karlymarie

I felt the same way when I first started nursing. I worked in a nursing home at the time, and went from being the best CNA to the worst LPN literally overnight! It was extremely difficult for me. I had panic attacks daily and vomited every morning before work due to the crippling fear that I chose the wrong path. I seriously considered dropping out of nursing school. Thankfully, I stuck with it. I am now an RN in the PACU at a hospital, and I absolutely love it! I have been here for 5 years now, and I do not plan to leave anytime soon. My best advice is to find your niche and you will love nursing! That's what makes nursing so great, there are so many options! You will get there too! Praying for you!

When I was getting ready to start nursing school and was taking prerequisites still, a very wise professor gave us all some advice. I believe it was the first day of anatomy and physiology. He asked how many of us were going into the nursing program, and most of the class raised their hands. He said, "I'm going to give you all some advice. Make sure you have a strong support system. Especially you women. I mean families too, not just husbands and boyfriends. You will be surprised how many relationships won't last through nursing school. Many men see their women getting educated and getting good jobs. Sometimes they even start making more money than their men. They go to work with doctors. A lot of times the men can't handle it. They want you to stay dumb and poor so you'll need them. If you are smarter than them and make more money than them they feel like you don't need them anymore. They are scared you're going to leave them for a doctor or something. Who knows. They might stay, but a lot of them can't handle that. Trust me. This is going to be the hardest thing you will ever do. Make sure you have a support system that will always be there." Fortunately, my relationship was and is still strong. Without support, it would have been near impossible though. Maybe your husband is one of those men that just can't handle the thought of his wife being more educated and making more money than him. Maybe he is afraid you are going to find someone better. Maybe he is afraid because you won't need him anymore and will be able to survive on your own. Now is the time to ask some tough questions. Will he be able to be happy if you are a nurse? Or will he always feel insecure because you make more money and worry about you meeting some better suited at work? Are the two of you able to work through these next few trying years? If not, maybe it's time to find another source of emotional support. Don't postpone nursing school any longer! Do it now! I wish I wouldn't have waited as long as I did. Don't put your life on hold for anyone else. You have a right to pursue your dreams and a responsibility to become what you are called to be. Good luck. Prayers and happy thoughts for both you and your husband during this trying time.

I think in our ICU they take 2 or 3 patients regardless if they are vented or not. If vented patients have an ICU bed they don't even come to PACU. In general, the vented patients we get are usually traumas or being upgraded because they're unstable. They are usually in PACU waiting for a bed. Occasionally we get someone that's just not ready to be extubated yet. We give them a little more time and eventually extubate in PACU. Vented patients are not all that common. We usually only get one or two a week. We are fortunate to have enough staff to allow a 1:1 ratio with vented patients. Sometimes we only have 1 stable patient as well just because they are coming out of OR slowly. We usually only keep a patient in PACU for 45 minutes to an hour as long as they are stable and have a bed.

I worked as a CNA in a nursing home for 4 years before becoming a nurse. I loved it and excelled at it. I was everyone's "favorite" CNA. I just knew I would be a great nurse too! After the first year of my nursing program, I took the state boards to become an LPN. I continued working at the same nursing home and had a very rude awakening! I was extremely slow and lacked confidence. I didn't have time to really talk to or connect with any of my residents anymore. I felt like nothing more than a pill pusher. I felt like I went from being the best CNA to the worst nurse overnight. I dreaded going to work so much that I had panic attacks daily. I questioned my decision to go to nursing school and worried that I was going into debt for no reason. I thought seriously about quitting nursing school many times. I cried a lot. I stuck with it though. I got faster at passing meds. I got better at time management. I started to become better at my job, and I even started to enjoy it a little. After becoming an RN I got into the PACU at a level one trauma center that was the only hospital I ever applied at. At the time I wasn't sure where exactly in the hospital I wanted to work, but I applied for every available position for months. When I finally got the call for PACU I was skeptical. I told myself if I didn't like it I could always transfer to a different floor. The first year was extremely difficult. I had so much to learn that they don't teach in nursing school. Most of all I had to learn to trust myself and my instincts. I have been in the Recovery Room for four years now, and I absolutely love it! Doctors and CRNAs tell me all the time that I am a great nurse and they are happy when I get one of their patients. I feel like I have truly found my calling. I look forward to going to work now. We have a strict 1:2 nurse to patient ratio (1:1 if the patient is vented). The hardest part is seeing all of the pain. The best part is that you feel like you actually accomplished something at the end of the day. You get a patient that may be unstable and in a great deal of pain. Then you get to ease their pain. Once they are stable you get to send them on their way to continue healing. It really gives you a sense of closure. At the nursing home I always felt like I should have done more. There was always an incomplete task to pass onto the next shift. Sometimes it would still be waiting when I came back the next day. I hated it. One of the greatest things about nursing is the fact that there are so many different areas of specialty. If you hate one thing, you can always try something else. Hopefully you will be as fortunate as I was and find something you love! My advice is to stick with it. Becoming a nurse is without a doubt the best thing I have ever done!

