New nurses don't know enough?

nyapa, RN · Apr 30, 2008

One thing to remember: nobody knows everything. We are all learning from someone else, and from experience. Anyone who 'knows everything', is no longer willing to update themselves, and thus shouldn't be nursing.

Two: all ppl started from the beginning, with the rudiments of our profession. Anybody who states otherwise, is fooling themselves.

Three: you may be bringing more up to date knowledge.

Just remember, when you get out there, you will be part of a team. Listen, and learn, practice and read. And share your knowledge; you will be a contributing member, not a passive one.

Nursing is based on respect for each other...

RN1982 · Apr 30, 2008

How can a nurse possibly know everything? The learning doesn't stop after nursing school. It continues.

zimsaint · Apr 30, 2008

It is just like with every other job one may take. You learn the theory of application, then you must actually learn to apply it. I don't think that it is true that "new nurses don't know enough"; they just have to learn the best way to apply their knowledge and to get over the fear of knowing peoples lives are in their hand and of making errors. If we didn't know enough I don't think we would have gotten past nursing school programs and the NCLEX.........THAT WAS NO CAKE WALK!!! :nurse:

slmnewrn07 · Apr 30, 2008

I am a firm believer that with nursing the best learning and training is on the job, you have to put your hands on it, see it, touch it, and sometimes even smell it, lol. You can learn all you can in nursing school, but until you actually see it and know how the apply your skills, its just learned knowledge. For the information to actually stick, you have to be able to apply it to a actual real life situation. If everything happened as it does in text books, life would be much simpler.

Just my :twocents:

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · Apr 30, 2008

I am a new nurse, just got my lic in Jan of 08. I know I dont know "enough". Nursing school barely scratches the surface of what we need to know. I can write an awesome care plan though!! lol. APA style of writing--I can do it in my sleep.

I do know though that I work with in a team, and I ask lots of question and actually listen to the responses.

I have learned more in the past 5mos than i have learned in the past 4years.

I love to hear stories from the Sr nurses who went to nursing school and actually had to live at the hospital. They basically worked round the clock and by the time they were ready to graduate they were actually charge nurses.

In the ideal world nursing school would offer more hands on clinical time, but in reality, look how many nurses we are pumping out in the community each semester. Where are all of those students going to get clinical time? It is just not possible.

GilaRRT · Apr 30, 2008

I am a new nurse, just got my lic in Jan of 08. I know I dont know "enough". Nursing school barely scratches the surface of what we need to know. I can write an awesome care plan though!! lol. APA style of writing--I can do it in my sleep.
I do know though that I work with in a team, and I ask lots of question and actually listen to the responses.
I have learned more in the past 5mos than i have learned in the past 4years.
I love to hear stories from the Sr nurses who went to nursing school and actually had to live at the hospital. They basically worked round the clock and by the time they were ready to graduate they were actually charge nurses.
In the ideal world nursing school would offer more hands on clinical time, but in reality, look how many nurses we are pumping out in the community each semester. Where are all of those students going to get clinical time? It is just not possible.

This is a valid concern IMHO. In fact, I would be the biggest supporter of BSN programs if the focus was on clinical experience with a strong emphasis on the clinical objectives in the classroom. However, it seems that the emphasis is on completing paperwork. While I understand, you need to do a couple of papers and perhaps a presentation every semester, it seems like things are getting out of hand.

In addition, I see much less direct clinical oversite and interaction between nursing students and their instructors. Many times, I will see the instructor simply dump the student off on the floor and let the student figure things out on their own.

With a shortage of qualified nursing instructors and perhaps a lack of resources combined with a mentality that we need to push massive numbers of nurses out into the workforce, I suspect nursing programs are having a very difficult time delivering quality education.

No program will fully prepare every student for the task at hand; however, I think we could be doing a much better job.

