A little scared....anyone feel this way?

[ConfusedStudent3]

Hi, I'm Brittany, I haven't been on here in a while....soo....I'm a Senior in High School now, I'm dual enrolled in a Patient Care Tech program, and I'm (hopefully) going to have my CNA by January (cross fingers)....anyways, Friday was our first day at the local Nursing Home, we didnt do much work, just kind of introduced ourselves to the workers and residents.....and I loved it and I cant wait to go back and interact with them more....but theres one problem....for some reason, I'm so scared that I'm not going to be good at this....I'm scared I'll forget the skills I learned on the manicans in my class, and hurt someone while I'm working.....does everyone go through this?? I know I better get over it because when I hopefully get my RN one day, I cant be going through this!! Its kind of scary.......

[Dialysister]

Brittany,

I'm so glad to see your enthusiasm for your patient care work. The fact that you have concerns for "doing no harm" is only to your credit. I'm an RN and hope I never lose that fear. It makes me double-check medications, orders, patient history, and patient status. My advice to you is to NEVER be afraid to ask for help from those around you who have more experience. If you are asked to perform a skill that you don't have a lot of confidence with, ask someone to stand by you while you do it. Healthcare is ever changing and we all learn from each other. Go to your instructor, preceptor, or co-worker and calmly look them in the eye and say "I don't feel comfortable doing this alone. Would you observe my technique?" Don't feel bad if they roll their eyes; the priority is--and should always be---the patient's well-being.

Good luck with your career!

[Ms Kylee]

Oh yeah.. I go through it every day... just remember the more you practice your skills the better you will get. I didn't believe this till I actually started doing it. In my nursing assistant class, I was terrified I wouldn't be able to hear the blood pressure correctly.. and I didn't.. for the first 50 times I did it. When I did, I practically jumped for joy. Now I do 2-3 BP"s manually every day instead of using the Dynamap just to keep myself in practice.

Congratulations on your decision to become a nurse. Just the fact that you are afraid to do no harm is a good sign that you will be an excellent nurse someday.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Yes, everyone goes through this. Just be yourself and walk through your nervousness and it gets bettter.

[november17, ASN, RN]

You learn a lot of skills practicing on dummies. However you will perfect them on real people. It just takes practice and actually doing the skills before you will feel comfortable. I remember my first bed bath as a nurse aide and it took me over 45 minutes to do it (I was being so gentle/thorough - and I'm sure the patient was rolling their eyes because I was taking so long). Eventually once I had been working for a few months I could get a bed bath done in 5 minutes. Practice practice practice. And always remember, you're dealing with a human being, they're not made of glass or porcelein. I'm not saying flop them around like a ragdoll, but you're not going to break them by turning them or scrubbing them a bit with a washcloth. Especially nursing home patients, they're usually used to it and know the routine.

[leslie :-D]

hi brittany,

there's no such thing as a stupid question.

with experience, your confidence will grow.

nursing assistants have taught me so many tricks over the years.

and it's healthy to worry about harming a patient.

it's those who don't worry, are the ones who concern me.

most important, your patients will love/appreciate your heart and sensitive demeanor.

they know who truly cares, and who doesn't.

you're going to shine, i just know it.

best of everything, sweetie.

go make us pround.:balloons:

leslie

[leslymill]

and hurt someone while I'm working.....does everyone go through this??

Older people tend to have lots of arthritis type pain and stiffness. Until you know how to move them or get them premedicated,it is best to have two of you do the repositioning or moving, till your confident you have the best technique down that causes the least amount of discomfort. They have to be repositioned and sometimes it ALWAYS HURTS, even with medication.

[ericalynn, BSN, RN]

I've been a "Real" nurse for about a month and a half now and I am scared every night before I go to work. Of the unexpected, of answers I won't know, all sorts of things. I have learned that my peers are there to help me to succeed and they are always there to answer questions. I'm certain there is not one nurse out ther who knows everything and if there is I hope they stop practicing. Fear is a healthy thing, and if you weren't afraid of harming your patients I would be worried. Stay positive, ask questions even if you've asked them a hundred times and think they are dumb questions, and be humble. You're going to do great!:balloons: