poweringthrough

I was really interested in care management, maybe with an HMO or clinic. I had no wishes going into school for a career in bedside. I do have prior HMO experience from before I got my license. However, there seems to be an ongoing requirement of direct care for at least a year as an RN at every job I apply to. I figured out that I could use my bandage scissors during clinicals at school to open oral meds more easily, but drawing up injections and keeping IVs sterile always end up going rough for me in particular due to my hand jerking involuntarily.

Hello, I am a recent grad who was licensed as of June 2019. I have been looking for a job, but haven’t had a lot of luck. I am trying to avoid bedside due to a hand tremor I have which is noticeable and gets more severe when I am overtired and/or anxious. I am currently on beta-blockers, but this has not made a very big difference . Because of the tremor I nearly was failed in school during my final semester (I was put on academic probation and had to get disability accommodations in order to pass ... it is a long story) but I managed to graduate. However, the instructor who attempted to fail me put the fear of God in me by stating that she hoped I would never go into bedside as a career. Honestly, bedside would not be my choice of field, but it seems that in order to be eligible for a desk job I have to put some time into direct care first. I have been terrified of applying for a bedside job due to my experiences during school. I feel like I would be unsuccessful and possibly even contaminate equipment or hurt someone due to my shaking hands. I have been looking for work now over a year, and so far have had no offers to work other than from home health jobs (which again are bedside jobs). I feel like maybe I wasted my time in school, and am not sure where to go from here. What can I do with shaking hands? Where would I be successful in life? Can I be a nurse at all? Thanks

I see this post has been getting more attention lately. Not sure why, but it’s ok if it’s still helping others. I did take the NCLEX over the summer and passed on my first try! Hooray! I haven’t been able to secure employment yet ( mostly due to my availability), but I do hope to soon. I need to be kinder to myself. I am not my DUI. Though I am guilty of what happened, I did what the justice system asked of me and have been law- abiding ever since. I do want to say that the internet can be a great research tool- or your worst enemy. We all know this. Don’t think that because someone’s individual story turned out one way that this will be your fate also. As nurses, we learn to take things on a case- by - case basis. Such is it with life. Just try not to get stuck in the past and try to do the next right thing every day. Get support around yourself, and don’t see failures as life- ruining events. This is mostly advice to myself, but I do hope it helps someone. You are all loved and someone out there, despite what you think, is on your side and wants to see you succeed. Love and peace to you all today, poweringthrough

Hey all, I thought I would check in since it’s been a few days now. Things went better than expected, and it turns out I borrowed a whole lot of worry over nothing. My ATT came through recently without issue. I didn’t hear from the board at all. I spent a week trying to retain character references, police reports, court records and the whole ten yards in preparation for an epic battle. I let my imagination get away based on other tales of woe I have heard from aspiring nurses on here and in regular life. I don’t know what made the BON hand down my ATT so quickly (and ahead of schedule), but I’m grateful and I don’t plan to dwell on the details. I’m just letting my breath out and going into this knowing my deeds are now an open book to them, and planning on not giving them reason to ever look in my general direction the rest of my career. Here’s to keeping the rest of my life nice and uneventful.

I disclosed the mental illness to the school once I was forced to do so. I didn’t want to , but I had to. School had to check my background through the state in order to perform patient care, so they know about I had a blemish on my record. The state cleared me anyhow. I shared the misdemeanor conviction on my RN application with the board, but not my illness history on advice of my doctors. I doubt the mental illness issues will come up unless the school shares my disability status, but I don’t think they’re allowed to do that, are they?

Hey Tigerlily8, Thanks for your feedback. I have heard about the ordeal that monitored nurses get put through and the expenses associated. I just don’t have a way to keep paying for the monitoring without a job and know the struggles I will face in getting a job if I in fact do get placed (new grad and restricted). Nobody’s mentioned the costs, but I’m sure it’s astronimcal. I just can’t keep throwing money at this problem. I wish the school would have been honest with me before signing up... I wouldn’t have wasted the years and the time and the stress trying to get through this all. I feel like I acccomplished nothing in all of that time. I truly feel sick to my stomach. This was a my second chance. Am I just borrowing trouble? The BON has yet to reply to my application.

Hello all, I recently finished school with my ADN (hooray)! Unfortunately, clinicals were a struggle for me and I had to come clean in my final semester to the dean that I had anxiety/depression/ adhd or risk failing school (long story). I was allowed to continue school under partnership with my college’s students with disabilities office, and found that my performance improved dramatically after giving things a second try. My instructor who said she was laser focused on failing me even admitted that she could find no reason to do so at the close of the semester- and complimented me on my work. I went from nearly failing clinical to getting an A on all of my assignments. I recently applied to the BON for my License. I didn’t disclose my mental health history because I didn’t feel I was a threat to patients as evidenced by the observations of my instructor. I also like to keep my health and all of its issues private due to have been stigmatized and passed over for chances, along with being pigeonholed as incapable. I don’t really think it’s anyone’s business- and my psychiatrist agrees. I actually ran this past my mental health providers and they are the ones who originally suggested that I not say anything to the board. The trouble is, I also have a 12 year old DUI conviction (misdemeanor) which I received before nursing was even a thought in my brain. Even though it’s long behind me, I feel like this compiled with my revealing school records showing I had a mental condition or three is basically like shooting myself in the foot as far as a license goes. Furthermore, as I’ve been unemployed for several years as I worked on school, I don’t have the savings to find a lawyer plus fund a probation program should I be placed into one. Should I just give up at this point and try to find a non - medical job? Note: I live in a state where expungement is not an option.

So I'm in my last semester at school. I started clinicals a couple weeks ago at my local hospital. I was recently chatting with a patient on my floor and found out that I was on the old L&D floor. Unfortunately for me this is the exact L&D floor where I delivered a stillborn, hemorrhaged, and nearly died a few years back. I instantly wanted to get off the floor but stayed professional through my shift. I came home and cried. Next week I went back and tried to do it again. It was awful. Now its really bothering me. I am wondering if I should say something to my instructor but I don't think I will be acommmodated in any way (I base this on some history I'd rather not go into). Not to mention the clas was explicitly told that wecould not trade assignments and had to just accept whatever we got. So what do I do to get through this? Does anyone have suggestions?

Thanks. Do you have any tips about how to plan my day or how to prioritize patient cares?

So what does one do about visible anxiety in clinical? I have GAD, agoraphobia, and panic disorder. I take heavy amounts of SSRIs , Benzos, and other drugs to stay stable ( about 4-5 rx's total right now) . I have been in counseling but can't be right now due to school and family situation. My anxiety was addressed by my clinical instructor in first semester ( I was told to get it under control). I took a semester off to do that, and now I am getting feedback that I am being too anxious again from patients. The fact is that I feel like I can't do any more to get myself under control than what I am doing. I'm three months away from my ADN and my psychiatrist and counselor have both told me to just hang in and get it done. So do I stay? Quit? What's the answer?

Hey all, I am in my final three months as a student and feeling very in need of time managing tips. I'm feeling like I am drowning doing clinicals right now and I only have one patient. Granted I am in a very busy floor, but common sense things like structuring my cares around my med times seem to be taking too long or not occurring to me. My instructor told me today I need to improve. So can someone give me the kindergarten level class on nursing time management please? And please don't ask me to re-evaluate my career choice right now as these details are only about 1/100th of the story. Thanks