Am I failing at nursing???

[mickey7037]

I am currently in nursing school with 10 months till I graduate. Due to COVID I have only had 2 days in the hospital. I wanted more experience so I signed up for a co-OP experience working as a PCA. On my first orientation shift for the PEDs ED. I made a mistake counting respiration (had to re-do but the nurses definitely did not trust me afterwards) and continued to make small mistakes such as reading the vital machine wrong(I was flustered and very anxious after my first mistake of the day). While I know I have only worked with older patients and PEDs will take some time to learn, I feel like im failing and I don't know how to change that feeling. Am I failing at nursing, will it get better or is this just showing im not cut out for the field?

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Let's use an analogy: Learning to walk.

When a baby takes their first steps, what happens 100% of the time? They fall down. But gradually- they fall down less and less often. If they are still falling down on the daily when they get to kindergarten- something is wrong and you take them to find a reason. By the same token, you do not enroll that just-learning baby in a marathon- they need PRACTICE to become proficient.

WHAT IF every parent of a newly-walking baby decided that after falling a couple of time that baby was a failure and put them in a wheelchair to keep them from ever falling down again? 

OF COURSE it's going to be an adjustment for you to transition to children! Especially with so little clinical experience. That is expected. But gradually you will make fewer and fewer mistakes. Work hard at correcting them, cut yourself some slack- and stop letting your feelings impact your performance.