Starting my last semester of nursing school and I'm TERRIFIED!

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It's been a LONG journey but I'm finally in my last semester of nursing school. I'm excited and terrified at the same time. My question is what is expected of me in clinical since it's my last semester? I know it's not possible to know EVERYTHING but I feel like I should be able to know everything! Nurses have to be almost perfect since people lives are in their hands!

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Nurses have to be almost perfect since people lives are in their hands!
Oh balderdash.

Nobody's perfect, everybody makes mistakes, and very few nursing tasks entail a high probability of life-or-limb outcomes.

You need to be willing to make mistakes in order to actually learn how to do nursing.

Of course you should set high standards for yourself and strive to avoid mistakes but you also need to realize that (a) they happen, and (b) usually no harm is done.

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Oh balderdash.

Nobody's perfect, everybody makes mistakes, and very few nursing tasks entail a high probability of life-or-limb outcomes.

You need to be willing to make mistakes in order to actually learn how to do nursing.

Of course you should set high standards for yourself and strive to avoid mistakes but you also need to realize that (a) they happen, and (b) usually no harm is done.

I know no one is perfect. That's why I said ALMOST. I'm not stupid. I know mistakes happen. I was just excited that's all. Thanks for ruining it.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
I know no one is perfect. That's why I said ALMOST. I'm not stupid. I know mistakes happen. I was just excited that's all. Thanks for ruining it.
OK, go into your last semester "TERRIFIED" and with the belief that nurses need to be "almost perfect" and routinely have "patient's lives in their hands."

There, is that what you wanted to hear?

Even the very good nurses that I've seen are nowhere near "almost perfect" and there are not all that many cases in which nurses are holding patient's lives in their hand. However, if you feel better with your terror and your false beliefs then, by all means, hold on to them very tightly.

My recommendation, instead, is to relax but whatever.

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I suspect you'll get a syllabus with course objectives. I'm surprised at the conflict of emotions here, lol. I'd be stoked to get the heck out of nursing indoctrination.

Nursing schools need to implement the Valium salt lick. I've never met another arena of college students that freak out so much over class.

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Specializes in Lactation.
I suspect you'll get a syllabus with course objectives. I'm surprised at the conflict of emotions here, lol. I'd be stoked to get the heck out of nursing indoctrination.

Nursing schools need to implement the Valium salt lick. I've never met another arena of college students that freak out so much over class.

I'm first in line there!! LOL

OP, I dont think the the first response was there to undermine your worries. I think it was her way of trying to make you feel somewhat better. :-) Relax we are all right there with you stressing out! :lol2:

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You made it this far so you'll definately be fine!! Good Luck on ur last semester of Nursing school!;)

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Actually I was being sarcastic. Forgot sarcasm in text doesn't really work...

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yea you might wanna chill out on the text-sarcasm. . . you're terrible at it.

:smackingf

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Back to the topic at hand :D

I'm going into my last semester, and I'm terrified, also.

My doctor put me on anxiolytics and sleepers to help. We have a new clinical instructor who's a trauma nurse, and if we don't come up to her standards she has no problem failing people. Her standards are perfection. The class before me lost 5 people in the last semester.

~Simmy

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I am also in my last semester of my program. We started with 83 people in the very beginning, went down to 40 by third semester. Now there is 30 or so who remain from the original class. I see it as bitter sweet, yes scary to lose that many peers... But confident that if I've made it this far there is nothing keeping me from the end.

I have my first clinical in ICU this morning.... I'm not scared that "I won't know anything" because that's why I'm there, to learn something new. However, if it were my third rotation on the sane floor, yes, I would assume that the nurses on the floor would hold me to higher standards than just linen changes

You should do fine if you're in the home stretch. Chill out and enjoy the ride ;)

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Specializes in Geriatric.

I am also entering my final semester of RN school, and just as terrified. I'm exctited to be done but at the same time scared that I won't know enough

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