Half way through nursing school, I started to have serious doubts about whether this was the right career choice for me. I never felt comfortable or confident in clinicals and I kept waiting for someone to collar me and say "there's no way you're ready to be a nurse". But I graduated, passed N-CLEX and told myself I'd try nursing for two years given the massive time, energy and money invested.
I'm at my first job at an assisted living. I do tons of paperwork, organizing, managing meds and labs and almost no nursing skills. No catheders, no trachs, no ostomies. Nothing. Maybe clean and dress a wound. Part of me thinks: Great! I don't have to do any of that stuff I don't feel comfortable with and think, frankly, is gross. Part of me thinks: Someone is going to figure out I have no idea what I'm doing and I'll be outed.
Should I be happy with my sanitary, gross-free, basically desk job? Or should I push myself and move on to a TCU or otherwise where I can learn and practice and gain some confidence? How do other new nurses build their experience? I never worked in health care before nursing school, so I only have this first job. I've been there five months.
