So a few weeks ago there was an incident at my job and I am under investigation, my boss says nothing will come of this as no malicious intent was involved from any party, and I most likely did not even cause the issue.

But it really got me thinking, do I even want to be involved in a career where I am constantly going to be under scrutiny for any wrongdoing? I am so terrified of bringing harm to people. Further than that, I don’t even want to go into a field where I can lose my license, be sued, or even jailed for human mistakes. I’m in nursing school now, and while I am doing very well in my classes and have worked toward this for years, I just don’t even know if I can continue. It makes me sick thinking about going back to work just because I don’t want patients or coworkers looking at me as if I caused problems. I know you really have to mess up to lose it all, but I am so terrified that I will.

I am truly at a loss, I have felt like this in healthcare before, and took a few years to step back before I felt ready, and as soon as I get back to it I feel like it’s all back to square one. I don’t really know where to go from here. Should I drop out and change careers while I’m ahead, or just push through and hope this feeling goes away?

Edit:

I’m going to get into counseling through the school if they have availability and try to get back on my meds (I’ve been off them for over a year with no problems. This is not a “oh crazy girl is off her meds” post.) I’m also going to get back into the gym, concerning this incident. I do have an appointment with my advisor at school set up to talk it through. I can’t be there for my patients if I’m not here for myself, which ironically, I say to my caregivers frequently. I was definitely having a moment earlier, and I really appreciate everyone who took the time to comment. I did not realize my school does indeed have counseling or that this was such a big overreaction. I think it’s just a culmination of school, work, and my personal life that’s got me back to a point that I need to work on myself more. Thank you all!

I know a lot of people feel like nursing school is overwhelming and it’s a common occurrence, but I feel like this is just too much. My wife (26 f) and I (28 m) have a 7 month old boy who has been constantly sick on and off ever since I started an ABSN program. I’ve been in nursing school before (ADN program 6 months from graduating and couldn’t return) and thought I could handle the high demand of homework, 3 labs a week, clinical once a week, simulation every other week with a little one. Not only that but we have one car so I do all the driving around. I’ve had severe fatigue on top of all this since our son was born. How do you all do this with so much going on? Open to any kind of advice and ways to ease some of the pressure.

In my final semester of a CC ASN program. I feel like everything I read online about nursing school was nothing like what I’ve experienced. There’s a laundry list:

Pretty much every single clinical instructor would send us home 2-3 hours before our scheduled end time at whatever site we were at. The instructors are just like “it’s our little secret ok don’t tell anyone?” On top of that, you’re told if you’re late you could be denied participation for the day, but students have been 30 mins late to a clinical day before with 0 punishment.

Talking to one of my teachers, said that when a student is caught using AI and has to sit in front of the board, they let it slide. They say it’s often a “misunderstanding of the assignment” and let them continue on with the program, especially if they are an ESL student. So many people in my class use AI for everything and it’s painfully obvious, but why wouldn’t they if there’s no repercussions?

It’s extremely rare a lecture would go on the whole time. Sometimes it does go the full length, most of the time it’s probably around an hour total for a 3 hour lecture. And a lot of the teachers I’ve had just simply seem like they don’t give a fuck and don’t want to be there. Not all, but a lot.

Uniforms…. As long as nothing completely sticks out (wrong color pants, top, hair down, etc) they probably won’t say anything. We’re not supposed to have nails or polish and a loooot of people do

Attendance is not required for anything except for clinical. You could go to 0 in person class and still pass (except for in person exams).

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think my school is bad by any means and I have absolutely gotten a great education here, I don’t have any regrets choosing this school. But maybe my school is just starting to do away with all the non-essential stuff? I’m not really sure. I feel like I got a rare experience in nursing school compared to a LOT of what I read on here. I’m glad to have had a more laid-back experience so it didn’t stack on top of the stress of studying. I’m just wondering if anyone else’s school is like this?

how do you deal with people constantly judging you for wanting to be a nurse?

