Any tips on how to deal with Clinical Anxiety

[cherryvigor]

I've been in my ADN program for about two months now and going to clinical still gives me major anxiety and I wanted to know if anyone has any good tips on managing it? I tend to sleep really poorly before clinical and I'm always worried about making a mistake. I feel like I should be more composed about it and usually once I'm there I'm okay but I don't like feeling this anixety. Before starting nursing school I had never been in a healthcare setting and honestly had no idea what to expect. I'm really young and I don't have a lot of experience so I'm pretty sure that's why. I had and still have a lot of anxiety right before clinical and I just want to know if I'm the only one or not, lol.

[Possum_RN]

How do you greet and interact with someone whom you will potentially be performing dangerous and invasive procedures on, uncovering their darkest secrets in their charts, seeing them toilet? It's all very awkward, not to mention the anxiety of performing the technical skills themselves! It's not like any human interactions you've had up until now. It's perfectly normal to be anxious.

I found watching videos of skills to be pretty helpful, just the repetition of seeing the skills over and over again helped me avoid panicking and blanking out in the middle of a skill. Or, if something looked weird in a video (all sorts of different equipment, or the fact that it's youtube and any schmuck can post), it helped me form questions to ask my clinical instructor prior to being faced with doing the skill in front of a patient. I also found it helped to go to bed waaaay early before clinical days, if possible: I was not going to seep well the night before, but just laying quietly in bed, maybe reading or listening to relaxing music helped me feel a bit more rested the next day.

You get into the 'flow' with patient interactions. Skills you panicked over doing in your first few semesters become second nature, etc. Clinicals are STRESSFUL. I went though them both as a CNA and as a nurse... and to be honest, I was nervous the whole time. But, I realized I was doing more and more complex tasks too....the stress level remained roughly the same, while my skills improved. My main advice is to focus on what you do well, don't obsess over your weaknesses - just log them and think positively about improving on them: keep moving forward.

[lehaley1989, ADN, RN]

This is 100% normal, and chances are many of your fellow students are feeling the exact same way. You're trying new skills in a new environment with someone hovering over your shoulder and grading you on it. That is insanely stressful no matter how confident you may be!

I agree with Zombie - find ways to relax before going to bed at night. Turning my brain off and reading a book (NOT a school book!) has always been really helpful for me. Keep in mind that you're a student, and your instructors and the staff on the floor don't expect you to do things perfectly right out of the gate. Try not to be so afraid of mistakes. They're great learning experiences!

[kmclark]

It is normal to be a little anxious. Do your homework. Know your dxs and meds. Know what your plan of care is and have yourself ready to care for the patient. Always get there early to not create more stress on yourself. Good luck it is still early and the more you get under your belt the better you will feel.