[gwendelyn]

I'm a new RN in a residency program. I've been on the floor taking up to 2 patients under the watchful eye of my preceptor.

So far it's been a very uncomfortable experience for me. I just have no confidence, and I'm worried that I'll make a dumb mistake. I just feel certain that I'll never be good at this. I know this is negative thinking and I shouldn't think this way.

How long will it be until I won't feel so freaked out? Do I have to wait a year? God, I don't know if I can take the stress for that long.

[MeghanRN]

Lets put it this way..if you didn't feel this way, you should be worried.

Its extremely nerve-wracking after graduation, where you have been guided through everything, to go to being an RN where your license is on the line.

However, give it some time. You will begin to feel more and more comfortable every day that you are there. You will feel more like a nurse as time goes on. You are still working with a preceptor, so use that to your advantage. Ask tons of questions, and learn many new things. Use what you have learned in nursing school and apply it to your new job.

It took me over a year before I felt confident, maybe a year and a half before I was comfortable calling/questioning Drs, and now at 2 years, I feel like a nurse. With that being said, I'm not completely confident in my abilities. I feel like I have so much more to learn, as will you, as well as other new graduates out there.

It does take time. I know its not that comforting to hear, but its true. You will get better and better every day. And dont fret about it. You're human, and you're a nurse. Also, by thinking and questioning everything, you'll be less prone to mistakes.

You'll do fine in your nursing career, and time will go by before you know it, and you'll become more and more confident. I promise

Best of luck

[newRNcolorado]

I am also a new RN and I definitely still have my days of feeling totally
inadequate! But don't put so much pressure on yourself! You just need to do the best you possibly can with the experience and resources that you have. You can't be great at something you just learned how to do. We have to give ourselves more time and more experience before we will become great nurses!

[earle58]

yes my dear, it is soooo completely normal.
in 6 mos, you at least won't be as overwhelmed.
in a year, you will get your first "aha, i get it!" feeling.
be as determined in your residency, as you were in school.
ask, ask, ask, ask and ask more questions.
you have learned more than you're giving yourself credit for.
you will succeed.
and you will shine.

leslie