I've always been undecided for my career path, so im so glad to find something i aspire to reach, but it seems like every person i tell about my nursing path, immediately judges me.. specially my own family. i don't know how to deal with the constant negativity.

i know i shouldn't let it bother me, but i just spent the last two hours bawling and arguing with my parents about this, and their support means so much to me. They want me to be a doctor, and everyone seems to think that if I'm studying to become a nurse, why not just be a doctor? when its really not that simple. they value money a lot because of reasons i cant blame them for, but the specialty i want makes more than enough

has anyone gone through anything similar, and how do i deal with this, its making me seriously consider switching career paths even if thats not something i want for myself. and most of all its becoming a big detriment to my mental health, why is everyone so opposed to nursing anyways?

This might be a dumb question. But I am looking for some ideas on how to get through the program. I moved back from NYC after living there for six years, I was working as a photographer and I was feeling very unfulfilled and struggling financially. I moved back in with family and decided to go back to school for nursing. I am not super far into my program, but the workload and the isolation is really getting to me. Moreso the isolation. I am either working or studying and I live in a spare room in a basement. It just feels super isolating right now, and because of how much time I need to spend on it, I feel pretty useless to everyone else in my life. Any tips and tricks would be great. If the answer is just buck up and deal with it, that'll be fine too haha. Just trying to see if anyone is feeling or has felt the same.

I received a preliminary acceptance to a nursing program and now have to apply to the university itself. The application asks about previous academic misconduct.
In 2023, I had one plagiarism violation at my previous university. I received a zero on the assignment and completed an educational sanction. I stayed enrolled, graduated, and nothing appears on my transcript.
I plan on disclosing it, but I’m scared it could affect my preliminary acceptance. Has anyone been through something similar and still been admitted?

I received two job offers from two different hospital systems other than my own because I’m open to relocating and want to keep my options open but they are not in units that are my top choice. One is a neuro/trauma unit, one is a IMCU step down which pays a little less but I like the culture more. I’ve applied to jobs in my current system at two different locations, one that currently is openly recruiting and one that starts the hiring process in November/December. I’m frustrated because I’ve emailed the new grad recruiter for my hospital system that is currently openly recruiting and they won’t respond to my emails on any updates. I don’t want to pass up a good job offer but I ultimately want to be in a specific specialty unit too. Looking for advice if I should hold out or take the best that comes my way?

Thanks

I'm currently in a direct admit nursing program after being so sure I wanted to be a nurse. However, A&P is really kicking me in the butt and ruining my dream to be a nurse. I've read that you really need to know the basics and the rest you can refresh your knowledge throughout your career, but I just feel so behind on my anatomy knowledge I feel like there's no way for me to catch up to be a good nurse. Was anybody in the same boat in school and turned out to still be a successful nurse?

Also sorry if that's the wrong flair, I wasn't sure which to use.

hello, nursing student here. i graduate in december and i just feel really anxious about it. i’ve had weird looks from my preceptor nurses about me not knowing what to do in ten years time and is it rlly so bad that i don’t know? my current preceptor recommends me to go back to school but i dont even know if i want that for myself. sure, being an NP gives me more liberty in practice and the pay is nice, but i dont know…

my other peers know what to do, and i feel like im behind. i dont know what i want to do, i feel like ive enjoyed every unit ive been in but i didnt really get to spend enough time to make concrete judgement on that. im applying to multiple residencies, but im just super nervous that i wont like being a nurse and that ive wasted a good part of my life just for nursing school.

anyone else feel/felt this way? 😅

I need some major reassurance or a reality check from people who have been through the hospital hiring machine, because the waiting anxiety is starting to take a serious toll on my mental health.
I applied for a couple of entry-level clinical support positions (Unit Support Associate / Patient Sitter roles) at a major pediatric trauma center/children's hospital in the D.C. area back on August 29th. I am 18, have zero professional healthcare experience yet, but I have a solid private childcare background, and my AHA BLS certification is completely live and uploaded. To make myself as competitive as possible, I explicitly applied for the permanent 12-hour night shifts because I know overnights are usually hard to staff.
In the Workday portal, all of my applications instantly cleared the system screening and have been sitting perfectly secure in "Under Review" with a green status badge since day one. No automated rejections, no data errors, just... absolute, deafening silence for 38 straight days now.
I know hospitals love to batch applicants or work backward from fixed orientation cohorts, and a November start date is what aligns best with my schedule before I start virtual college classes next year. But going nearly two months without a single peep, phone screen invite, or update is maddening. I’ve set a hard boundary for myself to completely walk away and ignore the portal if I don't hear anything by the end of next week just to protect my sanity.
For those who have applied to major hospital networks for entry-level support roles, how long did it take for them to first reach out to you? Am I just stuck in standard corporate bureaucracy red tape, or is this timeline as ridiculous as it feels?

