Biggest Fear

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Hi, I was just wondering what other students would consider their biggest fear about being a nurse. I think my biggest fear is the emotional aspect. I don't know if I will be able to be emotionless, and really I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing. How does everyone else feel?? What's your fear?

The old saying and I know the debated topic- Being eat alive by more experienced nurses- chewed up and spit out. :cry:

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Specializes in ER.
Hi, I was just wondering what other students would consider their biggest fear about being a nurse. I think my biggest fear is the emotional aspect. I don't know if I will be able to be emotionless, and really I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing. How does everyone else feel?? What's your fear?

well, I'm not a student, but I can tell you what I am afraid of at work is what I do not know. I am always looking to learn. I think the biggest fear is someone dying because of a nurse. I operate out of that fear, so that I check, recheck, and verify with pharmacy or the charge nurse if I am ever unsure in any situation. That is really my only fear. I don't want to be that nurse - to make a catastrophic error.

I think the emotional part of things come and go, depending on the situation. Some days are harder than others, depending on where you work.

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Specializes in ER.
My biggest fear is not being able to remember enough informaion that I learned in nursing school and being labeled as incompetant at my first job.

nursing school provides you the fundamentals, but the real learning begins on the job.

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My biggest fear would be accidently hurting someone (med error, or something along that line)

Same here.

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My biggest fear is being viewed as incompetent by my patients, patient's family members, co-workers, boss., etc, etc.

... saying the wrong thing or not saying anything at all to a patient that is asking for advice.

Not feeling anything after years of working. (I'd rather be emotional than not emotional, because from it compassion is felt and action is made. We think less of our selves and more of our patients.)

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MY biggest fear is killing someone due to inexperience. I so do not want to have to deal with that guilt.

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Specializes in no specialty! (have to graduate first!).
The old saying and I know the debated topic- Being eat alive by more experienced nurses- chewed up and spit out. :cry:

Oh I totally agree. I pray that at my first job the experienced nurses remember what it was like when they first started and they actually help instead of scold and take over without helping.

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Specializes in CICU.
I sit crying for hours and wish that I could do more. Please...no one tell me I can't be a nurse. I already hear that from my Mother. Thanks

This will be YOUR chance to "do more"!

And, its alright to cry. We are not robots. I won't mind crying, I just hope I don't vomit in public while doing / observing trach care.

PS - don't listen to your mother :D, at least not about that!

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Specializes in CICU.

I fear doing harm to a patient.

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PS - don't listen to your mother :D, at least not about that!

i agree... ps Do-over ur funny!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, telemetry/stepdown.
I am right there with you. I am worried about the emotional aspect as well. In another thread someone stated that if we didn't get emotionally involved and didn't care, than we need to find another profession. I think that makes me feel a little better but I have a huge heart and tend to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. I can't even watch the news because of what other people do to children, animals and other people. I sit crying for hours and wish that I could do more. Please...no one tell me I can't be a nurse. I already hear that from my Mother. Thanks

I think it's ok for us to cry as well...In my last clinical rotation I spent two days with a woman not even in her 40's who had just learned her ca had spread to her brain and lungs. We spent a lot of time talking, she told me all about her 12 year old daughter, who she said "hates me" because her mother had been ill pretty much all of the daughter's life. Her ex husband ignored the daughter, and this woman's biggest concern was what would happen to her child if she should die.

This brought back a flood of memories for me, my own mother was ill when I was that age, and it made me appreciate my life so much, because my mother survived and I still had her... anyway...the point of this story is that, while speaking about my patient in post-conference, I broke down and cried for this woman because I felt so helpless, and could do so little to help her. I felt embarrassed at first (I don't cry around others too often), but my classmates and instructor were understanding and told me if I wasn't upset, they would be worried.

Although I don't burst into tears with every patient I see, I'd like to hope that I will always have some emotion when caring for people.

I think you'll be a great nurse! Hopefully I will too!

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Specializes in geriatrics.

My biggest fear is not developing adequate organizational and time management skills to juggle the multiple patients I'll have in the real world of nursing. It challenges me now, when I'm only tending to one!

A close second is the fear that my body won't have the stamina to endure - since I'll be 54 by the time I'm an RN.

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