NancyB

I graduated from nursing school 25 years ago. Originally enrolled in a BSN program, I transferred to an AD program because I wanted to be a bedside nurse. While my AD program gave me more clinical time than the BSN program, I still did not feel that I was adequately prepared to practice as a nurse. I had the ability to assess, plan, and implement care, but lacked some of the clinical skills necessary such as inserting IV's, NG's and foleys. The confidence that I had in myself came from the time I spent working as a nurses' aid while I went to school. However, life has taught me that all learning doesn't take place at the same time and that I will be learning until the day I die. I think that nursing schools understand that not everything can be taught before graduation. What they need to get across to the students is that what they learn in school is only a foundation, that the student will have to build the building. Many hospitals have recognized that the graduate nurse does not have all the skills needed and have established internship and preceptor programs. We need to continue helping new nurses gain confidence in themselves and their newly learned skills so that one day they can pass along their confidence to another new nurse. It just takes practice, practice, practice. A few years ago a new nurse asked me "How did you get so good at starting IV's?" I told her, "Do it for 20 years and you'll get good at it." Let's keep helping each other succeed. Zig Ziglar has said that if we help enough people get what they want, we'll get what we want. And I want to help a lot of other people become nurses so I don't have to take care of my fellow nurses when we are 80 years old.