Words of Wisdom for a SN?

I graduate in May, and I feel the same way a lot of the time. From talking to other people, I believe feeling this way is normal at this level in school!! I think the nursing students who do not feel this way are the ones that one has to worry about because it is dangerous to be over confident. Many of the new graduates I talk to at work still feel as though they don't know a lot!! It takes time after you get out of school and start to practice, then the confidence in ones abilities will develop.

hi jen! :)

[color=#483d8b]your post comments made me smile because they made me think back to when i was a new grad just starting out on med/surg. my preceptor's exact words to me were "forget what you learned in all those nursing textbooks, and welcome to real nursing where every patient is different". talk about being scared! i had to trust what my patients told me about themselves, take from each preceptor the knowledge and techniques that were good and mentally can the bad techniques i saw them do, and not be afraid to trust my gut instinct when something didn't feel right. :)

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[color=#483d8b]i never challenged any preceptor i had. if their ideas and way of doing things differed from what i had been taught by my nursing instructors, i simply would say...that's interesting....hmmm, i never thought of doing it that way before...or, i like the way you...............and so forth.

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[color=#483d8b]once you are on your own as a rn, you'll be able to combine all that you've learned and build on that knowledge. nursing is constantly evolving, so t[color=#483d8b]ry not to allow yourself to become "conditioned" to doing things "one way or no way". you'll bend with the constant changes in nursing and patient care more easily if you keep an open mind to learning new and different ways of performing patient care, etc.

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From one SN to another, you are not alone! I'm almost out of school myself. Part of me wants to continue schooling (get an even higher degree or a multiple of degrees) just so I can hide behind my books. :sofahider Very expensive thing to do though! :chuckle The thought of working on my own as a new nurse is terrifying! But since then, I've spoken to many experienced nurses, including members here at allnurses. Asking a lot of questions has helped alleviate some of my fears. The Nursing Supervisor (at my current job) told me that it becomes repetitive after a while. So, with experience comes confidence. Starting anything new is always scary anyways.

I am just starting my preceptorship and after this semester I will graduate as an RN. I must admit I'm scared to death...I keep telling people I don't know what I'm going to do when I want to go find the nurse for help and... I am the nurse!

Any of you nurses out there have words of wisdom for a SN?

Get it before it dries.

Umm... Yeah, we're all terrified. Don't worry. Tomorrow morning I start my senior clinical in the ED at a trauma 1 center. I am just as excited as I am completely terrified. My instructor basically told all of us that the training wheels are off and it's go time when we did our orientation last week.

I'm actually so scared about tomorrow that I haven't yet been able to be scared about my first job. I'm hoping I get a lot of the terror over and done with during this clinical so my first job is a smoother transition. :chuckle

What you are feeling is completely normal. I promise. One thing that I recommend you doing is taking a mini notebook with you. Write down things that you learn each day. No matter how small they may seem (like the code to the break room if it has one).

Never be afraid to ask questions. I would much rather answer a question, even if its more than once, than have a new nurse doing something they dont understand or do not know how to do.

If you encounter a new or unusual disease process that you dont know alot about, come home and look it up. Carry a drug book with you or look for one on your unit and look it up when you give it, then review it when you get home Even if you just learn the basics about it, you learned something new.

Being comfortable in nursing takes time. Never stop learning just because you are out of school. There are constantly new things happening in nursing.

Good luck!! :)