My last semester. VERY much burned out.

angellavg · Feb 22, 2005

i know exactly how you feel. i too am in my last semester. graduate may 20 and it can't come soon enough! to top it off, i had surgery the first week of this semester(missed 2 days of school) and everything has just gotten worse since. i got pneumonia(missed 2 days of school) then pleural effusion (missed 4 days of school) and now pleurasy! my youngest son has been sick twice this past week, does it ever end?????? i was going to go on for BSN but i have nixed that idea, too burned out.

nursemike, ASN, RN · Feb 22, 2005

OK, it's official--I'm skipping my 4:00 class! Don't feel entirely well, instructor is kinda paranoid about germs, it's a dumb class, anyway, and I have a nursing exam tomorrow. But I had perfect attendance through pre-regs and my first semester, and I wouldn't have dreamed of just taking a day off (well, half a day--I did go to clinicals) until this year. I bailed on sociology a few times, last semester, and by golly, it's liberating!

I, too, will be deferring that BSN for awhile. My Dad and my cats are my only immediate family, but I've neglected them a lot the past couple of years. When I'm making good money working three nights a week, I plan to make up for some of that. Plus, I really think a year or two of floor experience will allow me to go back with a much clearer picture of what I need to learn. Plus, I'm really, really, really, really sick of school. At this point, I'm not all that excited about becoming a nurse and making a difference in people's lives, or earning three times as much as I am, now, or advancing the profession, or...much of anything, except that in 12 more weeks I won't have to go to school any more!

The sad part is, I understand why it has to be this way. I hate careplans with a white-hot flaming passion, but I see why they are important. I loathe everything about clinicals, except the patients, but I wish I had more of them. I feel like my brain has been totally overloaded with information I can't possibly remember, but I can't think of any of it I don't need to know.

I'm up to my ears in student loans, I've sacrificed all of my free time for the last two years and even put my own health in a holding pattern. I'm glad I did it. This may be one of the best things I've ever done. But I swear if I had it two do over, I'd be learning to drive big rigs.

And people say nursing school is the easy part. Ay, carumba!

MarySunshine · Feb 22, 2005

I agree with everything Mike said. If I could push a button and skip these next few weeks of my life I'd to it in a heartbeat.

NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2005

I have really bad senioritis right now. NOT a good thing to have when the content is Critical Care. I have a care plan due tomorrow morning at 6:30 am. I am about one eighth finished . . . . and I'm on allnurses.com.:innerconf I'm really sick of them. I really don't think they are needed in the last semester. If I don't know how to do a careplan now and I'm graduating in 10 weeks, I have a REALLY big problem. :rolleyes: Thank God I'm past my burnout stage. That was last semester. I really didn't care if I passed or failed. My friends and family kept telling me "Yes, you do!" Now, I do care and I really like what we are studying. I just need to give myself a kick in the keister to do my work. :selfbonk: This will work too!

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 22, 2005

Hang in there. I remember this feeling, too, in my final semester. Remember, you have only WEEKS to go! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

adboehnen · Feb 22, 2005

I am a New Graduate taking my NCLEX in 6 days. I too was burnt out from nursing school, and I am very, very nervous about the NCLEX. Graduation was a wonderful moment, and I am still gleaming from it. Stick in there....and when the time comes to cross the stage, savor every moment of it. All of the grueling studying and preparation is worth it. I'm now making $25/hour, and I love my job!

webblarsk · Feb 22, 2005

I remember feeling the same way. I just kept telling myself it wasn't much longer and so worth it! Good luck to you!

LilRedRN1973 · Feb 23, 2005

I'm RIGHT THERE WITH YOU......I want to rip all my hair out when I think of all the assignments due this semester. I'm convinced they're trying to kill us. And if I hear ONE MORE instructor say that we made it through all the "hard semesters", I'm going to vomit. This semester is over on April 29th, which means it's far shorter than any other semester we've had so far. But the ironic thing is we have much more to do this semester.

We have this huge presentation due in Psych that is supposed to be 45 min EACH, another presentation called our Leadership Project, which we are supposed to be working on all semester long and then present at the end, another individual presentation in Psych, 3 care plans, 3 critical flowsheets (mini care plans) two patient teaching topics, 2 SOAP notes, journaling after every clinical, tickets to class (assignments that if not done, we can't come to class), resume writing, researching articles, attending the legislature to hear the nurses speak, case studies due every week, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. That doesn't include class from 8am to 4:30pm on Tuesday and Thursday, and then 12 hour clinicals once a week. Oh, I forgot all the damn bake sales, extra lectures, guest speakers on our days off from class, and NSNA events....sigh.

I am trying to take things one day and one assignment at a time. I can't really do homework at work anymore now that I'm taking two patients each night. When it was just one patient (I'm in the ICU), I had time here and there to work on assignments or go see cool procedures. But now that I have a full patient load (sounds weird describing two patients as a "full patient load", my night is pretty full and busy for the most part. I'm not complaining because I get paid almost $17 an hour as an Apprentice Nurse and I love all the experience I'm getting. But I've definitely had to cut down my work schedule this semester, which has affected our financial status. (lemme see....electricity or heat this month? ROFL)

It's also really difficult because with a 5 year old and an 8 year old, and a husband who works 12 hour night shifts and goes to school 3/4 time, my calender is ridiculous. I can't even keep up with myself sometimes!! I don't know whether I'm coming or going. I think I average about 4-5 hours of sleep a night....thank God I've never needed much sleep!

But you know what keeps me going? I owe my dad almost $20,000 and my dentist and periodontist $12,000!!! That's enough incentive to keep my butt in check when it comes to assignments and studying. Also, I just signed my contract for a position in the ICU and that's motivation as well....knowing that I have a job when after walking across that stage on May 24th. But there are days when I question why the hell I'm doing this....LOL.

Sorry to make this post into a friggin' book....guess I needed to vent a little bit. My hubbie is kind of tired of hearing about my "busy school schedule" since he's been listening to it for almost 2 years now!

Melanie :rotfl:

HappyNurse2005, RN · Feb 23, 2005

Me, too!!!!! I graduate May 13th, final exam is May 2nd!!. Including today, I have 30 days of class or clinical left. Calendar days-68 calendar days til final exam.

I dread school. I am in a clinical observation today (interventional radiology) and I still dont want to go. I hate waking up at 5am. I hate school nowadays. Studying sucks, tests suck. I have to do a presentation to my class sometime soon. Hey! It's supposed to snow tomorrow-maybe I'll get a day off? But thenyou have to make it up. THere is nothign about school that is fun anymore. I can't wait to be done. I am so tired. (hey, I'm also 7 months pregnant, too. and I have a 4 year old and 2 year old).

ON the bright side, I just sent in my NCLEX application (and got confirmation it was received and processed) and my application for a Virginia nursing license. Together they set me back $330, thank goodness its tax time.

Spring break is in 1.5 weeks. Maybe i'll sleep all week. Nah-I'll study. I don't want to, but this close to the end and I'm quite afraid of failing and having to do this all again