Post semester blues

[BertG77]

It's the end of my first semester of my BSN program and though there is a sense of relief, and my grades have all been good, I feel like I have no idea what I learned. Over the holidays, when attempting to explain how things were going to my relatives, I struggled to bring details to mind and sound as if I know what I'm taking about. Though I am chalking it up to my brains being scrambled, burn out, whatever, it is still not a good feeling. I can't help but feel like my confidence is low. Anyone else feel this way at the beginning of their program? End of the semester?

[cocoa_puff]

I'm also in my first semester (almost done!) and I feel that way sometimes. When my relatives ask me "How's school going?", I smile and say "Good" but I can't remember any of the interesting details or anything else at that moment!!!

[sjalv]

You don't really learn anything in the first semester of RN school. That may be a controversial opinion but really, what do you learn? Basic lab values? Signs and symptoms of too much potassium, if you're lucky enough to remember off the top of your head? I can't even remember what I learned in my first semester of nursing school. How to take vitals, maybe? How to insert a catheter? It's not like you're going to be explaining how radical mastectomies are performed after four months of nursing school. This feeling is completely normal. The good thing is that this knowledge is likely resting in your subconscious and will surface when you need it to, like in the clinical setting, but perhaps not when you want to recite it for a family member.

[mrsboots87]

Don't feel bad. Like a the previous poster stated, there really isn't a whole actually learned in first block that can really be applied. It may seem like a lot because it's all new and they throw a lot at you at once. But you basically learn the very basics that will built upon in later semesters. I feel the same after block one, but I am almost done with block 2, and everything from block one is finally clicking with the info from block for application to real life. And I'm sure in next semester, even more will be built on that puts even more pieces together. The good thing is you passed and did well. That will be good when it's time to apply your assessment findings to the med/surg world if block 2. GL

[RunBabyRN]

The first semester is such a blur. It's more about learning a new way of thinking than learning facts and skills. It's kind of the "break you down to build you back up" semester.

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

I still feel this way after every semester, ever. Combination of "wow I totally could have done better" and "now what do I do with this free time" kind of blah.

[ParkerBC,MSN,RN, PhD, RN]

What courses did you take your first semester?

[BertG77]

First semester courses were fundamentals of nursing, nursing research, and last was health assessment.

[BertG77]

Thanks for all the reassurance that I'm not alone in feeling this way.

[katness]

Hello Bert! I'm a Practical Nurse and a senior on the BSN program, and let me tell you, it didn't start to really click until this year on the clinical floor. And there is still so much more to learn! Keep in mind that you are given huge amounts of information that will apply to several different areas of nursing to 1. give you basic knowledge and flexibility to choose various areas in the nursing field and 2. pass the NCLEX. But in my experience as a Practical Nurse, what you will know like the back of your hand is the information pertinent to where you work. If you work in med-surg, you will not remember anything about pediatric nursing, and so on. So, stay encouraged! Honestly, my response to my family anymore (after years of taking health related questions!) is "you should make an appointment with your doctor" lol.

[MissCris]

I'm not even done with my first semester yet (2 more weeks) and I feel this way. I've had more opportunities to practice skills in clinical than some of my classmates have, which I'm thankful for, but I still don't think I've learned very much at all. I'm in an ASN program and I only have 3 more semesters. It's hard to imagine ever being a "competent" nurse at this rate. The trend in every nursing school seems to be that things really ramp up in the second semester when you start covering med-surg, so maybe we'll regret complaining about this later on

[BertG77]

I'm also in my first semester (almost done!) and I feel that way sometimes. When my relatives ask me "How's school going?", I smile and say "Good" but I can't remember any of the interesting details or anything else at that moment!!!

That's how I felt this weekend! It also doesn't help that I was at the house of a family of doctors, one of which is my younger cousin, and that I've always been the black sheep of the family. So, the feelings at part of the family history. I'm just glad to know that this specific phenomenon is not just happening with me.