burghnurse

Thank you everyone for your advice and encouragement... it means the world! (and I will continue to look at posts). I survived my first day! It was a good refresher day... on to day 2 hopefully I'll sleep better than I did before day 1 :)

I am starting my first day on the floor (L&D) tomorrow! I am scared! I have been out of school for four months now, and finally got a job where I did my transistions. I thought that would alleviate some of my anixety, but I am freaking out since I haven't been on a hospital floor for over four months... not to mention last week during the nurses orientation they were asking all these situational questions that I was like "uhhhh".... and when the answer was given my reaction was "oh... right"... I just feel like I am so unprepared, even though I am cramming like a champ right now. I have never put an IV in a patient, or even have done a blood draw on a patient, and this will be expected of me--- I know that I will be with a preceptor for awhile, but I am just scared of the unknown... any advice, words of wisdom, or expectations that the floor will have of me for at least the first week??? Thanks :)

I graduated SMSON. There are definitely pros and cons about this school. Classes are taught through "death by powerpoint" lecture style. If you don't have the greatest attention span, or having a computer infront of you tempts you too much watch out :) Different instructors get their questions from different places- you'll figure that out as you go. A con would be the academic support is poor. They'll just tell you to read the book... which isn't really all that helpful all the time. There are good and not so great instructors at the school too, as with any program. Some play favorites, some were just horrible people, but the second level instructors were very fair, accessible and wanted you to learn and succeed. Through the first level I definitely played the smile and nod, you are right I am wrong, to not get on a certain few bad side. They have high expectations of you, some impossible, but you have to just plow through it and learn everything that you can. There were definitely days of tears driving back from clinical, but looking back, I did learn. The only thing that helped me through the course is the bond that our class had. The first level of the school is the hardest. That is where half of our class failed out (Adult I). However, of that half most came back and were successful. And yes some failed by less than a point (heartbreaking!). Some left because of personal reasons, and I think two failed clinical (but were let back in- so there is I guess a little compassion sometimes). A definite pro would be all the clinical experience that we get. I am finding with interviews for jobs unit directors are really happy with SM grads, so they must be doing something right. AND another pro would be the passing the NCLEX rate is 100% for the past two classes. This program is definitely for self-learners, don't expect to have your hand held.