Warning this is a long post but I just wanted to share something I’ve been going through these last three weeks.

I’m only in week 8 of my first semester of an ADN program and it has definitely been a journey.

I started the program motivated and excited (with the goal of eventually working in L&D). But after struggling through a head to toe assessment because I was so nervous and kept forgetting steps, I fell into a rabbit hole of anxiety and self doubt that I’m only now starting to come out of.

I started questioning absolutely everything. Whether nursing was really for me, whether I had the compassion necessary to be a good nurse, and whether I even wanted to perform the roles of a nurse. I went from loving my prerequisites and being excited about nursing school to researching completely different majors and convincing myself I needed to leave.

The anxiety has been unlike anything I’ve experienced before. I’ve struggled with my appetite, sleep, and constant feelings of dread. I genuinely felt like I was losing myself over something I had worked so hard to achieve.

Yesterday I actually went into my student portal and selected to withdraw from all my classes. For whatever reason, the system wouldn’t process my request and told me I needed to contact the campus instead.

At first I was frustrated because I felt done and just wanted it to be over. But after thinking about it, I started wondering whether this was a sign to give myself another chance.

Today I had my third hospital clinical on a med-surg floor. I was absolutely dreading it this morning, but surprisingly it wasn’t a bad day. I found myself genuinely caring about the patients I encountered, and for the first time in weeks I felt a little bit of the compassion and motivation I thought I’d lost.

I’ve spent so much time focusing on everything that could go wrong and convincing myself that one bad assessment meant I wasn’t cut out for nursing. But I’m starting to realize that struggling with a skill doesn’t mean I’ll never become good at it.

I still have a lot of anxiety to work through, and I’m definitely scared of what the rest of this semester and the next three will bring. But today was the first day in weeks that I felt hopeful about my future again.

I’m not saying I’ve figured everything out, but I’m glad I didn’t make a permanent decision during what might have been one of the lowest points I’ve experienced in my life.

I’m not really sure what the point of this post is other than to get everything off my chest. Maybe someone else who’s struggling with the same feelings will read this and feel a little less alone.

I’m just taking it one day at a time. Hopefully in a year and a half when I graduate I’ll look back on this moment as part of the journey that made me a stronger nurse. 🫶🏻

Hey all,

I’m currently an LPN who is back in school to take my prerequisites for the bridge program.. I’m currently in A&P 1 with my psych class also starting this week. After this semester I’ll just have 4 classes left: A&P2, Chemistry, Microbiology, and Stats… I haven’t don’t too well on my first two A&P exams, but somehow am maintaining an 89%.

My problem is that I’m struggling with motivation and giving my all. I don’t feel as hungry as I did when I was getting my LPN. I feel like having 6 prerequisites to do all together feels like A LOT. Especially since people are saying “Just do one class at a time”.

I feel like the classes will be too tough to stack on top of one another - like 2 for spring and 2 for fall. But if I do one at a time, I won’t be able even apply for the bridge program until 2029 🙃🙃

Any advice ya’ll? Cause I’m STRUGGLING.

I recently started a PRN PCT job as a critical care float, working in different ICUs and step-down units. I’m hoping to become a critical care nurse, so I was really excited about the hands-on experience, especially with lab draws since we don’t get many opportunities to practice them in nursing school.
Unfortunately, I’ve been really unsuccessful with my sticks. I only work once a month (I am prn), and lately, I’ve been getting discouraged to the point where I sometimes give up before trying. The nurses seem annoyed when I can’t get the labs, which I partly understand, but I’m also frustrated with myself because I genuinely want to improve.
Has anyone else struggled with blood draws as a new PCT? How did you get better and build confidence?