What Graduate Nurses Need To Know About Nursing

Beautiful! I have been a nurse for about 26 yrs and this is true! Love to all of you.

This is very timely. Thanks for sharing this with us as we begin to have graduation and new jobs on our minds.

I am a new nurse and thank you a great deal for this article. I have a tendency to be very hard on myself, and this puts things into perspective.

How Beautiful....and Thank You

Oh my gosh. Thank you. As a student, I could use all the info that I can get about nursing. One thing though.. I know it may have been just a figure of speech but we are not all smiles and cheery. I scared to death every time I step out on that clinical floor. What am I so afraid of? Not patient care really so much. I love people. If I didn't I wouldn't even attempt this profession. I am afraid of getting walked on even more than I already am. Not only do I get walked on by most of my instructors, who I swear play so many mind-games with us (my ex-marine dad seems to think so after the stories I've told him). I get it from the staff at the community hospital where we do our clinical, who will deliberately steal your pt's MAR so that you look bad for not being able to admin meds or will walk away while you are mid sentence trying to tell them about your pt's recent change in LOC. Then I also get it from my fellow class mates who are such perfectionists that they will insult you to your face or behind your back if you question your knowledge either to one of them or to the instructor in front them. I don't pretend to know something when I do not. Isn't that dangerous?I worked retail for seven years so I have had my fair share of horrible treatment from customers(especially Black Friday). But I have never been belittled and treated to horribly in all of my life. Why do nurses and nursing instructors have to yell at you? Have they ever heard of constructive criticism? Do they secretly enjoy making students cry themselves to sleep every night? I cry now just thinking about it.I have never felt so low in all my life and I was on the deans list last semester. I'm trying to stay with it and wake up every day with a clean slate. However I'm not so sure I want this, if this is all nursing is all about. How am I supposed to learn with all of this 2-faced Cattiness? Why are these nurses and instructors like this to students/me? I'm sorry for going off topic like this but I did not realize how much I really had to say. I'll probably post this on another more related thread. Did anyone else feel like this as a student? Either way what did or would you do???? Please help!:urgycld:

this is excellent reflection and advice at the same time. not only does this apply to new grads but, to those who have been at it for any length of time. i feel there is always more to learn and greener pastures. if your environment is not fostering your qualities then move on. don't get stagnant or we risk loosing another nurse. bravo!

Wow, thanks for these simple truths. They'll make a difference to me when I graduate.

Being a student, this was just what I needed. Thank you....:heartbeat

Today I was so discouraged after my final this was such an encouraging thing to read thank you so much!

Very good article. Thank you so much for that helpful information as I will be needing it come August when I graduate! No wonder the nurses don't always have much to say to us, they're EXHAUSTED!

Yes, Spookycat. It's almost like you are trying to make it through some kind of initiation or something. Let's see what they're made of!!

Hey you all! I found a great article on Monster.com about being a stand out nursing student. Check it out. By the way, thanks for all the nice remarks. Bugaloo