Social Anxiety As An LPN?

[whittwhitt]

I've completed all of the pre-requisites for the LPN program and am going to take the NLN-PN in July and start the program in January (if becoming an LPN is what I really want to do). I keep having doubts about becoming an LPN because of the stress. I also have social anxiety, which I am getting a lot better at and is nowhere near as bad as it used to be, so I think I would be able to handle the social aspect of nursing after a while of practice. I want a career where I can push myself to become more social and I've read that other people with SA have actually became more confident and talkative after the first couple months of becoming a nurse.

I'm also going to start doing research on vitamin supplements for SA or medications, if needed. In the meantime I'm going to set goals for myself to start talking more and become more confident.

While I think I would be able to handle being an LPN socially, I was also interested in learning more about "not as stressful" health care positions (if they exist), just as another alternative. I admit I signed up for LPN classes without really knowing what they do every day or the effect it would have on me in regards to having to take on more stress. I just know that I love the health care field and want to do the best I can, I'm just not sure where I fit in.

I've read that billing/coding, medical transcription, and medical assisting are jobs that are not as stressful (???). Could you guys let me know if that's true in your experience (maybe you know someone who was in one of those fields or perhaps you might have done that before becoming a nurse) or if you have any more program suggestions? I'm doing research on those careers at the moment and comparing them all.

These are the other programs offered at my technical school: diagnostic medical sonography, radiologic technology, and surgical technology. Maybe some of those would work? I'm in the process of doing research on those programs.

Or if I was to keep going with the LPN program ... I know LPNs can work in lots of different environments. Maybe some are less stressful than others? Or maybe become an LPN and specialize in something (I don't know what though).

Thank you guys for any help! I should've done adequate research before taking any of the classes for the program, I just thought I'd be able to handle it only to have a breakdown after completing everything. I'd love any career suggestions. I'm going to email some places today and see if I can shadow an LPN if possible.

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Also, this is a follow-up from the last post I made. I decided not to go into dental hygiene after talking to people about their job and asking them what they liked/didn't like about it and decided it wouldn't be a good fit for me. Vet Assisting was my first career choice but I decided a long time ago I didn't want to do that.

[wctenshi]

Hey whittwhitt! I suffer from social anxiety too I even have a camp that I'll be volunteering at this weekend!!

I think what helps is finding a relaxing activity. For example, I like to watch TV on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate. I find that it helps me to have relaxing activities, because when I am in situations that provoke my social anxiety, I get happier and much more confident when I realize that I can do my best in this situation, be happy, and be able to get back to my relaxing activity afterwards in the evening!

Having someone to regularly talk to also helps (ie. therapist, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc). This way, whenever I do something extremely awkward/embarassing, I'll be able to vent and feel better afterwards ("no big deal")!

I'm not able to help you very much in terms of career choices, but good luck :) and you can message me if you need any help dealing with anxiety! (also you should read "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson - it's helped me a lot in battling anxiety disorder).

[whittwhitt]

Thank you for replying! I love doing that too, especially after a bad day. I've never tried to think about going back to my "safe place" while being in a stressful situation though, probably because I'm too overwhelmed, but I can definitely see how that could calm you down - I'll try it next time! I haven't considered reading anxiety books before so thanks for the recommendation and good luck with your volunteering!