Nursing in the REAL world

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Family medicine.

Hello fellow nurses:

I am a nursing student (level 1) and was curious to know how it was for y'all after you were done with school? At the rate I am going I feel I won't make it as a nurse. I love what I do and what I have learned so far (if I have even learned anything?), but as many know, nursing school is unorganized and all over the place. Just want to know y'alls experience once you were on the field. I appreciate any tips, experiences, or advice you may have.

SN: I try to be as organized as possible, I study, get my work done, and do the best I can. Don't want y'all thinking I am lazy ?

Thank you! ?

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Hello, Ebenitez!

We're talking over 37 years ago, but I felt and believed that both the LPN and RN nursing programs were rather well organized. It seems to me that the programs gave me the basics of what to expect and through association and repetition, over time I was able to perform at least adequately.

What you could be sensing, Ebenitez, is all the information being thrown at you is chaotically not understandable, like dumping out the pieces of a puzzle onto a table. As we sort through and examine the pieces, we can eventually put them into place and see the whole picture- the completed, put together, puzzle.

Nietzsche said something along the lines of "Out of chaos comes order". The emotional feeling, usually anxiety, of perceiving no order to things will stimulate us to act. We respond by actively pursuing a systematically understandable world.

I appreciate your problem solving process here, Ebenitez. You've identified the problem of chaos, and are now in the data gathering stage. More data will come your way, and you will utilize this data to eventually make a decision on what course of understanding you wish take.

Good luck and well wishes to you!

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

Back in the '60s they used to make these novel coin banks out of lucite. You would drop a handful of random coins in the top, and they would fall down their various slots and organize themselves into stacks of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. I haven't seen one of those in a very long time.

When I started nursing school (a bit later than the '60s, thank you very much) my brain used to feel like one of those coin banks, with a load of coins freshly dumped in the top. It took a while for everything to gradually sort itself out and fall into its proper slots.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
13 hours ago, Davey Do said:

like dumping out the pieces of a puzzle

3 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:

like one of those coin banks

All Hail the King and Queen of Analogies !

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

For me, nursing school was a bit different. Even at the time, I used the analogy of a marching band. I was always on my left foot when everyone else was on their right. I felt like I was always a little out of step and trying to get in sync with the others.

I never quite got in perfect step. But I graduated ... and got a job ... and have worked as a nurse for over 40 years now.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Family medicine.

I really appreciate all the input. I can definitely agree that some of the pieces of the puzzle start making sense with time. It is just that as I am going through the program, I find myself asking.. "Am I even going to be able to be a nurse? Will I have the skill? I don't want to kill or hurt anyone!" I truly just want to be a great nurse and help people.

I will keep pushing forward!

Thanks!

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
18 hours ago, Ebenitez said:

I really appreciate all the input. I can definitely agree that some of the pieces of the puzzle start making sense with time. It is just that as I am going through the program, I find myself asking.. "Am I even going to be able to be a nurse? Will I have the skill? I don't want to kill or hurt anyone!" I truly just want to be a great nurse and help people.

I will keep pushing forward!

Thanks!

The fact that you even question yourself is a good sign. And the fact that you keep pushing forward is an even better one.

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