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I'm licensed in Massachusetts and I was never asked anything about my mental health when applying for a license. Before you panic, I would say go to your state's board of nursing website and do some research. If you can't get any answers there, I would find a professor at your school (that you trust.. maybe your academic advisor? or the psych nursing professor?) and ask them if they know anything about this. If all else fails you could ask your doctor or therapist (if you have one) to help you, they would have your best interest in mind and I'm sure they would advocate for you if need be. Best of Luck! -Erin

Thanks SO MUCH to all three of you for your responses. I really appreciate your insight and I will keep all this in mind!

Hey everyone, I'm a brand new nurse (BSN) looking for a job in the Boston area. I have some upcoming interviews at long term care facilities, some which provide Alzheimer's care. I'm nervous because of the many horror stories I've heard about patients and families being abusive towards staff (Alzheimer's/Dementia patients or not). I am a survivor of physical and emotional child abuse and suffer from PTSD and Social Anxiety as a result. I would like to ask my interviewers about how the administration supports nurses who are abused in the workplace. It is really important to me that I am supported by my superiors if I were to end up in this type of situation. I know that memory impaired patients can be violent (but not on purpose) and it kinds of comes with the territory. Therefore I would probably not accept a job on an Alzheimer's unit. But regardless, does anyone think my question is an unreasonable one to ask during an interview? I do not want to disclose my diagnoses, but I feel like a nursing director's answer to this question might be a good way for me to gauge if a particular nursing home is one that I will be supported at. Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated -Erin

Hey :) Just wanted to let you know I'm feeling similar to the way you are feeling right now. I just graduated with my BSN and I'm trying to find a job in the Boston area. I also have Social Anxiety Disorder. I can definitely relate to you when it comes to the financial piece of trying to afford mental health treatment. I currently cannot afford my medications, but it is a little motivating for me to push myself harder to get a job by putting myself out there, so I can afford those medications. It's been a constant struggle for me all through nursing school to just get myself to walk into a patients room and say hello and take their vitals. I found that it was very, very hard at first because I expected every patient to be mean and horrible to me (I'm a child abuse survivor and have some PTSD as a result). But I found that each experience I had gave me a little more confidence and now I don't have much anxiety at all before going into a patient's room. In my four years I only had one patient who was kind of a jerk to me, but thankfully I had an amazing instructor who helped me deal with the patient and the aftermath of dealing with him. Through my therapy the last few years I've learned that a lot of social anxiety can be improved through exposure therapy. It takes time, but you can slowly give yourself little challenges to build your confidence and move on to more anxiety provoking tasks. As far as looking for jobs goes, even applying online was anxiety provoking for me, so what I did was I had my sister sit with me while I worked on an application and if I felt nervous about something I would tell her what I was feeling. Having her reassure me really helped me relax and push forward with the application. As far as references go, I think you would be surprised how many of your instuctors and professors remember you. I remember I was SO anxious about asking for references but once I sat down and emailed each person individually (with my sister next to me for support) I managed to send out the emails and got great responses back (Of course I remember you, etc). It's okay to acknowledge to the person that you were very quiet during school, chances are they will understand that (if they are an empathetic nurse as they should be, they will understand, if not, they probably aren't someone you'd want a reference from anyways). Just remember the challenges you have faced regarding your social anxiety. That can be extremely empowering as it makes you more empathetic and compassionate, so don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. You may have to work harder than others when it comes to coming out of your shell, but you have the potential to be a great nurse, just like anyone else. I'm always here to chat, you are not alone! -Erin

Thank you for posting the article! I'd have to agree that this is a huge problem that is hardly ever addressed. I see the lasting effects of an ICU stay nearly every day as my boyfriend was a patient there when he was about seventeen. He put his arm through what they call "fire glass" and tore the median vein in his forearm. He ended up in hypovolemic shock and was intubated and restrained in the ICU. He's 22 now with a vein graft and skin graft, extensive scarring and nerve damage, but I notice the psychological trauma he experienced is what gets in the way of his everyday functioning. To put it simply, he has this near constant compulsion to clear his throat. He says he feels like there's something constantly caught in his throat. He also refuses to swallow anything that he can't spend a minute or two chewing on (like pills or tiny ice cream toppings like sprinkles or "jimmies"). I don't blame him at all, but it's really hard to watch people stare at him when he clears his throat in public, I just wish people could understand.

