Why do I feel like an idiot?

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jun 12, 2008

You will find as a student you learn a little of everything but one you qualify and settle in a job you start learning a lot more and other things start falling into place.

anurseuk · Jun 12, 2008

When I qualified that was when the real learning started... you will never know everything. But there are always things to learn, which is one of the things I love about nursing.

2006RNCS · Jun 12, 2008

Hi. Please know that we all felt that way! Well, I know I did, that is for sure. We have so much info. drilled into our heads in such a short frame of time, and we leave the program so tired, and with such an awesome amount of responsibility on our hands.

You know WAY more than you think. I promise you, that you will be in situations, and the info. that you think you don't know will pop out of your head, and goodness knows from where it came! Has happened to me so many times.

You will have times, especially until after the first year of nursing has passed, that you will feel this way. But, I promise you will go through this like every other person does, before you feel confident and competent. You will get there, and I believe will be an awesome nurse. See, you are already worried about being that great nurse. That's a great first step. It shows you really want to be that great nurse. Good luck to you! Please keep us posted.:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jun 12, 2008

Ditto what everyone else said. It takes time to get it together, and you will NEVER know everything!! I have been a nurse since 2006 (still a young nurse), and still believe I don't know much. But, when I compare myself between then and now, I see how I matured and developed. If you are passing your exams and get as much as you can for now, concentrate on that. Absorb all that you can and put it in your memory bank...believe me, it will start to come together.

TazziRN, RN · Jun 12, 2008

Guess what? YOU'RE NORMAL!!! You will continue to feel this way when you're out working, for a little while. One day you will just realize that you know a lot more than you think you did, and that you are a "real" nurse! Be patient, you're doing fine.

jessiern, BSN, RN · Jun 12, 2008

There is a simple and noncomplex reason that you feel like you don't know anything....

Because you don't. Things are crammed into your head at such a whirlwind pace in school, that you can't possibly retain it. If you have passing grades, you most likely are retaining enough to pass boards.

And when you start a job, you well start to remember things as you put them into practice. But dont' worry, that is normal. A year later, and I still have to take my clinical skills book with me to work...dont' use it every shift like I did to start with, but I did have to use it 2 weeks ago to do an NG tube.

queenjean · Jun 12, 2008

I am a student with 2 quarters to go. Why do I still feel like I don't know anything?

Honestly, it's because you DON'T know much. And you can't. Like others have stated, you can only learn so much from school. You won't know much until you've been a nurse for a while, and you'll never know it all. Just when you think you've seen and done it all, and you get comfy, you get smacked with something completely new and terrifying.

We all feel like that. Better to know that you don't know much (and therefore have much to learn) than to think you know it all.

Good luck with school and boards!

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Jun 12, 2008

"Yesterday, I didn't know anything. Today, I know THAT."

That's my motto while in NS. I learn what I can, and hope the rest will come later. It's all you can do, really.

TashaLPN2006RN2012, ASN, RN · Jun 12, 2008

lol, i felt the same way and some days i still do! I've been an LPN for 2 years now, and i still ask questions. What's AMAZING though is once you do start working as a nurse things start "clicking" into place...just like today someone came up and asked me what type of drug this doctor wrote in a note was...i literally answered faster than my mind was working...and i wasRIGHT! lol...i was so proud of myself because it wasnt a typical drug our clinic uses and i had only heard the name of this medication a couple of times. it just happens in little waves like that! good luck and you will do just fine!

Bocephus71RN-BSN, BSN, RN · Jun 12, 2008

They want you to critically think out things, be able to distinguish normal for abnormal, and then you learn hands on learning every day, but if you are able both subjectively and objectively to recognize their is a problem and what YOU can do as a intervention, prevention, and highest priority nursing you can just possible know more than you think. On the boards they will ask questions of priority, assessment, interventions, and evaluations. You will have to decide WHAT they are asking for and eliminate interventions and evaluations if asked a ASSESSMENT question. My point being you may feel like an idiot dude we all been there. It will come to you more if you made it this far.

LuvMyGamecocks · Jun 13, 2008

One of the topics we learned about in Fundamentals was Anxiety...what causes it, how it manifests, how the nurse is able to relieve it....

We also learned that research has shown that a little bit of anxiety of the "unknown" helps to promote learning in neural pathways. (I've learned in this process of checkoffs and certain clinical situations that I am an Anxiety Sweater...the instructor during the Foley skill checkoff wiped my brow for me to keep me from contaminating my field. It's really a great trait. NOT. :down: )

The point being is that being concerned about what it is you don't yet know is not only normal, it's HEALTHY for your continued learning. Good luck!!!