Just a few thoughts...for all of you nursing students and new nurses. Please use the time at clinicals to learn and do new stuff, not look in your books and hide in our breakroom. You only get so much time to learn, pretty soon you will be expected to do it. Please treat your patients like they were a beloved family member, or just how you would want to be treated. Spend your down time talking with them, walking with them and getting to know them, it will help you to better care for them.Please stop whining about how much you have to read, how hard your papers are and how long it takes to get your test scores, it's meant to be stressful, because nursing is stressful. Be grateful you can see your test scores online in a matter of hours, we had to wait until the next class (up to a week,OMG)
I would like to remind you that you are lucky. There was a time when the NCLEX was only offered twice a year in major cities across the country. It was an eight hour a day 2 day test.It was a paper and pencil multiple answer exam. You waited up to 3 months for the results. During those waiting periods you could work as a graduate nurse, similar to an externship until you got your results.
It's more than a job, it's a calling.
Non noc nocere.
