How long does the "new nurse anxiety" usually last? - Page 4

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  1. Feb 6 by
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    I'm saying this in all seriousness...

    I started my nursing career in 1981.

    Most of those years were spent in a very busy medical center.

    How long did my anxiety last?

    The question should be, "When did the anxiety end?"

    Answer: On the day I retired from my nursing career.

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    Retired from the county-owned hospital job: 2008

    Second nursing job, 2008 to today's retirement, 02/06/2013. (Seriously)
    Last edit by Daly City RN on Feb 6
    RNperdiem and nursemarion like this.
  2. Feb 6 by
    I totally agree. I have never lost that sense of anxiety since I started nursing. I have been in health care since 1980, an RN since 1985.
  3. Feb 6 by
    Hmm.. going on just shy of a decade of working as a nurse.
    I'll let you know when the anxiety goes away.
  4. Feb 6 by
    It never goes away. It just fades into STRESS! Lol! Seriously......
  5. Feb 7 by
    I understand how this anxiety may always stay with us because of the type of job we have so here is my question:
    Do you all think this may affect our health in the long run?
  6. Feb 7 by
    I'm a new grad in an ICU. I currently have been working for a little over six months, and o my own for a little over two months.

    I'm starting to get more comfortable in some ways. The beeps and the noises are beginning to get to me though

    I have been told it takes about one year to be comfortable and about two years to become fully competent in everything an ICU nurse knows and does.

    I have however realized that nursing involves always being, on some level, uncomfortable. And, now that I have realized that, I'm less stressed.
  7. Feb 7 by
    My anxiety started to subside by 6-8 months, but I didn't really start to feel comfortable until at least a year in.
  8. Feb 14 by
    Quote from payitforward
    Well, to be honest, sometimes it never really goes away until you wake up one morning and say, " HEY!!!! I GOT IT!!!!!" Don't focus on what you may do wrong, but correct , take note, and move on. When I first started working in the ER i was so scared I didn't want to do anything. But when I got my feet FINALLY wet, ii was great I was good to go. Hang in there!
    Thanks for this!
  9. Feb 16 by
    You are not alone in anxiety. I am almost at my 1 year mark, been working for 11 months. I stopped having meltdowns after 3 months but I still have A LOT of anxiety all the time. I keep being told things are supposed to snap into place after a year and it worries me that I am so close and still so anxious and unsure of myself all the time.
  10. Feb 16 by
    Quote from babysteps25
    You are not alone in anxiety. I am almost at my 1 year mark, been working for 11 months. I stopped having meltdowns after 3 months but I still have A LOT of anxiety all the time. I keep being told things are supposed to snap into place after a year and it worries me that I am so close and still so anxious and unsure of myself all the time.
    I've been working for about five months, and my manager says it will take about six to feel better. My coworkers think that is bunk and claim a year or so. Everybody seems to have different time frames, but all I know is that I feel pretty miserable.

    But I guess I'm the one who wanted to be a nurse, right?