During the first class of the semester, my professor told us that she would no longer be referring to us as nursing students. Instead, she would be calling us "Soon-To-Be RNs." She said that we had reached a point in our academic careers where there was no doubt anymore whether or not we would become nurses. It was only a matter of time.

And she's right. In three short months, I won't be a student anymore. So I've decided to adopt her title for us. As scary as it sounds, I'm a Soon-To-Be Nurse. But there are still things I worry about; things that come to mind daily in my life at school. I'm almost a nurse, and I'm ready to take on that role, but I have a few confessions to make.

I don't know everything.

I don't know everything about the medical field. The truth is, I don't even know close to everything. There's just too much out there for me to ever even learn about, let alone remember and regurgitate. Logically, it's impossible for me to know every symptom to every disease, or every side effect to every medication. But ideally, I would like to be able to see something and know what it is. It's how I pictured myself -- a nurse version of Dr. House, maybe. But it's just not possible. Instead, I've learned that I'll have to consider myself smart not because I know everything but because I know I don't -- instead of acting like I've heard of something and guessing how to act, I own the fact that I don't and look it up. No nurse knows everything. It's better to accept that uncertainty and research what you don't know than pretend you know it all and risk hurting your patient.

There are times I really neglect myself in an attempt to know as much as I can.

I've pushed myself to levels of exhaustion I didn't know my body can handle. I've read books for so long that my eyes glazed over and I forgot how to process language. I've neglected the fact that I needed to sleep to the point where I'll wake up realizing that somewhere along the line my textbook became a pillow instead of a study aid. As awful as it sounds, there are days where it's hours before I realize I need to shower or eat because I'm so focused on cramming as much information as possible into my brain. Sometimes I really need to take a second to breathe and realize that if I don't take care of myself, I won't ever be able to take care of another.

There are times that it feels like a competition -- but it shouldn't be.

They got an A on the exam but I got a C+. I studied as much as I could, but it didn't come across on the test. Everyone wants to know how I did and what I got for each question, but if I don't do as well as the person I'm talking to, I feel inferior. It seems like it's always about doing the best - if you're not the best, how can you pass NCLEX? How can you care for the patient? But nursing school isn't just about grades. If it were just about how high you could score on an exam, there would be no need for clinical. Patient skills are critical in nursing. So your focus shouldn't be outdoing everyone else in your class; instead focus on doing the best you can and learning and improving in-patient care. Being a nurse isn't about beating everyone, it's about caring for your patient. As long as you are steadily improving academically and you demonstrate knowledge, you'll be fine. Don't make it a competition, you'll only stress yourself out.

I might not have made it without my nursing school friends.

I don't know where I'd be without them. They're the only ones who know how stressful this really is. They're the ones up at 2 a.m. when I decide I need to know what the therapeutic range of digoxin is ASAP. My friends have helped me study time and time again, providing me with a different way of seeing things that really helps me to understand. If I don't do well on an exam, they pick me back up and provide encouragement. One of the greatest things that has come out of my school experience are these friends. I know this May I'll be walking across the stage receiving my diploma with some of the best friends I have and that I'll be entering the workforce with extremely talented nurses.

Sometimes, I'm scared.

All of this time, we've had an instructor behind us. There's always been someone to double check that we're giving the right meds or take us step by step through inserting a catheter. Even though I know I can do it on my own, it's scary to think that soon, I'll have to. Having an instructor, there is a comfort that I've grown accustomed to. As scary as it is, the day is fast approaching where I'll be out on the unit myself, ready to show the world what I've learned.

But most of the time, I can't wait!

Because as stressful as it has been, nursing school is a blessing. It helped me focus my energy and passion into something that will really help others. It has taught me that dedication and hard work pay off. Even though I get nervous about the future sometimes, I know I'm prepared to take the floor on my own. I can't wait for the day where I see my name followed by those two amazing letters: RN. I can't wait for the day I introduce myself to my first patient and say, "I'll be your nurse today, what can I do to make you feel better?" I'm excited for the chance to make a difference. The greatest part of being a nurse isn't the paycheck I'll be receiving or finally being free from grueling nursing school exams, but the chance I'm given to save lives. That's what it's all about.

So as a Soon-To-Be Nurse, I'll say one last thing: nursing school is tough -- maybe even the hardest two to four years of your life -- but as it draws to a close you'll see the amazing opportunity and skill set it has given you to go out there and change someone's life.