Anxiety before work?

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Specializes in ER, Cardiac Tele/ICU Stepdown.

Hey everyone!

Do any of you other new nurses have anxiety before your shift? Mine has gotten so bad that I can't sleep before shift. I lay in bed dreading work and it keeps me up for most of then night... Has anymore else dealt with this? How do you chill out before you go in?

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Specializes in telemetry, medsurg, homecare, psychiatry.
Hey everyone!

Do any of you other new nurses have anxiety before your shift? Mine has gotten so bad that I can't sleep before shift. I lay in bed dreading work and it keeps me up for most of then night... Has anymore else dealt with this? How do you chill out before you go in?

Hi, Just want to tell you what my experience was when first starting out. It was so difficult because you want to be able look forward to going in to work, but are so afraid of making a mistake. MY experience was working at a hospital in Texas with some really unsupportive nurses. It was not only that. I had moved from Canada, and had to adjust to a high number of spanish speaking patients, Doctors that I had difficulty understanding because of their accents(mostly from mexico), I had ask one doctor to repeat himself because I couldn't understand him. He responded "Are you stupid or something" , militant managers, "supernurses, that were just "mean", and sought every opportunity to "write you up". Sometimes calling you when you get home to tell you what you forgot to do, or letting you know that you'll be written up. I was written up for stuff that was mostly fabricated (imagine getting written up because a patients PTCA site started to bleed after he sneezed. They said I didn't "apply enough pressure" How much more pressure was I suppost to apply seeing I had my whole body weight on the pucture site, and applied sandbags. "STUPID STUPID STUPID STUFF'. I had to get accustomed to all this. This was a high paced, VERY BUSY telemetry floor, very busy, very sick patients, and I was 23 years old.

I could honestly say I felt like I was traumatized by the constant pressure. I was torn up, mentally, spiritually, and physically exhausted. This was my first impression of nursing.

My advice is i can't tell you not to worry, because it would not stop you from worrying. But I will tell you that, it does get easier to go home and sleep over time. I think that the most important thing is to look for something that will make you happy, and comfortable. There are many places to work, and many different specialties.

Good Luck, I hope you find your "happy Place":loveya:

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I felt the same way and I promise, it goes away with time. When I couldn't sleep before a shift, I would get up and look for a different job online. I made myself stick it out a year so I could say I gave it a real chance and so I could be more marketable when looking for a new job. Around month 7 or 8 I stopped dreading work. I have been on my unit for 2 years now and I'm glad I stuck it out.

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Specializes in telemetry, medsurg, homecare, psychiatry.
I felt the same way and I promise, it goes away with time. When I couldn't sleep before a shift, I would get up and look for a different job online. I made myself stick it out a year so I could say I gave it a real chance and so I could be more marketable when looking for a new job. Around month 7 or 8 I stopped dreading work. I have been on my unit for 2 years now and I'm glad I stuck it out.

I agree it is sometimes the best thing to do if you are able to find support . It is not the best to stick around and be abused:banghead:. I strongly believe that an unhealthy working environment, should not be tolerated. If your job is making you sick, then leave. Who Cares.

Sorry, I just don't think that my health is worth any of it.:twocents:Especially, when you know that you entered nursing to help others, and this is the thanks you get from co-workers, and mangers.

I am grateful for my job and i love the people i work with now, looking back i can't believe i stood around and tolerated the mistreatment for as long as i did.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Its good to hear from people that have stuck it out that it can get better but my first inclination would be that something is seriously wrong if you really are that upset over just going to work. I can be a little OCD and when I make mistakes it haunts me but I've never dreaded going to work. Even as a brand new nurse I felt good about the job I was doing. Wishing you well with whatever you decide.

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Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

I completely understand, if you have read of my posts in the past you will see I have posted some very similiar posts as yours.

I DO think it is normal. I started off as a new grad in the ICU and it was overwhelming to say the least! At any moment I knew something could happen and I wasn't sure if I would know what to do. I couldn't sleep at all before my shift or I would have to take a sleeping pill and have a drink to try to get some sleep. It was awful. I would go into my 12 hour shift totally worn out from being up all night.

I'm at the 6 month mark now as an RN and it does get better....but I'm still not there yet. I still get nervous before work but it is not as severe as it once was. I am also working nights now and it is SO MUCH BETTER! Nights has made a world of difference for me.

Hang in there. I'm glad I've stuck it out because, believe me, there were MANY days that I seriously almost quit...one day I was so overwhelmed I called in sick because I just could NOT go back.

It will get better, I think most new nurses feel this way.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical.

I get the same way before I start my shift. Most of my anxiety comes from my co-workers. The hospital I work at has no new grad program. So they rarely get new grads. I think they feel threatened. So they like to "test" me. But right after change of shift, I lose all that anxiety. I absolutely hate that feeling and dreading to go to work. I've only been working as an RN for 9 months. And at one point, I never thought that I would dread my job. It's the horrible work conditions that I have to deal with. And it looks like I'm not the only one!!

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.

I'm a rather seasoned nurse and still have anxiety before work...though it's much less than when I first started in this career. It WILL get better for you--have faith!

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Specializes in Mother-Baby & Community/Public Health.

I totally can relate to feeling anxious before going in to work. The day before I go to work I'll just get this sick feeling in my stomach and I'll wake up every couple of hours the night before. I am working days and I've only been there since the end of October. I thought I would love going to work, but I don't. I am gonna stick it out for at least a year and see how it goes, plus I'm also thinking about going to nights if they will let me. Postpartum in the day time is really hectic and crazy. I like being busy because it makes the day go by faster but I feel like I'm so rushed to do everything and the computer charting sucks. By 5pm I am rushing to catch up before the night shift gets in. I've tried getting a good routine but there seems to be so many distractions that I can never finish what I've started. I now dread going to work, I like the acuity and the area I'm in, but it's just soo busy for me. I hope I will be able to switch to nights and it will be a better fit for me and then I will try to find a part-time position at an OB/GYN office and see if I'd like it better.

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Im sure most nurses, if honest have had anxiety before, during or after work. Nursing is the one job thats hard to turn off when your shift is over. If your anxiety is becoming a chronic problem, which it sounds like it is, I urge you to talk to your physician about this. If all else fails, you may consider looking for another job, it may be floor nursing thats causing it.

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Specializes in Respiratory / Tele.

Yes you are not alone, I'm a new nurse and I always have anxiety, just because I never knew what to expect each day, as a newbie nurse with no senority where I work I would be floated every day to a different unit, and I would say the patient loads always seemed real heavy compared to the senior nurses. I just took each day as a learning experience and was able to adjust to each unknown situation, and if I didn't know I just asked for help. I realized as the months went by I started gaining more confidence and trusted my own nursing judgement, and I had to remember nursing is a 24hr job so I will do my best in my 8hours and what I could not get done I will pass on to the next shift.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

happened to me, too.

went away after about 7 months. how long have you been at this hospital?

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