1. I had to retake both A+P I and Organic chemistry. I thought it was the end of the world and I figured I'd never make it through the actual nursing courses. Turns out I was acutally pretty good at nursing exams. I even passed MedSurg II and Psych while dealing with a major depressive episode (ironic I know). It was one of the darkest times of my life and I somehow pulled through. It's all about perseverance, so don't worry if you have to retake classes. 2. I did not take any remedial or pre-prep classes. 3. It took me four years total to finish, including two summers. I just received my BSN last month. 4. It took me about two years to do all my pre-reqs, including one summer. Good Luck! You can do it :)

1. WHEN IS YOUR START DATE? 2 WHAT STATE ARE YOU IN? 3 PROGRAM (lpn,adn,bsn)? 4 WHAT IS THE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU ARE HOLDING ONTO RIGHT NOW? 5. WHO IS YOUR GREATEST MOTIVATION TO COMPLETE NURSING SCHOOL? 1) Start: September 8th 2) Boston, MA - Simmons College 3) BSN program.. I'm starting my third year but this is going to be my first year of actual nursing classes, first two years were just pre-reqs 4) "Take it one day at a time." 5) My greatest motivation is to get out of my currently family situation. My father is an alcoholic and it really tears me apart that I can't help him (he's still deep in denial) so I really want to make it as a nurse so I can help those who are willing to accept help. Good Luck Everyone!

What I like to do is rewrite my notes on notecards (notes from lecture and anything from the textbook). I'll punch a hole in the top corner of each card and put it on a metal ring. That way I can study anywhere (on the train, at a sport event, during lunch, etc.) and not have to worry about losing any of them or lugging around a huge binder full of notes. Color coding for all your classes helps a lot too. Hope this helps!

Hi! I just wanted to say that I had planned on becoming a PA, but decided on nursing once I learned more about the difference between nursing and medicine. I really learned a lot about how nursing really is its own field and nurses have a really different, holistic approach with treating patients. I highly suggest you shadow a nurse in your local hospital. That's what I did and I fell in love. My ultimate goal is to become a mental health nurse practitioner so I'm really happy that I know nursing is my calling. Hope that helps! Good luck!!!

That's awesome, congratulations! I start my BSN program in 9 days! So excited!

I just want to say that I'm starting my 4 year BSN program this September and I'm just as scared as you are. I'm 18 years old, right out of high school, don't have children, but I'm afraid I won't make it through either. I really admire anyone that is a mother and a nursing student at the same time. I think you have a lot of courage and if nursing is your dream then don't let anything stop you. I've really used this site for support and got tips from people who've been through school already so, I'm feeling a bit better about starting this fall. I just keep telling myself that if I want it, I can have it. Keep your head up, you arn't alone. :nuke:

Hey everyone! Everything is all set for me to start my 4 year BSN program this fall. I've always wanted to be in the medical field and now that I'm getting closer to fulfilling my dream I'm starting to worry. I watch this show on the Discovery Channel called Trauma: Life in the ER and, as you may know, they show some pretty graphic stuff. It doesn't bother me too much on TV, but I really don't know how I'm going to react seeing that stuff RIGHT in front of me. I'm going to Simmons in Boston and there they start clinicals during the sophomore year. I know clinicals are going meant to teach you things and I am very confident in my schools nursing program, but I just don't know if I'll freeze up, cry, or run away screaming when I see something like that. I'm starting to question my decision to become a nurse before I've even started! It seems pretty rediculous to me, but I'm just scared. I tend to run away from things I'm scared of, but this can't be one of them. I've put so much time and money into getting ready and paying for school. Does anyone have any advice or insight to offer? Thanks.

This was the only nursing school I applied to. I applied to bridgewater state and plymouth state university in new hampshire for social work. Simmons kept nagging me to apply and they gave me a free application so I applied and got accepted. I've always wanted to go into nursing, but thought I couldn't do it after I did terrible in my chem class. When I visited Simmons assured me that I'll get the help I need when it comes to chem. My high school teacher was horrible.. he didn't stay after for extra help at all. So, yeah it's funny how it all worked out. :)

I loved the school so far. I went to one of the president's brunch things and I loved everything that I saw. It's definitely the school for me. I didn't go on a tour so I didn't see the dorms yet. I'm doing an overnight in a few weeks so I can't wait! I already sent in my deposit so I'm sooo excited!

yup same here. they only gave me 20,000 total in aid and thats like half of what it'll cost to attend and live on campus. i hate money. I love the school and program so much so, i really want to go. I'm just going to do whatever it takes to go there.. it's better than paying less and not being happy at school.