Advice for anxious new RN the day before starting job

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Dec 19, 2012

I am a new nurse and start my first job tomorrow. I am so anxious and feel like I know nothing. I did very well in school, but it has been 10 months since I graduated. It was difficult and took many months to find a job. Now I almost feel like I am bordering on panic. Is there anything I can do to ease these feelings?

I wish I could say something to ease your feelings, but I probably cannot. The only thing I can tell you for sure is that almost every one of your coworkers felt the exact same way you do right now on the day they started.

Even the ones that have forgotten.

So congratulations, put your big girl underwear on and get to work!

somenurse · Dec 19, 2012

CONGRATS!! AND WELCOME ABOARD!!

Hopefully, you will have an extensive mentoring on your job.

Being nervous is normal for new nurses, it is a good thing, as uncomfortable as that feeling is, it serves a purpose. This will make it more likely you will ask when you do not know. Any new nurse who wasn't even slightly nervous,

would make me nervous, ha ha!!

If i could give you (or any nurse, really)

one bit of advice,

it's stop at the line of your own ignorance. When you get to something that you do NOT know about, stop. Stop and ask, seek out info, research, get help. If you do NOT know, do NOT proceed. That habit will make you a safer nurse.:) no matter how many years you've been at it.

We all should do that.

all of us. No one knows evvvverything, none of us.

Doesn't matter if you are running behind, doesn't matter if you feel stupid cuz you've already asked 5 questions that day,(or that hour, ha ha!)

doesn't matter,

if you do not know,

stop.

get help, get info, ask.

If something "doesn't feel right", get help, ask.

Your confidence will come, slowly, as you become adept and knowledgeable about your job. Still, i can promise you, even 10 years from now, you'll still be coming across new things that you do not know about,

and even then,

even when you are mentoring some new nurse!! you will find things you do not know about here or there,

and then

you still have to stop, and ask, get help, research it, learn. You will never ever stop learning.

and you'll be fine!

ladydistevens · Dec 19, 2012

Thanks, Jean Marie46514. I will definitely take your advice and ask. I can hear in your words...no matter what I am feeling...ask. I just pray that others will be gracious and not eat me alive! All I heard through school was"nurses eat their young". That is a bit unsettling. That is definitely not who I am nor who I will be as a nurse. I truly appreciate your comments. I have put on my big girl panites...but I may need to wear some Depends under them! :)

somenurse · Dec 19, 2012

Thanks, Jean Marie46514. I will definitely take your advice and ask. I can hear in your words...no matter what I am feeling...ask. I just pray that others will be gracious and not eat me alive! All I heard through school was"nurses eat their young". That is a bit unsettling. That is definitely not who I am nor who I will be as a nurse. I truly appreciate your comments. I have put on my big girl panites...but I may need to wear some Depends under them! :)

Lol, there are some great articles around this site, on how mentoring OR following a mentor, can be difficult.

One bit of advice on your mentor,

as much as possible,

try to make rapid assessment of what h/she is doing when you approach with a question. Like, if she is smack dab in the middle of something, or talking to someone else,

wait, and start with, "do you have a minute?"

(unless, like, your patient is like, dangling by the bedrails, or something, ha ha!)

As much as possible, gather all your multiple small questions together, write them down, and present this list of questions when she is available for this,

instead of running to her with each one as they cross your mind. (if they are not pressing things)

Continuously running up and interrupting her, could become annoying, but, if the situation allows, using manners can help reduce that.

One other thing, on not getting on your mentor's nerves,

is,

stay on topic of nursing for now. don't chat at her all day about your boyfriend, or your family, what happened when you had your gallbladder removed, etc,

mostly, for now,

have most of the words coming out of your mouth, have to do with your job. If mentor invites you to speak of yourself, that's another thing, but, it's a good opening move, to focus on the work at hand,

to help reduce the amt of speech the mentor has to sort through, to rest her ears a bit, ha ha. Of course, that varies from one mentor, to another, though.

ladydistevens · Dec 20, 2012

Ahh, you are very wise! I appreciate the advice. I believe it has been divine intervention....I. am a talker! Lol. I will heed your advice! Thank you, so much!

ladydistevens · Dec 20, 2012

Sounds like you may have been a preceptor.....haha!

somenurse · Dec 20, 2012

Sounds like you may have been a preceptor.....haha!

I've been both a preceptor, and the new nurse on the unit! both are kind of hard, in some ways. But, sometimes, it is fun, too, so don't be afraid. Often, (not always, but, often) the unit manager is aware of the types of people working on her unit,

and often (not always, but often) the manager chooses the friendlier types to mentor the newbies.

GOOD LUCK!! You'll be fine!! Everyone is nervous at first! I am old hand now, but, when i get to new place, i am a bit nervous at first, too.

owlRN01 · Dec 20, 2012

Experience is the only thing that can ease that anxiety. Last night was my very first night working in the hospital. My preceptor was talking so fast and overloading me with information at first and I thought to myself "I will never get this!" Eventually she calmed down...talked a bit slower and helped me through things. She really grew on me over those 12 hours. Guess what? I walked out of there knowing more than I knew before I walked in and thats all you can hope for. I keep telling myself that those days will build on eachother until at some point lots of things will be second nature. I can't wait for that day!!! Good luck on your first day. I bet you walk out of there wondering what you were so nervous for. I know I usually work stuff up in my head so much that the anxiety is overwhelming but when the day or task or interview, whatever it may be, is over I wonder why I even bothered worrying so much :)

PRICHARILLAisMISSED · Dec 20, 2012

Hi ladydistevens.

I'm just a pre-req student myself so I don't have any direct experience to help ya. I would like to recommend you find and read an article by a member of this site, "Cheesepotato", however. The title was something like "A letter to Nursing students from your future preceptor," or something like that. I believe it has a lot of advice you can follow that will make you a successful "Preceptee."

I apologize for being so vague about the title of the article-I meant to copy it for myself for future reference but I got side tracked and didn't. But if you can track it down (or if a poster who can navigate AN better than I can help you track it down) I think you will find it worth the read.

Also, if you do find it please post the actual title so I can look it up and print it for myself

Good luck, and I'm sure you'll do fine.

Jaime