My Apologies

Nurses Rock

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So I was a user named gavin513 then salty fish.

I have Bipolar schizoeffective and I just got accepted to nursing school. My mental illness is the biggest bane of my life.

I suppose apologies are In order because I was a bit of a dick due to my mental condition I tend to think everyone is out to get me.

Fortunateley my doctors knows my goals and thinks they are achievable which is really all I ask to have is a shot.

If I am being frank here I will not survive nursing school much less nursing without complete stability. When I am stable I am straight A student when I am unstable I am an F student. Like no joke when I am stable I am a straight A student when I am not I fail.

Fortunatley the doctors think my goals are achievable and my prognosis is good.

I want to become a nurse because a nurse practitioner saved my life so the goal was eventually to become one. However even being a CNA I found rewarding and while I still want to go further whith my education its not about the degree but about helping people whom have suffered like me.

I want to issue a sincere thank you to all nurses everywhere without you I would literally be dead so thank you.

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When I was in my psych rotation at RN school my clinical placement was at a VA hospital psych unit. I met and interacted with CNA's who worked on the ward and found their duties to be very well suited to the unit population. They weren't doing so much the usual things that CNA's do in a LTC facility. Should you find the stress of nursing school to be too much you still have the avenue of working as a psych CNA, but you have to maintain your certification to get the job. Just a thought for you. Good luck with your new goal. And stop apologizing! Didn't I remember that you apologized on this site before? Once is enough. Everybody gets a chance to start over with a clean slate, you too!

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Best of luck to you, @SaltyFish513! I hope all continues to go well for you.

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Specializes in Adult Primary Care.

Good luck with school,!!!! Hoping it will continue to work out for you.

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Well thank you all I have had 3 diagnoses depression with psychotic tendencies bipolar schizo effective and schizophrenia. The one thing apparent is I have a hallucinatory disorder which frequently causes me to act like a but

Fortunately for me and all I care about I had an epiphany it aint real so now I can go back to treating people like they truly are not out to get me.

Even still I have had remissive phases I will probably need remission to get through nursing school and hold down a job as a nurse fortunately I have read and talked to decades long remission patients.

You all sincerely make me want to cry because for the longest time I was convinced for the longest time people were out to get me, and despite the wrong I have done due to this condition and my own choice I get this support thank you.

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I hope you get better soon and get back to work on your goals. ?

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

Recognizing and acknowledging your issues and how to control them puts you ahead of any bipolars, who are notorious for being noncompliant with treatment. I have worked with a number of nurses who I knew had psychiatric issues, and the vast majority were solid nurses whose first-hand knowledge of what others were going through made them more effective.

Then, there was the one who bragged about how well she was doing without her medication, while everyone around her could see the disaster that her nursing care was. She didn't last long.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

That should have read "many bipolars". My bad.

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Specializes in certified orthopedic nurse.

Nursing school can be very stressful, and stressors can aggravate your condition so be very self-aware. You will be dealing with fatigue, sleep deprivation, fluctuating schedules, unfamiliar environments. How have these stressors affected you in the past?

You have no obligation to disclose your illnesses to your instructors, but I suggest that you think about doing so with discretion, so that they can be aware of "red flags" and situations where either you or a patient may be unsafe. Ask for their help in keeping everyone safe.

For your instructors, and for you (and all nurses) patient safety and comfort are the PRIME concern---your needs come secondary to the vulnerable people in your care. So if you "act like a butt" it won't matter that it is a result of your illness, what will matter is that a patient felt threatened or insulted, it might be detrimental to your school career. Schools can and will (and must) make classroom accommodations for disabilities and differences but NOT clinical accommodations.

I am writing these things not to discourage you but to share some reality. Please make sure you are your best, healthiest you before you undertake what could be the hardest few years of your life.

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You are truly amazing. Wishing you all the best! May your remission last forever.

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On 07/12/2019 at 6:11 PM, Orca said:

That should have read "many bipolars". My bad.

No problem oh I recognize Whith our treatment I am dead in the water.

As I said in remission I was a straight a student in an episode its f I think I can expect similar in nursing school and god willing on the job

I intend to stay in treatment for life

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On 7/15/2019 at 8:55 PM, Letters After My Name said:

Nursing school can be very stressful, and stressors can aggravate your condition so be very self-aware. You will be dealing with fatigue, sleep deprivation, fluctuating schedules, unfamiliar environments. How have these stressors affected you in the past?

You have no obligation to disclose your illnesses to your instructors, but I suggest that you think about doing so with discretion, so that they can be aware of "red flags" and situations where either you or a patient may be unsafe. Ask for their help in keeping everyone safe.

For your instructors, and for you (and all nurses) patient safety and comfort are the PRIME concern---your needs come secondary to the vulnerable people in your care. So if you "act like a butt" it won't matter that it is a result of your illness, what will matter is that a patient felt threatened or insulted, it might be detrimental to your school career. Schools can and will (and must) make classroom accommodations for disabilities and differences but NOT clinical accommodations.

I am writing these things not to discourage you but to share some reality. Please make sure you are your best, healthiest you before you undertake what could be the hardest few years of your life.

I agree with this post. Try to get any general Ed classes done before starting a nursing program, this will allow you to focus on your core nursing classes and not have some crazy micro bio project or liberal arts essay to write to get the general Ed requirements done. I got mine all out of the way first, and it made a huge difference I could see from those who still had those to take WITH the nursing courses.

Also, there may still be some part time programs out there, just make sure the are an accredited program. This allows for less hours per week of schooling. It will take longer to complete, but can lessen the overall stress that you would have during the program.

Best of luck.

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