SillyStudent, ASN, RN · Apr 30, 2008

I've been talking to a lot of nurses that I know since I have decided to go to school for nursing. I keep hearing over and over again that the new nurses nowadays don't know as much as they should know before starting work.
Is this the case out there? Why is this? It sounds a little scary to think of entering the work force unprepared for such an important job.

Nursing school teaches the theory, clinicals get you comfortable with patients. I have quadrupled my knowledge since I graduated. It was impossible for me to learn all the things I need to function as a nurse during school.

Requirements for graduation from a nursing program have been made more stringent over the years, so it's possible that you will actually know MORE theory than a nurse that graduated 30 years ago would have known when she graduated. The same nurse will have 30 years of valuable clinical experience behind her, so she will be unbelievably knowledgeable. She didn't get all of those smarts out of a book..she worked extremely hard for them for 30 years. :)

Nursing school is only meant to prepare you for basic, beginning nursing practice. Experience makes you proficient. Any experienced nurse that thinks that you should be able to function at THEIR level when you graduate is forgetting all the hard work they did after their own pinning. :)

showbizrn · Apr 30, 2008

Ditto to all the above posts.

:typing

You learn the basics in school---theory and clinical.

You prove your mental application of the knowledge by passing the NCLEX Exam.

THEN, you LEARN how develop your basic tools and knowledge ON THE JOB.

**************************************

ONLY the Hospital Nursing Schools OF THE PAST gave a FULL HANDS-ON educational process.

BUT THAT ERA IS OVER! :bowingpur

Some of us, veterans of nursing, need to GET OVER OURSELVES!

Sorry, darlings.

You didn't have your game tight 100% either---SO STOP BASHING OUR YOUNG!!!

Newbies to nursing need our nurturing, guidance and motivation!

****************************************************

I WELCOME ALL TO NURSING WHO WANT TO BE NURSES!!!

:nurse:

llg, PhD, RN · Apr 30, 2008

This is a valid concern IMHO. In fact, I would be the biggest supporter of BSN programs if the focus was on clinical experience with a strong emphasis on the clinical objectives in the classroom. However, it seems that the emphasis is on completing paperwork. While I understand, you need to do a couple of papers and perhaps a presentation every semester, it seems like things are getting out of hand.
In addition, I see much less direct clinical oversite and interaction between nursing students and their instructors. Many times, I will see the instructor simply dump the student off on the floor and let the student figure things out on their own.
With a shortage of qualified nursing instructors and perhaps a lack of resources combined with a mentality that we need to push massive numbers of nurses out into the workforce, I suspect nursing programs are having a very difficult time delivering quality education.
No program will fully prepare every student for the task at hand; however, I think we could be doing a much better job.

Great post.

I think we can and should be doing a much better job -- in ALL types of entry programs. It's not just the BSN programs that are struggling. There are plenty of lousy ADN and Diploma programs, too. There are good programs and bad programs of every type.

Providing nursing education is expensive -- more expensive than most other types of education because of the need for small clinical groups and extensive time in the clinical setting. As health care has advanced and become more complex, the educational needs of nurses has expanded tremendously. And yet -- we have not expanded the time needed for nursing education. We just keep squeezing more material into the same allotted time. Society has not been willing to invest in spending the money necessary to expand all the programs ... and has not been willing to deal with the political fallout of creating different levels of nurses. Thus, we have the mess that this failure has left us.

RNperdiem, RN · Apr 30, 2008

Back when I started, most charting was on paper and was self-explanatory. As a new grad, I had paper charting figured out quickly.

The nursing computer charting took a 2 day course to learn. There is computerized order entry, computerized lab results. All the passwords and computer wrangling has been added to nursing. I'm still trying to figure it out. How much nursing time has been spent calling the help desk to reset forgotten passwords?

As systems move from simple to complex, there is more to learn on the job.

oramar · Apr 30, 2008

I have been hearing that complaint for at least 20 or more years. Myself, I have been very impressed for most part with new grads. However, a little more clinical time with a little more realistic clinical training won't hurt.