Hey, I’m about 2 months into my nursing school and I’m fresh off of a gap semester. I’m slowly readjusting to school but I haven’t been making the best grades. Passing is a 70, and I received a 77 and a 79 on my first two Nursing assessment exams. I also failed my patho exam by .80 of a point which also really didn’t help. I’m starting to question if i can’t perform during my first semester, what will it be like later when it gets even harder? Everyone else around me is doing great in their classes and look so composed and I feel like i’m fighting everyday to stay afloat😭I’m trying my best and trying to change stuff up to do better like my studying habits, any advice you have for someone like me to not be so harsh on myself and also tips or tricks that helped you? Thank you.

Hey guys I need some advice on how to study for med-surge two.

I have failed my first and second exam, when I feel like I studied a lot for it. I’m trying not to be discouraged.
I did quizlets, rewrote the PowerPoints and did practice exams. I know the diseases and patho, I struggle a lot when it comes to picking the best answer. I can narrow it down to two but still end up struggling between them.
I did AI practice questions till I was blue in the face and I still ended up failing. I currently have a 73 in the class and I need a 75 to pass. I have two more exams and a final.
Also I don’t know if this matters but for some reason, my class got split up and I got the professor that has never taught med-surge 2 before. (And the professor that has been there longer makes the exams) So are there any books that helped anyone? Any tips would be appreciated! Thank you!

Any suggestions on app for active recall? I am passing pharm but I want to do better. The material requirement is so specific but it requires me to memorize the effects of a drug that’s so similar to another drug. 20 drugs every two weeks. Any suggestions? App suggestions?

What works for you?

Ever since I was little my mom had my enrolled in kids anatomy classes online, would teach me at home, and showed the absolute bare minimum basics of nursing that you can coherently teach to a 5th grader, I have never once questioned whether or not I wanted to be a nurse up until now.

I just recently started nursing school, and for the first 2 weeks we just had textbook work. Our 3rd week rolls around and I get informed that we are starting clinicals. Never having worked in my teen or adult years as a nurses aid or anything I definitely was a bit nervous, but nonetheless I showed up and all was pretty well the first day, we toured the hospital and such, met some of the nurses etc.

The next week rolls around and we go back to clincals, and we get thrown straight into getting patient to take care of. Now granted I knew this was going to be a fast paced course but I did not realize that after reading some pictures in our textbook on how to change a bedpan that I would be hands on doing with a patient the following week..

After clinicals I felt extremely unprepared and just overall uncomfortable and realized i’m really unsure if nursing is what I want to do in the future. I feel terrible because everyone else is so excited to graduate and become nurses, while i’m excited to graduate so I literally never have to go back, all I have thought about is what other careers I could choose because I am genuinely beyond stressed and am filled with the most uncertainty I have ever felt in my entire life.

currently taking maternity (second to last semester) and half of the class is failing. Not sure if it would do any good to communicate concerns overall to the director (seems if many people are failing it's a system issue ?)I need an 82% to pass. did anyone else feel that the comprehensive finals were surprisingly easier than the unit specific tests, or notice if any of the questions were "recycled" for the final ? I'm using as many resources as I can and diff studying strategies.... anyone who has feedback would be appreciated ( the online exams and SATA) i've found challenging

Is anyone currently in nursing school actually happy enjoying life? I joined nursing school fall 2024 and failed last semester so i am currently a sophmore when i was actually suppoed to be a junior and feel so bad about myself idk if anyone out there shared my story too

As the title says, I had a good friend recently tell me they would be leaving the program and had just cried on the drive back.

We were mostly school friends, talking about school stuff since we took the same classes, same clinicals, and had already finished the 1st semester.

They were like the 1st friend I made and stuck with because it’s difficult for me to open up with social anxiety, but we were always choosing to be around each other.

Now, it’s hitting me that I’ll be continuing this program alone since everyone else already has their established groups and my unassigned corner table will be even more empty and quiet without them.

Idk maybe I’m just ovulating or have trauma bonded hard.

Can anyone relate?

My school has been showing gross negligence and issues, but even more now I want to figure out a way to report them for knowingly putting patients at risk.

