Newly licensed and ready to begin my "New Life", but scared to death!

[RNLauraZ]

I have faced each hurdle in my formal education, and most recently my boards, head-on and have succeded. Now I am to begin my employment as a med-surg registered nurse on Monday. Now that I have gotten past all the studying for written tests and am a "real" nurse (albeit a "baby" nurse ) and am looking at what lies ahead of me, I am scared stiff. I feel as if I don't know a thing about nursing and that the hospital in which I have been employed has made a huge mistake in hiring me. I am hoping that this feeling is temporary and I will begin building confidence in myself SOON. I am hoping that what some of my friends who graduated a year ahead of me has told me is true: that I will learn most of what I need to know in practice, and the confidence will come in time.

PLEASE tell me that this is correct. I am so afraid that I won't "get it" and will fail at my life-long dream. I'm hoping that this is just the pre-employment jitters.

Laura

[kellyjrn]

RNLauraZ -

I too am a new nurse and felt the same way. I have only been in the "real world" for about 6 weeks, but I already feel a world of difference. It will help you greatly to develop relationships with your peers and find people that you look up to and can trust. They are the ones you can "run" to if you get in a jam and need good advice or the voice of experience. I assure you, once you get in your own "groove" and get familiar with your environment, everything will fall into place for you. I am still very new and learning like you will be, but it is comforting to know that things get easier day by day!! :) In addition, after reading Norbert's message above, I just have to say that he or she is in the minority and that maybe it really is HIM/HER that is the problem!!