Feeling lost

[bxh5164]

I have been on my unit for 8 months. I have been at the hospital for almost 2 years, as I worked as an aide prior to getting my RN. I love my job and my patients. I love my boss. My only problem is I am stressed out. Even if my night goes well, I second guess myself, all the time. I am always questioning if I do the wrong thing. I go home and I can't sleep because I am so stressed out. I am so paranoid. Unfortunately, everyone knows it. I have often reflected back on clinical situations and called in to discuss it with my supervisor to make sure I did the right thing. Never have I ever got called into the office for doing something wrong or for making a mistake. Every time I have ever questioned myself, the senior nurses have agreed with my judgement. It is affecting my personal life. All I do is think about work, all the time. I worked last night and I want to make sure that my patients did ok through the day today. I saw an article on compassion fatigue and I feel that it may be something I am suffering from. I have only been licensed for 8 months. These intense feelings have developed more severely over the last month. I am looking for some input. I don't want to change jobs. However, I think it might be necessary as I think I am experiencing burnout. Two months ago I posted how I was burnout, but now I feel that I am just paranoid and just want all of my patients to do well.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

The feelings you are having are not those that are generally associated with burnout, which is more likely to be expressed as apathy and lack of engagement in your work. If you want to explore the literature in this area, I would recommend that you take a look at Heather Laschinger's work... a quick Google will bring up many references.

Have you considered seeking counseling? It would probably be a good idea to help you deal with your increasing anxiety. Your Employee Assistance Program should be able to help.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I definitely agree with HouTx on this. What you describe is not burnout. You are describing anxiety-type symptoms. I urge you to seek some counseling. If you employer has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), check into it. If not, talk to your Primary Care Provider and ask for a referral to a counselor.