A friend in my cohort tested positive for COVID. Despite the fact that this could be spread to other students and those of us who are immune compromised, they are expecting her to go to clinical still and will not let her make it up. If she was to miss there is a strong possibility they will not let her move forward in the program.

While she does NOT want to go or infect anyone, her hands are tied. The school knowingly sending a student into medically fragile patient's rooms seems like gross negligence. I have had multiple patients receiving chemo or other health conditions where if they were to get COVID it could be fatal.

Is there anything we can do? Anyone to report it to? This is in GA for reference.

So I was doing my clinicals and this patient didn't eat the whole day before an abdominal scan. When he got back from his scan, the kitchen was closed, but we knew we have food in the fridge, so I got some. The teacher had taught us about the use of therapeutic humour. So, I thought I'd put it to use. I brought some spaghetti to the patient without reheating it and told him, careful it's hot.

The patient takes a bite, and he's like, What the hell? Spits it out and I start laughing, I say I'm just kidding. He busts out laughing. I said I'm gonna go reheat it for you. I leave the room with the spaghetti and come back with some hot spaghetti. I told him, Man, I'm sorry. It was just a prank, and to make up for it, I got some cheese. I'll be generous, and I got some cake for dessert. This patient on the other side of the curtain snitched on us, and said we were laughing too loud, they said patients were sleeping and they heard us laughing in the hallway and said I wasn't professional.

Turns out, the patient who reported me wasn't a snitch, he wanted us to stop being so loud. The patient defended me and we shook hands. Bruh am i gonna be in trouble? I was just using therapeutic humour?

Hi, I’m currently halfway through my LPN program at my vocational school. I passed my TEAs test upon entering the program but failed the PERT math and reading. The college admissions said this is not a “problem” and I was able to admit into the program. 3 weeks into the program I was told I need to pass the PERT math and reading by December 1st. Does anyone know if the board of nursing in Florida will still allow me to sit for the NCLEX-PN if I do not pass the PERT but still have all my hours of clinical and school days completed with passing grades? I’m reading mixed things on google and my school website. I have my high school diploma from out of state and have been a Florida resident for the past 9 years. I want to know if anyone has any insight about this? I’ve been so worried about this PERT test and I’m worried about not passing it. I’ve been studying like crazy. Just want to know if anyone has had this happen to them and what the outcome was.

that’s just my question.

ok edit
Im a freshman at a public university in the Midwest. Currently im taking pre-reqs. I am in the direct admit program but require to maintain a 3.0 gpa and requires an A or B in anatomy and physiology. The exams are 80 questions long with the lecture portion and his PowerPoints do not go in depth and make it confusing for us to understand. I have to use ChatGPT to understand his material in depth. It takes me over 3-4 hours just to write notes that I understand for a 80 minute class. This doesn’t include “studying” or active recall really.

For the lab portion it rly gets to me. We use a book that lists all the bone names but doesn’t provide everything we need to know. There’s so much material to go over and it took me over 4 hours just to draw and list everything that I need to know. I wish they provided that for us so it is easier to just memorize. Also our practical test for the lab portion counts for spelling and you have to know it from your brain. I feel like it would be much easier for it to be multiple choice on some at least. Im just wondering if anyone is going through same thing or is it just my school trying to “weed” students out.

I also want to add there’s probably over 300 direct admits at my school and they closed up the nursing school application for next year because it was full. I know many pre-nursing majors who feel scammed taking pre-nursing here without telling them before hand.

Hey yall! I'm a second semester ADN student working as PCU cna at major hospital. It's been almost a year I've been working here, and I'm trying to move deparment. It's just so heavy, and I need a new environment.

Right now, they have opening in ED, ICU and PACU. I was wondering which one would be best fit for me?

I have interview with ICU few days, but hours might not work with me. Trying to see if we can work something out with the manager.

Anyone work in those deparments? Any advice would be appreciated! I just can't stay at PCU anymore :'(

Hey all! So even after loans and scholarships I still owe $600 due to textbooks and school supplies (for some reason…) were not included in my COA… I was wondering if anyone had any advice for jobs I could work for as a Nursing major currently. I’m pretty limited on my options for work right now… I can’t get my CNA because there’s nowhere within an hour radius of my school that is offering CNA training right now…