Quick results are in...I PASSED!!! I'm so excited to sign my name with an RN after it today at work!

I took the test yesterday. I finished in about 45 min. with 75 questions. I got the good pop-up and feel confident that I passed. I didn't study at all for the most part. I have only been out of school for about a month and I did very well in all of my classes and on the hesi. I started freaking out the day before the test and did a few practice questions. My boyfriend drove me to the testing center about 1.5hrs away, and I briefly looked over some general information like lab values and stuff on the way. Overall, I don't really think studying helps much. As long as you know how to dissect the questions and figure out what they are asking you should be fine. I felt like I didn't really know the answers to most of them, but I made educated guesses by ruling others out. My advice is to try your best to relax before the exam. Get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. Try not to worry and have confidence in your abilities. If you made it through nursing school, you obviously know your stuff. Trust your instincts and good luck!

Well, I only had 75 questions and I got the good pop-up! I'm pretty confident that I passed. Thanks for the positive thoughts! I'll let you know when it's official! Now I need to get some sleep because I have an interview tomorrow for my first hospital job!

I'm freaking out a little right now. My test is at 2pm. I was in the 97th percentile on my exit hesi, and I consistently scored well on all hesi exams I've taken. I made it through nursing school with all 4.0s. But I haven't studied for NCLEX at all! I did some practice questions last night, but I don't really feel like that helped. I am confident in my test-taking abilities for the most part, but now I'm starting to regret not studying. I'm afraid that I'll fail just because I didn't study, and I've never failed anything before. I graduated from nursing school about a month ago, so it hasn't really been that long. I studied for the NCLEX-PN last year and didn't feel like it made a difference at all. I hope all goes well today. Prayers are always appreciated though! Thanks!

Thanks. I know that being a nurse doesn't have much to do with grades at all. I found that out the hard way when I started working as an LPN and felt like I had no idea what was going on. I was so sure that it would be an easy transition form CNA to LPN, but I was wrong. After a few months I am slowly getting better though, and I'm confident that one day I'll be a great nurse. Right now I have to just be OK with not killing anyone and making sure I pass all of my meds. I am a notorious perfectionist, and it is hard for me to settle for "just OK" even if I am trying my best. I am trying though. I am also trying not to be so hard on myself, but I am my biggest critic. Sometimes I think I'm just afraid that if I don't get a 4.0 that means I don't know the material, and ultimately I won't know what to do in a critical situation. I'm sure my instincts will guide my decisions in such a situation, but I still want to be as prepared as I can. I know it will be fine though, and I am over that test now and moving on. Thanks for the feedback!

I am in the second year of my ADN program. I received my LPN license in August, and I finished my first year with straight 4.0s. I just took possibly the easiest test of my entire nursing school career and earned my worst grade! I still passed, but I did not get a 4.0. I know I shouldn't care, but several other students in my class that usually just skim by did get 4.0s. I have been trying to rationalize it by thinking that I probably didn't study like I should have. I have also been sick for the past week and working more hours. I've never had a problem before though. The thing that bothers me the most is that I knew it was an easy test and I over-thought many of the questions and changed some of my answers. It's so frustrating that I ace the hardest tests and bomb the easy one! I hope this is not going to become a trend because I only have two more weeks of this class left. It is my personal goal to finish with a 4.0, and I intend to. I know I should just let it go and be grateful that I still passed, but I needed to vent a little.

