You are Not Alone

I often get questions from students who wonder if they are the only ones who feel like they "don't know enough". You are not alone! Even nurses who have been at it for a long time will run across situations in which they do not know what to do. This is when you rely on your book knowledge, your experience, and your gut instinct. True, when you're new, you don't have much experience or instinct to rely on. However, listening to other nurses and to your nursing instructors when they are telling you stories can add to your "experience." Additionally, if you make good friends with nurses who have experience, you will have a valuable team when in times of trouble.

Recently, I had a student tell me that while she enjoyed hearing my stories in class, she felt that the time I used telling stories in class would be much more valuable if I stuck to content only. I didn't tell her (though I probably should have) that I've chosen my stories for good reason. Thinking back to my own school days (daze?) I can still distinctly remember many of the stories my instructors told us instead of the bland lectures I sat through. Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot through lecture and I hung onto every word. However, I still remember the story that one of my instructors told us of running through a swinging door that didn't have a window in it. She knocked over a patient, the patient was injured, and the hospital was sued. Ever since that day, I have NEVER ran through a door that didn't have a window in it. I always open doors with caution. While I never actually had the experience of knocking over a patient, I learned from my instructor's mistake, and it became a part of my own experience. Over the years, I have thought of many of my instructors' stories, and based some of my decisions on them.

One of my best pieces of advice I can give is, "Don't panic." This is from my favorite sci-fi book, but it can also pertain to nursing and emergent situations. If you panic, you won't help the situation at all. Take just a second or two to take a deep breath and gather your thoughts. Before long, it will all come naturally.