Skills Test. Need help with overcoming nerves

all517 · Aug 13, 2012

Ok... As a student I wanted to respond to this. Practice and experience will help you overcome your fears. Sure, you've never done a certain skill before, but you have had the training and classroom knowledge to prepare you for this. No one is perfect at first. Take a deep breath.

I mean no disrespect, but why are you becoming so angry that your instructor is "judging you"? That is her job. You are embarking in a career where you will be responsible for people's lives. Wouldn't you rather your instructor correct you in a controlled setting, rather than when you're alone in a patients room, with the family expecting you to know what you're doing, and you have no idea how to perform safely? This is a selfless profession, and it is important to learn off the bat instructors and mentors are preparing to make you competent and safe. So grin, take the advice, study harder, and make failure not an option.

BloomNurseRN, ASN, BSN, RN · Aug 13, 2012

Ok... As a student I wanted to respond to this. Practice and experience will help you overcome your fears. Sure, you've never done a certain skill before, but you have had the training and classroom knowledge to prepare you for this. No one is perfect at first. Take a deep breath.
I mean no disrespect, but why are you becoming so angry that your instructor is "judging you"? That is her job. You are embarking in a career where you will be responsible for people's lives. Wouldn't you rather your instructor correct you in a controlled setting, rather than when you're alone in a patients room, with the family expecting you to know what you're doing, and you have no idea how to perform safely? This is a selfless profession, and it is important to learn off the bat instructors and mentors are preparing to make you competent and safe. So grin, take the advice, study harder, and make failure not an option.

I agree with this poster. Step back and take a deep breath. Yes, it is extremely nerve-racking to do skills in front of an instructor and be graded on them in that moment. I completely understand that but know they truly do want nothing more than for you to succeed.

We had to complete a lot of skills our first semester, which made me VERY nervous. The very best thing I can say is PRACTICE. Practice all the time on anyone that will let you. My husband and best friends had their blood pressures taken so many times I can't even count and have had a physical assessment done for days in a row. When I could practice on them I would. When I couldn't practice on them I went through the motions at home and continued watching the videos that came with our Fundamentals book. This made me much more comfortable with what I was doing before ever walking in to the room with the instructor.

Also, if possible, work with fellow students. The most successful students in my class (we had three chances to pass a skill and I passed all of them in one try) practiced with each other. We watched and judged each other. I can't tell you how many times we were working on sterile technique only to have an instructor standing behind us and say "contaminated!" or one of us shout out the same. It wasn't to hurt or embarrass, it was to help the student recognize right in that moment how they had contaminated the field. Again, I would rather here that 10 times from a fellow student as I practiced and do it perfect in front of the instructor than fail because I didn't want to go through each and every motion during class.

And finally, yes, it's easy for them to judge. That's what they're there to do. They have put in the time and hours to get that privilege. Yeah, it's not always fun to have an instructor judging but I don't let it bother me. Focus on doing the very best you can and let that part roll of your back. It will get better!

Enlightenedchild · Aug 13, 2012

Thank you for your responses. I agree with you in your responses to the core of post, which was to get help for nerves. Thank you very much for that. However, when it comes to my need to vent, I respectfully disagree. Correct, it is the job of the instructor to instruct me on where I'm going wrong. It is a privilege, indeed. It is definately not a right to talk about a student when she is not in the room and use her as an example of the student who makes her scared in her words. I've never failed one skill, one test, anything. All of a sudden you want to question that (that which I've worked very hard for) and talk about me behind my back (I was in the next room but heard everything) when I decide to come in and practice (on my own time by the way, we're on break). I appreciate instructors very much. This is my second degree and I've had many teachers. Many good, many bad. It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to foster the minds that will care for the sick and injured. Their job is to encourage me to, correct me, praise my efforts, help me when I fall down so I can get back up, etc. But judge me? Hurt my reputation by talking behind my back? Is that fostering any minds? Is that helping anybody in any ioto of a way?????? Or was it a momentary breath of immaturity and lack of restraint? ANYBODY WITH ANY SENSE WHAT SO EVERY SHOULD KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS! Thank you again for your responses.