONLY person who's ever felt this way near the end of nursing school.

!!NOT!!

I think that all of us probably felt this way during the last quarter or semester of our schooling. You get so darn tired, that you can only think of the immediate task at hand. One day at a time....

For me, it got to the point where my "apathy meter" was pegging. :banghead: :zzzzz I still pushed myself to do a good job (especially during clinicals), but I wasn't studying as hard for tests as I did during the earlier quarters.

The exhaustion did come in handy, though. I didn't get all worked up about the final HESI exam we took at the end of our program. I think that I only studied 1-2 hours total for it. At that point, I figured that I either knew the material, or I didn't. As it turned out, I did.:)

Good luck - just keep marking off the days on your "short timer" calendar. Before you know it, it will be finished.

Then you can start feeling sad about missing the friends you made during nursing school. :crying2:

SnarfGirl · Mar 6, 2009

Thanks!

mmmc2 · Mar 7, 2009

I'm in the same boat as you..kind of. I have the blues but because I honestly don't want to leave nursing school. I know, it sounds weird, but I've loved nursing school and will miss it when I'm out--which is in May. It's kind of surreal how fast it has gone by. These 4 years just flew by for me, but I bet I'm not the norm.

Hang in there!

lovethepeople · Mar 16, 2009

I am done this week (wooohoo!) and it took everything in me to get through this last quarter so I understand. I just had to keep reminding myself to be grateful for having had the blessing of getting into and out of school. But, damn, was it difficult to remember that!

It's also a little about anxiety for me. As hellish as school may have been at times, it's a comfortable place to be. For us here in Northern California, becoming a new grad is stressful because there are basically no jobs for us. So, maybe my senioritis is also about that...

Keep your eye on the prize and good luck!