3rd semester.....don't think I am going to make it!

[bella65]

I am in my 3rd semester, and still don't feel confident. I am a nervous wreck and it shows. I got a needs improvement today because I passed meds too slow! Feel so damn depressed. Want to be a nurse, but have no confidence!

[gina1982]

Well, all i can say is you got to find some inner strength within yourself and realize how far you have come and how far you can go from this point. Everyone needs improvement in something, nobody is perfect. You can do it, just believe in yourself. Confidence plays a lot in how you make things for yourself. As that sayin goes, if you think you can, you can, if you dont think you can, then you cant.

[morningland]

I don't think confidence plays that much into being a nurse. You can think you can do something all you want but if you don't have the knowledge or ability to critically think than it's not going to make any difference. I think confidence in nursing is a VERY dangerous thing.

To the OP, go easy on yourself... I am the same way. I don't feel that I have what it takes a lot of the time and I am in my last semester. I have actually just been coming into a place now where I am starting to feel like I know what I am doing. Remember that EVERYONE learns at different paces; some people hear something once and retain it, others need to actually work hands on for a long time before they get comfortable through experience. I think the key is to be PRUDENT and CAUTIOUS until you get to the point that you actually know what you are doing. If you can be a safe nurse up till that point and never perform a procedure or pass a med unless you are clear on what you are doing than you will allow yourself the proper environment to actually develop as a nurse. Then once you pass your boards and become an RN with a couple years of experience under your belt, you can have a confidence that is not just something that you convinced yourself of rather than an actually objective assesment of your skills

Again though... I don't believe in being confident in something until you actually have GROUNDS to be confident. I can tell myself that I am confident that I can ride a horse and jump on it like a fool and fall and break my neck or I can take time to actually LEARN how to ride and than be confident in myself AFTER I actually know what I am doing.