A shy nurse ?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 4, 2006

As long as you are able to one-on-one communicate with the patients, families, doctors, co-workers and able to delegate then, they won't hinder you.

I would say "passive" would the the one thing you should work on. Not that it should be replaced with "agressive", but assertiveness. Because you are going to have assert yourself to all of the above people, especially if you need to advocate for your patient, or not be taken advantage of by CNA's, charge nurses or other co-workers (no flame inteneded to CNA's just using them as an example).

There are all kinds of personalities in nursing, and I'm sure you'll find your niche.

HARRN2b · Oct 4, 2006

Kenny,

I am not a loud person either. I am concerned about the loud doctor figure. Guess I just have to remember I am there for the patient and so is he/she. I have always been intimidated by old upper level white men.

dazedandconfused · Oct 4, 2006

I was shy when I started school and during my first year. My public health clinical instructor actually told me that I would not make it as a nurse because I did not force my way into a patient's home.

I started to become more assertive as my confidence grew. Now my boss would love to have me be the shy person I was in school:)

Good luck, it will get better.

Jennerizer, ASN, RN · Oct 4, 2006

I'm shy by nature, but I connect well with my patients and their families. When I first started, I dreaded having to call doctors in the middle of the night. As the confidence in what I was doing grew, so did my confidence in dealing with the doctors & other medical professionals.

Jen

kennyd · Oct 4, 2006

Thanks for the replys so far. Would you say my sort of nature is worse for a man ? Men are usually expected to be more loud.

nurse_clown · Oct 4, 2006

I'm shy. I'm very very quiet. I used to be scared to do my job. Sometimes, I'd stand at the door in the hallway and have to take some deep breaths before entering a patient room and doing my job. I was afraid of docs, managers, family members, coworkers.... But, that was a long long time ago. Somehow, I got over my fear of people and even though I'm still shy (cuz I still run sometimes to hide when a supervisor shows up) but on the other hand, I can stand up for myself and coworkers if there's an argument I believe in. I think that was a giant step for me to get over my fear of people at work. Outside of work is still very challenging. I get dizzy when I leave my house and I almost look drunk when I'm walking to the car. But, I think that's a result of a completely different issue.

But yeah, I know what you mean. I work in a palliative care unit. Sometimes quiet and gentle is what the patients need. You wouldn't find me asserting myself in the E.R.

webmansx, ASN, RN · Oct 3, 2009

that's sad new for me...I would love the er but i'm shy also

shoegalRN, RN · Oct 3, 2009

The good thing about nursing is that there are so many specialities and areas that you can find one that fit your personality.

I am not a shy person nor am I loud, but I am assertive. I have a way of killing people with kindness to get what I want. I have a sweet tone of voice that I use to delegate with or get what I need from family members or doctors. I chalk it up to years working in corporate and being in customer service via the telephone.

I'm also one that don't like for others to see me sweat, so I work very well under pressure, it's like the more choatic a situation gets, the more calmer I get. When I did my ER rotatation as part of my new grad residency program, this was something that was pointed out to me, and I was told I would make a good ER nurse because of it.

Even if you are shy, there are other areas of nursing that may fit your personality. You just have to find your nitche.

SweetLemon · Oct 4, 2009

Kenny,
I am not a loud person either. I am concerned about the loud doctor figure. Guess I just have to remember I am there for the patient and so is he/she. I have always been intimidated by old upper level white men.

I am not sure that the loud screaming nurses are really the best approach to the loud screaming docs. Assertiveness and professionalism still the best approach. I struggled with these attributes prior to nursing school. I got a little more experience being in school but once I started my career and had patients that I cared about and felt I needed to advocate for I found being assertive not an issue.

I still struggle with asserting myself when it comes to staff issues. ie. getting support staff to be on top of the duties but I am getting better. I am learning one day at a time and I am sure you will do great. Good Luck!