the many FEARS that I have...

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

Published

So I got accepted to the Accelerated program at Rutgers....and I am very grateful and excited...but I still have a lot of fears. I have read some really bad stories on here about nurses feeling out of place, and about the hospitals not training them properly, and about getting there licensce on octover 3rd and getting fired 3 weeks later...and so on...and now I am starting to get very nervous. Here are some of my fears and maybe you can give me some insight or feedback:

1.) trying to give a female a catheter and not finding the urethra.

2.) trying to give an IV and I keep missing the vein, and I wind up pricking my patient 5 times.

3.) feeling out of place (with me being a guy and all)

4.) giving a female an EKG

5.) hurting my patient unintentionally (having my patient scream in pain and having other nurses and patients hear him/her)

I dont know If im just letting my OCD get to me worse than usual or If these are all legit fears. I just have a feeling that I will do good with the written part of nursing school but think I might struggle with the hands on part. Then I think of nurses who work in the nursing home that I work in, and if they can do it I sure has heck can. But then i read some stories on here that leave my mouth open. For example being a guy in the OB rotation and how useless and out of place the male nurses felt. Now thats all im thinking about is feelign out of place.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi, Gannon - I'm on the verge of making a decision regarding nursing school myself and I have fears as well. I'm sure EVERYONE has had fears similar to yours. For instance, I don't have any kids so have never experienced birth and wonder how out of place I will feel in an OB-GYN setting. It's true ! So - no you're not alone.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CNA/Nursing Student.

I think it's completely normal to have those fears, but I think you just have to have faith in the education you'll receive and realise that practice and experience will do the rest. Never feel embarrassed to ask questions and, if possible, try to find a mentor you can rely on for questions, as well as, support. Good luck and congratulations on your acceptance!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You could be the best, oldest "veteran" nurse and still run into these problems. Or-the least run-into these sorts of problems. I worry about these things as well as I am sure most nursing students and nurses do. You have to keep in mind that these things can happen not b/c of something you are doing but b/c of the situation the patient is in. A few examples would be trying to put a catheter into an obese patient. From what I have been told, that can make it very difficult for a nurse. Or someone who is very nervous to have one placed. (that was me one time, it took two nurses to get mine in place, tmi) As far as the veins, your patient could be dehydrated. This will cause the veins to flaten out and it makes it difficult to find a good vein to place your IV. I could go on and on but I just want to let you know that it isn't always the nurse- sometimes it really is just the situation at hand and what type of patient you are dealing with.

I also wanted to say that everyday I see more and more men chosing the nursing field. You never know, women could be the minority some day! JJ

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric ED.

I'm really worried about IVs too. A lot of things are more complicated than IVs, but that's what I'm most worried about.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in HCA, Physch, WC, Management.

I know guys seem to have it a little harder going into this field but we ALL have those worries and more! My best friend is an LPN and he's never complained about feeling out of place in school or clinicals or at work. He may feel a little more at ease because he has worked in a hospital for many years as an orderly, etc. We are all going to see and encounter things that we're unsure of. I've never had kids so the only advantage I have over a guy in the OB is that I own the same type of anatomy that's on display... and I don't think that is much of an advantage really!

As a fellow pre-RN student who just got accepted into a NS, I am terrified! I've never been so nervous and unsure of myself. I guess I just kind of am taking the same approach to this that I do to any new job... I'm going to go into it with little to no knowledge of what I am about to do but I'm there to learn how to do it and do it right. If I have questions, I can't be afraid to ask.

I really hope that things go well for you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thank you very much...at least I dont feel like Im alone in this. I just hope I do good and can handle what im about to encounter.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in RN- Med/surg.
Unfortunately- sometimes there is alot of negatives- but- stick up for yourself..and work hard. For your specific concerns...

1.) trying to give a female a catheter and not finding the urethra. - They'll teach you in school- with practice you'll get better. Everyone's different though- and it happens. We had a pt the other day that took 3 different nurses before she was cathed.

2.) trying to give an IV and I keep missing the vein, and I wind up pricking my patient 5 times. Also happens- but know your limits...just refuse to poke that many times. I think most nurses where I work have a 3 tries limit. I'm still a newer nurse...so I will try twice...then call someone more experienced. I noone can get it- we paige anesthesia.

3.) feeling out of place (with me being a guy and all)- even the females feel out of place- it's hard being new.

4.) giving a female an EKG- just be professinal- and remember most patients are used to male doctors anyway...so it prabably won't bother then as much as you might think.

5.) hurting my patient unintentionally (having my patient scream in pain and having other nurses and patients hear him/her) It happens...people yell..and every nurse knows it. Unless it becomes repetitious that YOUR patients yell more- they prabably won't think anything of it.

Good luck to you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I, too, will be starting an accelerated program..the second degree BSN at University of Michigan - Flint in Sept. '08.

I have the exact same fears as you! Except for the EKG part...

I have been volunteering at a local hospital, in the ER, just to get a feeling of how hospitals operate. While chatting with one of the student nurses, I learned she took a phlebotomy course while she had a little down-time waiting for her program to start, and she felt it really helped her.

Like you, I'm fine with the "book stuff" but a little uncertain about the hands-on things.

My program requires us to take a basic nursing skills course (CNA, basically) so I'm taking that, plus the PCT (patient care technician class including phlebotomy) just to get a little knowledge, practical experience, and hopefully find a job this summer.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency.

Hey! I am starting an Accelerated Nursing Program on May 12th, and I am absolutely TERRIFIED! I was sooo excited when I got my acceptance letter a little over a week ago...but now all I worry about is the fact that I have no experience in the nursing field at all! And on top of that, I do not already have a degree, and the accelerated program is typically for people who already have a bachelor's in something else. I am currently a sophomore in college...in my last semester of pre-requisites, and my finals are the exactly the week before I start...so no time to "prepare"! I sure hope none of this will put me behind others! I know I can do this...it just I hear all these horror stories about how hard nursing school is! Soon enough, though, I will find out for myself how it is! May 12th is coming up quick here! Anyways, my reason for posting is to let you know that you are definitely not alone in being scared/worried! It makes me feel a little bit better knowing that others are just as scared as me! We can do this. We can do this together! :specs:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Good luck to you!

thank you very much for that insight. I have to understand that it may be normal to not be able to find the vein for IV. That just becasue I cant find it doesnt mean im not a good nurse or i dont know what Im doing. I never worked in a hospital so i dont know how accepted some things are or arent. I work in a nursing home but i have the title of Medical Supplies...so although I can talk and interact with patients, I cant treat them in any way. But I thank you for the insight and the advice. How was it for you when your first started? Did you have any of the same fears? How was nursing school in general?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm still in pre-reqs, so I don't have the post-admittance jitters. But I can say that my OB/GYN is fabulous, and he's a guy. He has four kids, and loves kids and babies, which you might not relate to. But I think more important than that is he understands women's health and pain issues and never discredits women. He communicates an awesome respect for women and their babies, which helps his patients feel as if he's doing his best for them.

You can do that, with or without kids and no matter your gender.

Congrats on being accepted! :yeah:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment