Today after clinical I broke down in Tears!!:(

Nursing Students LPN/LVN Students

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I just don't know if I can do this. I am graduating in 6 weeks in the LPN program and I have 5 days of rotation on a Pediatric Floor in a major hospital. This was my 2nd day of clinical for it. I just honestly feel completely lost. I don't know if it's my program or what, but all we did today was pass medication.....that's it. I have never once put in a foley before, I have changed a dressing maybe 2 times, I have maybe given a shot 1 time...... that's it. I don't know nursing at all. Today I was giving meds and my instructor asked me about 3-4 medications that this patient was scheduled to take, and I had no idea, all i knew was that one was for pain and the others were laxatives. She drilled me with more questions and I just didn't know it. Also I'm SO nervous during clinical I am AFRAID. Maybe partly because i'm shy but mainly because i don't feel confident at all! During pre conference in clincal she drills me with more questions and I have no idea. I feel dumb and I don't know if maybe it's because I'm not real strong in science or what, but I can't seem to do this. During clinical she pulled me to the side and said that I should know what these medications were and also how all the labs and everything tie into the patient. I just didn't know nursing is so much science. If I would have known that I wouldn't have gone into it. I would have became an accountant or something because i love math.

I want your honest opinion here, I don't want people to just say "oh you can do it!" when honestly, maybe I should know everything a nurse does by now since I'm practically graduating in 6 weeks. I'm just thinking about quitting I am soooooooooo down right now. What do you think? I'm one inch away from quitting.

I think the main problem is that I hate Science, always have always will. And then I get so dang nervous when she asks me questions...i can't even think straight. The hospital is just one big nervous breakdown for me. but for the most part i'm dumb in science and it will never change. I don't know what else to go into...i feel like i've wasted my college experience. I am just so depressssed right now. I'll probably just stick it out, and if my instructor fails me, then she fails me.. and if I hate nursing after i'm done, i'll do something else.

:(

I'm just kicking myself in the butt for not going into something i'd be good at.

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ok, i graduated from BSN program last year and this is wht i did, carry a med drug book. somepple had the PDAs but i refused to pay 400 dollars for that all i carried was my med book. u dont have to know it off the top of your head but a simple " i will be very willing to look that up" can be very helpful.

You have to know what medications you are giving to your patients and why.

you have to know how the lab values will help you develop a plan of care for this patient.

Its nursing, you cannot avoid it. This is what you are doing everyday as a nurse. Don't worry, i used to be shy too but i realized that in the field of nursing, shyness does not get you anywhere bcos some pple see shyness as intimidated or insecure about wht you are doing. Dont be shy, open up, ask questions, also read the night before, see wht medication you are giving, go home, learn abt it and come back, look at the lab values, go home and learn abt it and come back the next day ready to teach ur instructor abt it. :):)

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all our instructors "grilled" us in preconference, during clinical and postconference.

but- we collected our assignments the day before, and were expected to prepare.

i don't understand how any grilling/questioning can be done, if you're not given any prep time?

if it makes you feel any better, tears/crying/fits/breakdowns, are par for the course in nsg school...

whether one is prepared or not.

it's a very stressful experience.

the most frustrating part for me, was being able to remember information, but not necessarily understanding/processing it.

my instructors were always reminding me, that i wasn't going to med school, and i didn't have to understand "everything".

the feedback was unacceptable, so i put in many extra hours, just trying to answer all of my "whys".:cool:

everyone has their breaking points.

try to study outside of school- dedicate your time to extra studying, so you can feel more comfortable.

it'll all fall into place.

now take a deep breath...:hug:

leslie

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You can do it. I think that as you gain knowledge you will gain confidence. Do you have a tendency towards anxiety? When I was in school, I used to shake during clinicals because I was so terrified. I once took my pulse and it was 120. I failed two practical exams during school. My anxiety was through the roof. I think nursing school promotes anxiety unfortunately too.

Well, I did make it. I graduated three years ago and found that training in my job was much lower stress. They weren't going to throw me out if I didn't get something the first time, they were going to teach me again. A supportive environment can make a huge difference. The real world allows for different paces and different styles. Hang in there, and don't be afraid to ask your PCP for some anti anxiety meds if you need them.

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Specializes in NICU & OB/GYN.
I don't know if it's my program or what, but all we did today was pass medication.....that's it. I have never once put in a foley before, I have changed a dressing maybe 2 times, I have maybe given a shot 1 time...... that's it. I don't know nursing at all. Today I was giving meds and my instructor asked me about 3-4 medications that this patient was scheduled to take, and I had no idea, all i knew was that one was for pain and the others were laxatives. She drilled me with more questions and I just didn't know it. Also I'm SO nervous during clinical I am AFRAID. Maybe partly because i'm shy but mainly because i don't feel confident at all! During pre conference in clincal she drills me with more questions and I have no idea. I feel dumb and I don't know if maybe it's because I'm not real strong in science or what, but I can't seem to do this.

Not sure if my 2 cents will mean anything but let me tell you I am in your exact shoes. I am also a student with one term to go (communities) and I have also missed out on many opportunities to do technical skills. I too had an instructor for my medicine rotation who would pull us aside and drill us. And it's not that we didn't know the answers..they were there, somewhere, amonst all the millions of other facts being consumed each day. I felt EXACTLY how you do and thought to myself..'what the heck am I doing here??' Well, my last rotation I moved into Pysch health and I had an amazing instructor. She did the total opposite of what I experienced in med-surg and her encouragement allowed me to gain the confidence I needed. It was funny how she also drilled me about meds, but it was the way that she went about it that meant such a difference in my learning. I know that doesn't help your situation...but I wanted to share with you that you're not alone. I used to sweat over not having done technical skills yet but then I realized, as a nurse, there are so many different areas to go into. So who knows which ones you'll actually end up using. Keep in mind that even though you are not getting those technical skills down, you are developing many other important skills that get over-looked such as communication, assessments, listening and teaching...

