5 weeks in and discourage

ERnurse:) · Sep 28, 2006

First year nursing has to be the worst, but it does get better...much better. There are endless opportunities for nurses, and there are many types of nursing so you can choose the environment that best suits you. Take your schooling for what it is (a learning experience) and just try to soak up as much as you can.

Being a nurse is amazing, and its well worth the stress of nursing school.

Good luck!

JRA · Sep 28, 2006

Hey,

I am a new grad, just passed my boards, and I am off of probationary period at my hospital and I still feel just like you do, and I did, when I was a just starting. Nursing IS stressful. It is not waitressing/bartending. It is HARD. you need to just step up and deal with it. Don't get me wrong, it can be rewarding, but for me, a new grad, I have not seen many rewards. I dont mean to be a debbie downer, but the pay for new grads also sucks. I chose the HIGHEST paying hospital in chicago and I made more as a bartender. I plan on finishing my first year, getting my masters via my hospital pays for 100% and does not require a contract and traveling, but you unfortunatly need that one year expierence before anyone will hire you. sorry for being honest, but me and 30 other new grads I started with feel this way....

good luck

ERnurse:) · Sep 28, 2006

I agree, nursing is hard...but so is anything else thats worth something. Things make more sense over time and you just start to "get it"

hopefully you find whats right for you :)

allegory · Oct 3, 2006

Nursing is one of the most challenging undergraduate degrees out there and it does take alot of work. It is a very achievable goal however and just remind yourself why you are doing it each day. It has its ups and downs just hang in there. Make yourself some close friends in the program and form a good study group and use each other throughout the program, good luck!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 3, 2006

Welcome to Allnurses.

It does get easier. But we all definately have to learn how to deal with stress in our own ways. It's an awful stressful job. However, there are areas that are less stressful than others.

My guess is that if you give it time, you'll learn what works for you. Such as asking for advice, like you're doing now. Hang in there. Good luck!

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Oct 3, 2006

Uhhh, Nursing is like the stress of Nursing school x100! I keep hearing that it will get better, but I'm still in the first year, so I'm holding on to the faith that it gets better.

Beanseye RN · Oct 11, 2006

Nursing is a lot of work. (BSN 06/2003) When I started school I thought I was missing everything. The reading was literally more than was possible to complete. I felt like I was grasping some but missing as much or more. ...

I passed nearly with honors despite having to work the first 3 years and then pull > 20+ units/quarter for the last year to get all my non-nursing classes done.

After graduation, I started on Med-Surg in the County hospital (level II trauma center/teaching hospital w/ both med and nursing students). I really felt lost and struggled for what seemed to be a year or so. I managed, everyone who starts manages. It's a foundation that is built upon.

I am now a primary charge nurse and spend as much time answering questions from peers as I do dealing with my own patients.

As tough as it seems, you will get through and it will get easier.

I compare it to learning to drive. As your skills expand, you stop focusing on the specific tasks and notice and do more...

There is a lot to learn. Discussions with new grads waiting for NCLEX results with gloom, don't take into account how easily they would breeze through the classes that so perplexed them in their first year of nursing school.

Here's wishing you all success.

Brian

tamari07 · Oct 14, 2006

I felt the same way when I started nursing school. I think nursing school was a big shock to the system. once you get in the groove and start learning and understanding things it does get better. Its just so overwhelming, but at the end of nursing school you realize just how much you learned.... it does get better, i promise.

kit3375 · Oct 14, 2006

Hey,
I am a new grad, just passed my boards, and I am off of probationary period at my hospital and I still feel just like you do, and I did, when I was a just starting. Nursing IS stressful. It is not waitressing/bartending. It is HARD. you need to just step up and deal with it. Don't get me wrong, it can be rewarding, but for me, a new grad, I have not seen many rewards. I dont mean to be a debbie downer, but the pay for new grads also sucks. I chose the HIGHEST paying hospital in chicago and I made more as a bartender. I plan on finishing my first year, getting my masters via my hospital pays for 100% and does not require a contract and traveling, but you unfortunatly need that one year expierence before anyone will hire you. sorry for being honest, but me and 30 other new grads I started with feel this way....
good luck

Couldn't have said it better myself! This is so true!!!!!

ortess1971 · Oct 15, 2006

My first semester of nursing school, I woke up one morning and actually had a meltdown. Crying, upset stomach, the whole bit. My body and mind were in shock(plus I worked 40 hours a week, so that wasn't helping me!) and I called my mother and told her "I can't do this". She said one of those wise mom things along the line of to just take it slowly and deal with one day at a time. That helped and now I look back at that day and am amused that I was so stressed over clinicals at the nursing home. Small potatos compared to what I deal with now as a new nurse. I just try to remind myself "one foot in front of the other!" You can do this. You'll find that you make some really good friends along the way, because everyone is feeling like you. Plus, talking on this board helps. Good luck and hang in there!

Genista, BSN, RN · Oct 20, 2006

Okay, I'll add in my 2 cents. Nursing is stressful, but if you are an anxious person, you will find other things to be stressed about even if you aren't doing nursing. Yes, being responsible for others feels alike a lot sometimes, but I remind myself it's only for 8 hours at a time, and there are a lot of perks to offset the negatives. For example, one poster said the wages are horrible for new grads. Maybe so where that person works, but that's not true where I live. New grads are paid very well where I live. Many RNs in my area work part time because they can afford to do so. I only work a few days a week, and make a decent living. It's nice. You also can work different shifts, which is not as common in other fields.This is great for flexibility, too.

Nursing school is stressful, because you feel insecure and everything you do is new and you feel like you aren't good at anything. It's very similar for a new grad, but in some ways even more stressful because it's "for real." Eeek! But before you freak out, remember that no matter what you don't know or need help with, there are resources to help you. Ask other nurses for advice/help, talk to your peers, the nursing supervisor, pharmacy, etc. After awhile you will get a solid confidence in your basic skills. That's not to say that experienced nurses never feel stressed. I still get stressed and overwhelmed at times, but that's the nature of the job. On the bright side, I feel I make a meaningful difference in people's lives, it's interesting work, flexible hours, pays well, and I can change specialties if I get bored.

Be kind to yourself, nursing student. Don't be so hard on yourself. Do your best, and it will get better. Try & focus on the little achievements & celebrate them. We were all there once, too.