help! how can I be more assertive?

[picurn10]

It's just not my personality at all, but I really need to be more assertive in clinicals and with pt. interaction. I'll admit I'm very scared I'm going to mess up and hurt someone, so I hold back a little. I've never had an instructor say anything, but I've watched others in clinicals and students from other schools and they just seem like they know what they're doing more than I do. I'm smart, I have some of the best grades in class, and I'm not lacking in common sense, I'm just so scared to mess up and I feel like it's holding me back.

Any ideas on how to build my confidence so I can project competence? I fully believe I'm competent (as much as a nursing student can be), I know my stuff, it's just I'm quiet and if you put me next to a more outgoing personality, they are going to look like they know what they're doing more than I do. For example, there is a girl in my class who's a total know-it-all but actually doesn't know a lot, and IMO takes dangerous risks (doing treatments she shouldn't be and so on) but some of the nurses and instructors view her as a very good nursing student. I've seen her up close, and she's assertive but doesn't have the understanding to know her limits, if that makes any sense. It's frustrating because I think I'm going to be a very good nurse. I don't get marked off and I've never had any problems in clinicals but I also worry I'm projecting a total lack of confidence. What can I do? Should I just fake it?

[mom35]

I am pre nursing, but I am responding because my natural personality is to be reserved. I also always have the highest grades, I am intelligent, but it is a challenge for me to appear confident next to someone that is outgoing. This is just me, I use positive affirmations to help me in all areas of life. I learned this from a college class, you write the affirmation as you want life to be: I AM CONFIDENT, I AM ASSERTIVE. Seems simple and maybe silly, I swear to you affirmations done on a daily basis have lifted me to success!! We really do create our own world with our thoughts!

[Nellifuturenurse2010]

I am somewhat dealing with the same circumstances.

Sometimes I just dont know what to say to patients.

I know what I am doing, but the articulation is just not there. So I am in the same boat as you: trying to go from somewhat shy/ soft spoken to outspoken and outgoing.

It is definitely a difficult transition, but you can get there if you just take it one day at a time.

It does not even have to be with your patients at first, just in your life in general, try to interact with people in a more assertive way, don't hold back!

The way I plan to achieve this transition, is to just stop and listen to how others interact and learn from them rather than being intimidated from it. :)

I wish you the best in your clinicals!

[jpeters84]

I struggle with lacking assertiveness so much. I really want to be a good nurse and I really want to show my professor that I can do my skills but I get flustered and shy. I'm pretty sure that my professor this semester doesn't think that I'm that great because I've lacked assertiveness and then I try to make up for that by being a know-it-all when it comes time to answer questions or speak up in post-conference. I hate being so misunderstood and to have a professors that I really look up to think I'm less of a nursing student than I really am. I just try to tell myself before every clinical to get in their and do the very best that I can. I have to believe that with time and experience we will over come this!

[sh1901]

Honestly, yes...you probably should fake it - at first. After a while, I think that as you gain confidence, you won't be faking it anymore. That person that you think is so confident, is probably faking it too. Really, everything that is new to you, is new to them as well. As a nursing student, I think that I typically come across as cool, collected and confident....on the inside I'm screaming because I'm completely terrified that I am going to mess something up and it's going to be detrimental to a patient. But...if I were not worried about the patient, then what kind of nurse would I be?

Just give yourself a peptalk before clinical - convince yourself that you can be assertive and outgoing and take care of your patients with confidence and eventually, you will just do and won't need the peptalk anymore. You can do this!! You made it this far and it's not by mistake!! Hang in there!!! :heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat