Nursing I Feel like an Idiot

I feel your pain. I have about 7 months under my belt. Over the past 6 months I've cried a lot, lost a ton of weight, and felt stupid and grossly inadequate. I think our nursing schools do a terrible job of preparing us for our first jobs.

Honestly, however, after I hit the sixth month mark, I'm having moments of feeling -sort of- like I know what I'm doing. I still ask questions constantly, but there's no way of knowing everything without experiencing it first. And the only way to experience it is to show up every day and learn. That doesn't always feel good and it's frustrating, but you'll get there. And soon there will be a new, new grad on your floor and you'll be showing him/her the ropes.

What you are feeling is totally normal, and it feels like a shock because no one really tells you how hard - and awful - your first year of nursing is. I think the people who have it the hardest are the ones who are challenged the most, and in the long run become the best nurses.

You will start to see changes, you'll be able to answer questions more often and you'll start to catch things all by yourself. You'll even feel comfortable suggesting things to doctors, etc. The only way to gain this wisdom is through experience, and you'll get there in time. Seriously - it gets better. But it doesn't happen in a nice, linear fashion. It goes in spurts - good days, bad days, etc.

A piece of good advice I got from my Mom (a retired RN) is after every shift, think of 3 new things you now know how to do. Before, I was only focusing on mistakes I made, and totally ignoring my accomplishments. Take time to see how far you've gone already, and it only goes up from there.

"Sometimes I go about in pity for myself and all the while a great wind carries me across the sky."Tony's on the mend, due for his final surgery to close up his wound. He complains to his nurse that he's not feeling like himself. "My thoughts keep running away from me." She assures him that's normal for patients in his condition. Religious...

• Nursing M Elite NJ
• Nursing 5 Year Career Plan
• Nursing Kaplan
• Nursing Care a Line