Accepted my first job...now I'm nervous

[Luvelyone]

i couldn't wait to become a nurse. i studied, took classes all year around, and received my pn diploma in may so that i could get my lpn to practice while taking my last year for my rn which i begin in the fall.

i have just accepted my first lpn job. my first actual job as a nurse and now i'm nervous. what if i won't be good at it? what if i hurt someone? what if someone dies? what if i get fired? in my heart, i know these thoughts are silly, but why am i having them? am i nuts? did i pick the wrong second career path? or are these feelings natural? :sofahider

[SJW]

I don't know about anyone else, but I had the same thoughts when I started my LPN job a year ago. In fact, I dreaded going to work because of thoughts just like those. After a short while, I got more familiar with my job and my co-workers, and many of those feelings went away. I don't think it hurts to keep a healthy fear of hurting patients in the back of your mind, because I think it keeps you alert and aware of what you're doing. If you become complacent about caring for a patient/resident, you are at risk for endangering them, in my opinion.

Be patient with yourself because there's a lot to learn and if you expect too much too soon you're setting yourself up for frustration.

Now, a year later, I received my RN license and am about to embark on a new job at a hospital, and while I am certainly a little nervous about it, I know, from recent experience, that much of my apprehension is due to the "newness" of the job and that I will get over it once I start.

You will, too. Good luck. You'll be awesome!