Overwhelmed Student

[NursingStudentStephy]

Hello, everyone! This is my first post and I apologize in advance for any rambling;)

I am finishing up my 2nd semester in a 20 month ADN program and just wanted to see if what I am feeling is "normal". I think it is important for me to say that I do not look at nurses in the same way as the rest of the population...I tend to become awestruck and always have found myself wishing that I could be one of them. By some miracle, I was accepted into a nursing program in the fall and still can not imagine myself as a nurse.

Is this typical? I am a B student and my instructors are very helpful and encouraging...I just find myself waiting for the moment that I screw this up. For example, we were being tested on subcutaneous injections and I drew up a smaller dose than ordered. I did not discover this until I was at the pt's bedside(we have a huge lab with manikins everywhere to practice on), which means I did not pay close attention when doing my 3 checks against the MAR. To me, the fear of medication errors should always be prevalent, and since I made that mistake, maybe I do not have what it takes.

I know that I will graduate knowing a little about a lot of different things, but I constantly feel like I am setting myself up for failure. I f I didn't want this so badly, I am sure it would be different, but this is my dream.

Thanks in advance, everyone:)

[WyndDrivenRain, BSN, RN]

You will be OK!! Try to relax a little. Make sure you do your checks, it is OK to ask another nurse to eyeball it for you or to double check it with you. I'm far -more- concerned about the students and new grads who think they know it all, and are not afraid of making a mistake. Enjoy your Saturday! Do something for yourself for a few hours!

Sue, RN

[Lovelee82]

As a soon-to-be graduate, I can feel your pain. I was more afraid of my tests than I was about skills during my 2nd semester. Like others have said, you will make mistakes. Everyone makes them. Its learning from these mistakes and preventing them in the future seems to count ( to me). I have even corrected a nurse on one occasion about a medication dosage. This is why we do triple checks even if you realized your mistake at the bedside what matters is that you caught it. Practice practice practice, but what I have learned is that you will get your true practice during your first job on your own. I found that working with a real life human who moves and talks to much or whatever the case may be will be your test on your skills which will grow over time. I think most nursing students over think things. But I can tell from your writing that you know your strenghts and weaknesses and this will help your in the future. Good Luck.