Nervous student in need of encouragement from experienced RN

[studntofnrsng]

I am very nervous about entering the field of nursing in general. I am excited but terrified of making a mistake. Unlike other fields, mistakes in nursing can mean death. I love children and would LOVE to be a pediatric nurse. Unfortunately, I have heard that in peds nursing, mistakes are even less tolerable. I have worked in daycares and been around children my whole life. I would LOVE to take care of them! I don't know how I would recover from making a devastating error. Math is very very difficult for me, but I am smart. I am very meticulous and detail-oriented. I would like input from anyone who can help! Am I too "insecure" for nursing. I know confidence is important, but I do tend to question everything.

[annabeap, MSN, APRN, NP]

It's okay to question everything in pediatric nursing. Really. We need to be extra careful around our young pts. The math will come. And especially in peds, it's okay to check your math with another RN. Especially if it's something you've never heard of. You'll get used to the appropriate dosages, how many mg/kg/day.

Truth be told, we all make mistakes. But, it's like you're convinced you're gonna make a MAJOR mistake. Once you graduate nursing school- become registered, they have deemed you will work safely, like any prudent nurse. The great thing about nursing- you're not alone! So even when you've got that RN behind your name, you're not expected to know everything!

And if you DO question everything, you're playing it safely.

If it's what you love, set it as a goal. And, there are many other avenues that lead to work with children, if you decide nursing isn't for you.

Either way, good luck! :)

[studntofnrsng]

Thank you for such a positive and honest response! I really appreciate it! I feel relieved and am anxiously awaiting my clinicals!

[peds_mike]

If I can add something, mistakes are going to happen. I'd like for one nurse out there to say, "I've never made a mistake." If they say that, they are only fooling themselves. Mistakes don't always mean "death." If you are working for a facility that is truly dedicated to the health and care of children, they will make sure you have the tools in place to make you successful. It is when nurses decide to take shortcuts, become cocky, overconfident, complacent, and choose not to use the resources available to them that most mistakes occur. If you are diligent and professional, you will continue to build your knowledge base and critical thinking.

[studntofnrsng]

I am so glad that I posted here. Thank you for such encouraging responses, I really appreciate your time and thoughts!

[October97]

I have been a nurse for 10 years, working peds for 7 years. When I first started on Peds I was nervous just like you are talking about. I don't know if it is this way everywhere, but I work on a general Peds floor, like med-surg for Peds. We each get an assignment of 3-5pts depending on acuity and shift. This is generally less of a pt load then in the adult world thus actually allowing you to have more time to check doses before giving meds and such. Also, if you are super busy and still need to take the time to verify doses parents are usually understanding when you explain to them that sorry it is taking you a little extra time, but you want to make sure their child's med is the appropriate dose. We also have a satelitte pharmacy on the peds floor so we can go to the pharmacy window if we have a question about something we can't find the answer to. You will be surprised how quickly you will become familiar with dosages and appropriate meds and treatments for the different diagnoses that you will encounter. In general children don't tend to have all the chronic conditions that adults do unless they are born with a specific syndrome or disorder. You see a lot of the same things over and over. You will quickly become proficient, especially if you are smart. If you love children, then go for it. I encounter so many people who say, "how can you do peds?". Nurses who truely care about the children will have the patience and genuine compassion needed for this specialty.

[elizanne]

Just a student right now, so I'm not going on any experience but clinical. However, I am nervous about that too. I've been talking to my clinical instructor about this a lot, and she's a big fan of reminding me that it'd be really difficult to find a nurse that HASN'T made a med error (or an error in general). She likes to remind us that knowing that you're capable of making a mistake is the first step in avoiding errors. The most dangerous nurse is one that thinks she's perfect. I'll relay what she says to us each day of clinical: Ask questions, acknowledge what you don't know, respect your patients, and use your resources (especially experienced nurses) to be the most excellent nurse you can.