Practical Nurses in an emergency... help!

[FuturePN]

So I'm 2 weeks out from the end of school. Last day is January 11th, and graduation is January 25th. (YES!!!!)

How prepared should I feel for an emergency? I'm a good student and feel like I understand the concepts really well. I've also worked as a medical assistant for 10+ years and have been part of a code twice (only because I was first to respond with the provider both times) however because I was a medical assistant my role was exclusively to take vitals, hook up the EKG etc... all things I felt totally comfortable with.

I'm just curious when people start to feel "comfortable" in an emergency. We haven't had any training in school in regards to specific emergencies. Our last 2 days of clinical we are learning how to insert IVs but even then I wont be officially licensed until i sit for a separate exam. I'm just getting nervous that one day I'll be in an emergency situation and I don't know what to do with myself. I'm terrified that someone will say "oh good! you're a nurse!" and i'll be fairly clueless. I'm in MA and we (LPNs) aren't allowed to push meds- so i wouldn't be the med nurse or anything like that I don't believe. I know all the basics obviously, but nothing really beyond that. I know in a hospital/office situation there would be providers there and protocol to follow. I guess I'm more worried that i'll be out somewhere in public and someone drops and- holy crap. Obviously your ABCs, etc. But I just don't know how to feel more comfortable. Does it just come with time? Should I just go on and take an ACLS class so i feel more comfortable? Is this something I should be more comfortable with by now?

thanks!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Generally, it takes at least one if not 2-3 years for one to become competent as a nurse (look up Benner's theory). Personally, I'd rather have a new grad who is nervous than a new grad who thinks they're ready for anything. The nervous new grad knows they have a lot to learn. Absolutely nothing wrong with being nervous as a new grad, as long as you can "fake it until you make it" with patients. It's rare you'll be handling an emergency by yourself- there's other staff, EMS, 911 operators who have guides to help walk people through things. Out in the general public, you can't really respond as a nurse- you aren't going to have the resources or the training to act as a first responder. You can only act as a bystander would- call 911, compressions if needed, basic first aid (applying pressure to a bleeding wound, etc).