As the saying goes..."don't be a fool, stay in school.."..:lol2:

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"I think the main problem is that I hate Science, always have always will."

I think that is statement is the most important one.

I think the scariest thing is your repeated statements that you don't like science. You can master clinical skills when you're a nurse and I think other posters have responded to that aspect of you dilemma better than I could. But nursing is a profession of applied science. That will never change; science is the foundation of nursing. I don't mean to be mean, but how did you get through your prerequisites without understanding that nursing is a science? Maybe you should reflect about what it was that drew you to nursing, and maybe consider pursing another career that is more inline with whatever your aspirations are.

If nursing isn't for you, that is ok. Not everybody is meant to be a nurse. One of my dear friends from my class finished her BSN before realizing that nursing is not what she thought and that the reality of it is not for her. She now pursuing something in the field of child development, and couldn't be happier.

What ever you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

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stop saying you hate science, the more you say that, the more it becomes a reality and a huge drawback. rather think positive. DO not carry this kind of attitude to the field bcos u will be setting yourself up for failure. Nursing is a type of science but their is moreee to it than that.

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ohhhh and P.S.

we don't get to prep the night before for this rotation, since it is so jammed into our summer schedule... so i'm drilled with questions the morning when I have no prep sheet for it. If I prepped the night before, maybe I would have known my meds. I don't know, but then again maybe I should already known them all! Theres just too much of them though...i'll never get it.

What I do is as soon as I get the MAG I look up the meds real quick with what class the drug is, reason for admin, common side effects and nursing considerations, like labs to look for, or when to do B/P or pulse prior. This way I feel comfortable giving those meds because I know what they are for and what to look for. For peds I always made sure I did the math too and made sure it was a correct dose for the weight. Good luck, talk to your instructor or classmates, ask for tips. good luck!

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Since you only have six weeks left all you can do is give it your all. Your drug book is a great guide and I always would go view the patient's chart early in the morning before starting anything and any info that I didn't understand or know well I would look it up. My teacher was exactly like that but you have prepare for those type instructors with critical thinking and sometimes we know the answers but we just have to think and breath...... then answer

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Always carry a med book around and never give a medicine without knowing what it is for- follow that rule. The one time you stray from it, the patients mom, wife or someone will ask you what it is and what it should do and you will look like a fool. Besides, it is for the safety of the patient and it doesn't hurt to verify that the dosage being given is within normal limits. As far as your skills go, I started out as a LPN and aside from a dummy in the lab, I didn't get much hands on experience. I graduated without ever doing a foley and a boat load of other things. I was lucky to find a job with a wonderful nurse that showed me EVERYTHING. The group I worked with was so excited to show me new things and couldn't wait to pawn off some of their treatments or orders so I could get my experience. Either jump in and volunteer now or hope you get a great preceptor. No one expects you to be perfect but by the end of my 6 weeks of orientation, I was confident enough to be on my own. I would even ask your clinical instructor for more practice if she sees it on the floor.

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I don't know you guys, I guess I just figured that nursing was when the nurse brings you into the room and gets your weight, height, blood pressure, eye chart, assesses you....just like what they do in the clinic setting. That's why I figured there would be no Science involved. I have my CNA and i work at the hospital (sad to say but hate it). Everything is chaotic there. Rooms are too small to get around, 2 pts per room, old equipment.....etc etc etc. As a CNA I get walked on, get told what to do. I also worked at a nursing home and hated that too, short staffed ALL the time and ran my butt off. I guess I thought nursing would be different. But I have met a lot of mean nurses and nurses that eat their young. Why is that btw?? I don't think I want to be in this profession...but i'll try to stick it out, even though during clinical I feel like I am running around with my head chopped off.

I can study real good and I have achieved good grades in my pre-req courses, but when it comes down to critical thinking, and taking those nursing tests in which all are correct but "choose the right answer," I am just a dumbie. I guess maybe I don't want a career where you never stop learning. I don't want to feel like a dumbie forever...

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I don't know you guys, I guess I just figured that nursing was when the nurse brings you into the room and gets your weight, height, blood pressure, eye chart, assesses you....just like what they do in the clinic setting. That's why I figured there would be no Science involved. I have my CNA and i work at the hospital (sad to say but hate it). Everything is chaotic there. Rooms are too small to get around, 2 pts per room, old equipment.....etc etc etc. As a CNA I get walked on, get told what to do. I also worked at a nursing home and hated that too, short staffed ALL the time and ran my butt off. I guess I thought nursing would be different. But I have met a lot of mean nurses and nurses that eat their young. Why is that btw?? I don't think I want to be in this profession...but i'll try to stick it out, even though during clinical I feel like I am running around with my head chopped off.

I can study real good and I have achieved good grades in my pre-req courses, but when it comes down to critical thinking, and taking those nursing tests in which all are correct but "choose the right answer," I am just a dumbie. I guess maybe I don't want a career where you never stop learning. I don't want to feel like a dumbie forever...

No offense, but it sounds like nursing might not be for you.

Also, the activities you describe as being done by the "nurse" in a clinic setting are usually done by a medical assistant or in my area, a CNA.

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