When are you officially a nursing student?

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As the title says, when are you officially considered a nursing student? When you get your acceptance letter? When you start your first day of class? Looking for opinions on this.

Officially? When you get your acceptance letter.

In reality? That moment, on your first day in class, when you realize that you know nothing and you're probably going to die. :yes:

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Specializes in ER.

Well, as far as I know in my two states, SN is not an actual licensed positioned. When you're signing charts, it's to distinguish you from a tech or a registered nurse. Just a way so we know who is who.

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Specializes in OB.
Officially? When you get your acceptance letter. In reality? That moment, on your first day in class, when you realize that you know nothing and you're probably going to die. :yes:
I am super nervous (and excited of course) for that first day of class and the realization that you mention.
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Specializes in progressive care. med surg. tele. LTC. psych..

If my grandmother asks me what I'm

going to school for, I'll say nursing. Whether I'm accepted into the program or not, I'm not going to go into technicalities every time someone asks me why I'm going to school.

Now, if I have to fill out an official form of some sort, I'll write that my major is Liberal Arts because that's what is says on my transcript.

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Specializes in Renal, Diabetic.
I too wish people would stop misrepresenting themselves. It muddies the perception and public opinion of nurses who don't realize there are so many levels of nursing staff.

Exactly. I actually had to tell a receptionist today to stop calling us nurses, as we are no such thing.I sometimes work the phone and I had 50 or so people ask for Dr such and such's nurse today and I tell each and every one that he doesn't have a nurse but I would be happy to pass them on to his medical assistant, clarifying further if they were confused. It's all about educating the patients.

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I would say when you are accepted and matriculated into nursing program. I hate working with techs that say they are nursing students only to find out they aren't accepted into a program. In my mind you haven't earned the right to call yourself that yet. I understand some programs have you matriculated into a nursing program as a freshman. I personally didn't feel like a nursing student until med surg when we had charting to do and had to sign student nurse afterwards

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