"I don't like my preceptor so I came home after clinical and cried all night."
"The CNA on my floor was mean to me so I came home and cried."
"I'm not doing well on the Kaplan practice and I can't stop crying."
Etc.
Etc.
Ok, I understand nursing school is stressful. Heck, I just graduated 2 months ago, so trust me - I understand.
Still, WTH is going on with all the crying every time something goes wrong? Prior to nursing school, did you all start bawling every time things didn't go your way? Are you all still 8 years old?
Seriously, if these little BS issues put you into hysterics, what do you think is going to happen to you when you are faced with an actual crisis on the floor? I mean a true life-or-death situation. Are you going to throw your hands up and turn into a blubbering mess or are you going to focus on your training and skills and solve the problem?
Jeez, grow up! Focus on the important things in life and just shrug off all of the other crap.
Crying can be healthful, but it can get way out of hand. I worked with a nurse who would cry over everything...a pt or family member was "mean" to her--she would cry and question why she became a nurse. Another staff member was short with her--she would cry and talk about what an evil place our unit was. The charge nurse questioned why she did something a certain way--she would cry, call the charge nurse a [female dog] (not to charge nurse's face) and question her own value as a nurse and a human. This was not healthful behavior and took away from the performance of the unit. It is fine to go home and cry over a really bad day at work, a failed test, etc. Otherwise, though, some people have to be less fragile and move on....
I cried because my car wouldn't start this morning. Then I cried some more because my wife yelled at me. My keyboard is soaked with tears because I can't stop crying while I type.
I cried because my car wouldn't start this morning. Then I cried some more because my wife yelled at me. My keyboard is soaked with tears because I can't stop crying while I type.
I'm also a female who doesn't cry and I'm always baffled by all the crying. Do people really cry? Or do they just say they cried? Don't know. But I don't pay too much attention to it. I just think it's kind of weird.
The one thing that makes me batty is when people say that they are going to cry, for example, someone saying "Oh I'm going to cry at graduation," or "I'm going to cry when I get my first job," or "I know I'm going to cry when...x, y, or z."
And all sorts of people jump on the bandwagon and say "Me too! I'm going to cry too!"
And then I never find out if they actually did cry, but it seems like they would kind of be obligated to...and I wonder how that works.
Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Flight.
PMS.. Nursing school is female dominated and it's all the estrogen in the air
i agree with you 100%.
It used to take a lot for me to cry, but now, i get a little frustrated or something goes wrong and im in tears. usually around that time of the month, but still. its ridiculous, and honestly embarassing LOL
I cried because my car wouldn't start this morning. Then I cried some more because my wife yelled at me. My keyboard is soaked with tears because I can't stop crying while I type.
Could be worse, you could cry because you're crying.....
Are you crying? There's no crying! There's no crying in Nursing!
haha. I concur. There's NO crying. I never cried, not even once. I went out of there daily, cursing and swearing vehemently, especially on my last day. The school called our parting "a permanent dismissal," and I can assure everyone that the feeling is mutual! Huge waste of time, energy, and money, that particular school was.
If you're going to go to RN school, go to the best. They will teach more skillfully and you will be a happier and more productive student.
I think crying is natural for women and (gasp) some men. I normally don't cry if I can help it because my body punishes me :/ (headache, runny nose, painful eyes). I do however find that shooting guns at squirrel shaped targets is a great stress reliever. Just because some people will vent about their day and share that they cried does not make them weak, less able to handle things, or any less of a nurse. I hope you don't talk so negatively about crying to your peers or patients when your working.
I guess I don't get what the big deal is. It's stressful and demanding and many nursing students have a variety of responsibilities on their plate. They're not crying on your shoulder (thank God) so what gives? If they want to come and vent about a bad day in clinical or the fact that they did poorly on a test they studied for for days and days, by all means. Compassion is a great trait to have as a nurse, no? :)
psu_213, BSN, RN
3,878 Posts
I totally agree with the OP.
Crying can be healthful, but it can get way out of hand. I worked with a nurse who would cry over everything...a pt or family member was "mean" to her--she would cry and question why she became a nurse. Another staff member was short with her--she would cry and talk about what an evil place our unit was. The charge nurse questioned why she did something a certain way--she would cry, call the charge nurse a [female dog] (not to charge nurse's face) and question her own value as a nurse and a human. This was not healthful behavior and took away from the performance of the unit. It is fine to go home and cry over a really bad day at work, a failed test, etc. Otherwise, though, some people have to be less fragile and move on....