Unsure.....

LMRN10 · Jul 7, 2008

Just wanted to say that I feel the exact same way sometimes. But once I got toward the end of the first semester, it all seemed to come together and make sense to me and I felt much more sure of myself.

It could definitely have something to do with getting patients that are a bit more difficult (but remember how much you are learning too)...and yes there were times I was stressed, but the reason I know it's for me is because the times when things go great and I feel like I actually was able to help someone, the rewarding feeling that comes with that is such a wonderful feeling. Even when things are not going as planned, you are still there to help someone and to me, that is an amazing and rewarding feeling on it's own.

I think you would be the only one who knows if this is for you or not, but I would just really look at how you are feeling about it and whether or not you think this is the right path for you.

Acosmo27 · Jul 7, 2008

I agree, first semester is all a blur to me. I was so unsure of myself, and it truly is just a time to grow and become more confident with the basics (vitals, assessments, communication skills etc..) Hang in there, it gets better. Im now in my 3rd semester and I feel Ive grown so much and you will too.

NurseJeanB · Jul 7, 2008

Yes, I felt this way as well. In fact, when I first started clinicals I couldn't even take vital signs and had no confidence. We got to pick our patients and I started out picking the easier patients, but then I noticed that my fellow students who picked the more complicated cases had really good learning experiences and usually got to administer meds and do some interesting procedures. I am sorry you don't get to pick your patients, but hang in there because it is a good learning experience, and you will feel more confident as you progress.

I am right there with you.

wellhereiam · Jul 7, 2008

I feel the same way. I posted something earlier about this:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f50/quit-nursing-school-297292.html

stunurse89 · Jul 7, 2008

Thanks for the link to your post. After reading that I think that I also have problems with fears of making those mistakes....the ones that make you just feel plain stupid afterward...or the ones that in the real-world could possibly end up with a lawsuit. I also have the difficulty with knowing what I want...and what I think would make me happy doing. I'm constantly questioning if this is something I want to keep going with...because I have never been able to decide on what I want.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2008

why aren't you discussing this with your instructors? i detest gossip among the ranks. how would one of your fellow students possibly be able to tell that among all the students in your clinical group you had the "really hard patients. . .all the difficult ones." they have no idea how the patients are selected, what goes into the clinical instructor's decision when he/she makes assignments, or what is going on with each student and their patient from moment to moment as the clinical shift proceeds. students who have the time to be nosey enough and arrogant enough to presume they know what you and everyone else in the clinical group are doing haven't got enough to do. and those who depend on subjective hearsay haven't learned their nursing lessons about collecting objective data. nor do they have any authority to act as supervisors of your instructors work. if i were you and your instructor i would remedy that in a heartbeat. you are all there to learn and improve, not stand around, complain and gossip. what you should do is ask your instructor for feedback about your clinical performance, let him/her know you feel you are not performing as well as you think you could, ask for suggestions on how you could improve and do better, ask for feedback and ask for help with your feeling of stress. be open to and ready and willing to change unlike your classmates! quit gossiping with your classmates about your patient assignments unless it is to share positive experiences and learning. nothing will stall you more than a bunch of negative thinking--and, believe me, your classmates won't care if you end up failing other than you will be an item to feed their gossip mill for a while. part of the reason you feel unsure of yourself is that you permit yourself to listen to and surround yourself with the negativity of some of your classmates. your job is to learn nursing and overcome your uncertainties. your instructors are there to help you do that. some instructors will be more helpful than others. you need to open up with them first in order to find out who will help you.

the reason nursing school seems so unsure is because everything you are learning is new to you--you have never been exposed to it before and its coming at you very quickly. we were all in your shoes as students with all the same fears, anxiety and feelings of being unsure of what we were doing and whether to stay or not. all you can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and eventually you reach the end. in the entire span of your life, nursing school is only a few months.

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2008

I was going to comment....then daytonite beat me to exactly the point I was going to make.

Seriously, perhaps your instructor feels that YOU will benefit from taking these "hard" cases....learning skills/clinical knowledge in a "trial by fire" if you will.

I never got the "little old ladies" in clinicals, I got the people who would raise holy heck about their care, who needed a LOT of education, who would NOT sometimes agree with what I had to say....but I learned from it. Looking back, I only had 2 TOUGH clinicals where I felt like I was making NO headway on the day.

just keep telling yourself "this too will pass."

tiggerdagibit · Jul 8, 2008

I'm not always sure of myself either. I sometimes have to work through the process of understanding why that lab is elevated due to the disease process, for example, when others can just spit the answer right out. It's frustrating, but every day I feel a little more confident. On days when I feel like I don't know anything, I remember back to 1st semester (I'm in 3rd now) and I can see how much I HAVE learned.

Try not to think of the difficult pts as a bad thing. You'll probably learn alot more from them than the ones that just need 2 PO meds, an assessment, and a linen change because they can do all their ADL's by themselves and they are almost ready to be discharged. lol

stormymemphis · Jul 8, 2008

I only have 2 semesters of nursing school left. I have had a bit of an advantage because I've been an EMT for 7 years and worked in a hospital for 3 before ever starting nursing school, so I'm very comfortable in the hospital setting. When I'm in clinical, I can look at my classmates and see how uncomfortable and unsure of themselves they are. Granted....some of them have absolutely no business being in nursing school and hopefully will be able to figure that out on their own before they kill someone. However, just because you're uncomfortable actually being in the hospital taking care of patients, doens't meant you're not cut out to be a nurse. It just means you're out of your comfort zone and not used to so much responsibility. It just takes time. It will get better....I promise.