This makes me not feel so bad! I received my LPN license in August and I have been working about 1-2 days a week since then. I was an aide in this nursing home for the past four years, and I thought the transition to nursing would be easy. I was wrong! I've only gotten out on time once since I've been a nurse, and I have never taken a lunch. Sometimes it takes me 3-4 hours for a single med pass. I feel completely inadequate and very frustrated! I'm currently in school finishing my ADN, and I've begun to question my career choice. Everyone at work says I'm doing fine, but it seems like they always have to pick up my slack. I hate it! It feels like I went from being the best aide to the worst nurse. Everyone tells me it takes time, and that's what I tell myself every day. Sometime I just want to cry though because I'm so overwhelmed. I haven't killed anyone yet, so I guess that's something positive. I just thought I would catch on a lot faster than I am. I'll pray for you if you pray for me! Good luck!

Thanks for the encouragement. I plan to go to a hospital once I get my RN. I think I'd love ICU or something with fewer patients so I can actually care for them properly while using my nursing skills. I feel so incompetent at work because I just don't have the time to spend with my patients. I know it will get better with time, but I'm still frustrated right now. I had a great day on Sunday. I was working on a hall I had gotten used to, and I got out on time. I felt so confident and I really liked it. Then yesterday I was on a hall I had never been on with all rehab patients. It was HELL! Their families wouldn't leave me alone, and it seemed like I couldn't get anything done because I was always on the phone, writing an order or something. I think I finished my 9am med pass around noon. Then I had a stack of charting and orders to note. I couldn't do any of that though because I had to start my noon med pass. I was supposed to get out at 3:15 but was there until well after 5, and I still didn't get everything done. I didn't cry, but I sure wanted to! I don't hate nursing, I just hate not feeling confident about what I'm doing. I strive to be the best, but I feel like I suck right now. I feel like my patients deserve better than my minimal nursing skills.Also, they have been working me on first shift and I belong on second. I have always been on second and feel much more comfortable with the people on second. Tonight I worked second and I was on that same hall from hell. My coworkers took pity on me and did most of my paperwork. I am so thankful for them, but I feel bad that they had to pick up the slack for me. I just keep telling myself it will get better. I only have to work one more day on first, and then I'm on second permanently. I can't wait!

I received my LPN license at the end of August. I am working in the same nursing home that employed me as a CNA for four years. I thought the transition would be easy and I was so eager to start working as a nurse. Well, I hate it. I have never felt so slow and clueless in all of my life. I excelled in school, but it is taking me so long to get the hang of nursing in "the real world". I am always staying over for about an hour to finish up paperwork and treatments. It takes me about 3-4 hours to do my morning med pass. I feel like a complete failure and a terrible nurse. I'm only working a couple days a week, but it still seems like I should have the hang of it by now. Everyone at work is very encouraging, but I feel like I went from being one of the best aides to the worst nurse in the building. It's like I don't have time to be a good nurse, and all I can do is pass my meds and do the minimum amount of charting to squeak by. I am an overachiever/perfectionist in general, and I HATE not doing a good job. I'm currently in school finishing my RN, and I have plans to continue beyond that to BSN and possible NP. I am so scared that I'm doing all of this hard work in school and I'm going to hate my career. How long did it take everyone else get the hang of it and feel comfortable in your role as a nurse? I need some encouragement, thanks!

I finally have a test date, August 18th! I'm so excited and very confident that I will pass. I am currently employed as a CNA in a nursing home, but I have been promised an LPN job as soon as I get my license. I go back to school on September 4th to start my RN program. I am hoping to start working as an LPN before I go back to school. Is that a realistic aspiration? It took so long for me to get a test date that I'm not sure. I would just like to know how long it took everyone else to get their paper license in the mail after testing. I live in Michigan. Thanks for the help!

Hi everyone! I'm from Flint, and I just finished my first year in June. I go to Mott Community College, and I chose it because everyone I work with says they turn out the best nurses in the area. I'm still waiting to test though, and I'm getting frustrated! I start the RN program in September, and I had hoped to be a real LPN by then. My school is taking forever to send my certificate to the state, but hopefully I can test in the next few weeks. My best advice to all of you new students is to study NCLEX practice questions as much as you can. I found that it really helped me excel my classes and get 4.0s. Here is a link to a great site, or you can just google NCLEX practice questions. Medical-Surgical Nursing Your social life will suffer, but it will be worth it. The time does go by fast, although when your in the middle of it all it seems like it will never end. I loved it though. Nursing school is hard work, but with a little determination, you will succeed!