Can I be a Nurse if I'm shy/an introvert?

Davey Do · Jan 27, 2021

Hi Sabrina!

Welcome to allnurses! This is a good forum in which to post, as many others have come here with similar questions.

I respect your reasons for going into nursing at your age and your perspective. I was 26 years old before I became a nurse- LPN.

46 minutes ago, SabrinaY said:

I'm a shy/introverted person and although I love to help people, I do get drained by constantly interacting with them.

I can identify with your introversion, however, I have a tendency to be outgoing. I am very personable, but that's all an act. I'd rather not have to deal with people.

Which brings me back to you and your concerns of being drained by constantly interacting with them and getting super handys with them:

First, I dealt with the sensory overload and feeling drained by being a recluse and following my bliss, which is art. I do a lot of solitary things like exercising and bicycling. If we have an off duty endeavor which refuels us, we can better deal with the draining times.

As far as the handsy thing, if we act the part, separate ourselves from the emotional part of us, we can better deal with our embarrassments.

I fell into the concept of acting the part of, say a nurse, by watching other nurses who were good roll models and I emulated them. I exhibited my personality, but used their technique when intervening with patients.

Once we learn a good technique, we practise that technique until it becomes institutionalized within us; it becomes a part of who we are.

Good luck, Sabrina!

RNperdiem, RN · Jan 27, 2021

The good news is that introverted and shy people do just fine in nursing. This isn't a social situation where you need to be entertaining or think of something clever to say. Nursing is more of a caring transaction with people in a vulnerable state. Personable is fine. When family comes to visit, I step back and let them interact with the patients and not make it about me. In ICU, my patients are often intubated and well sedated.

To recharge my energy in such a people-y job, I take a very early lunch break where I can get the break room to myself and turn off the blasting TV and enjoy a bit of downtime and some quiet. The commute home is my other bit of alone time.

Somehow in your post, it doesn't sound like your heart is in nursing. Where is this pressure to "advance" coming from? Are you happy in your present job and getting the bills paid?

Sour Lemon · Jan 27, 2021

I'm an extreme introvert which causes me no problems, at all ...but like Davey, I can put on a good show and I'm not lacking when it comes to assertiveness.

I do feel a bit of stage fright when it comes to procedures, but I typically direct the patient's family out of the room when there's something invasive going on. And that's for the patient's comfort as much as my own.

It took me a while to get used to the "handsy" aspect of things, but there are two main types of patients. There are patients who are used to being in and out of the hospital and all that goes along with it- they are not phased by anything. There are also patients who have never been in a hospital (or it's rare) and may be a little nervous. In those cases, you will seem comfortable in comparison and focused on making them feel less awkward.

As nurses, we are "coordinators of care", so while shyness is not an issue, we do need to be able to communicate effectively. If you can pull that off, I think you'll be okay.

Davey Do · Jan 28, 2021

1 hour ago, Sour Lemon said:

I'm not lacking when it comes to assertiveness.

I looked up the word assertive in the dictionary, and guess what I found, Sour Lemon?

That's right!

The definition of the word assertive!

SabrinaY · Jan 28, 2021

2 hours ago, RNperdiem said:

The good news is that introverted and shy people do just fine in nursing. This isn't a social situation where you need to be entertaining or think of something clever to say. Nursing is more of a caring transaction with people in a vulnerable state. Personable is fine. When family comes to visit, I step back and let them interact with the patients and not make it about me. In ICU, my patients are often intubated and well sedated.

To recharge my energy in such a people-y job, I take a very early lunch break where I can get the break room to myself and turn off the blasting TV and enjoy a bit of downtime and some quiet. The commute home is my other bit of alone time.

Somehow in your post, it doesn't sound like your heart is in nursing. Where is this pressure to "advance" coming from? Are you happy in your present job and getting the bills paid?

Thank you so much for all the answers! I never looked at it as not a normal social situation but that makes sense. I guess my heart isn't really in it, but it's not really in anything honestly and nursing (besides billing and coding) is the only thing I've been this serious about considering. I'm wanting to move up from my current job (even though I like it) because the pay is decent but nothing I can make a living on.

TAKOO01, BSN · Jan 28, 2021

It sounds like you know you will not like nursing, so why not pick something else? There are tons of other jobs that help people, and you do not have to touch them as much. Just some random job ideas - sonographer, art therapist, unit clerk, HR rep, IT. Your other pick, a biller/coder, is a good choice for an introvert as you can sometimes work from home. And you know what? A lot of doctors I have worked with barely touch patients and hardly say more than a few words. So although it may seem counterintuitive, I think being an MD is a good choice for introverts. There are several jobs inside of health care institutions that help people directly and peripherally. Choose something that doesn't create such anxiety in you.

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 28, 2021

I am an introvert and nursing is great for me. I can be "on" for work and then recharge at home. It's funny, when I was a teacher, I learned that most teachers are introverts.

It is very odd, but I am more comfortable with strangers (patients) than I am with colleagues. As I have gotten older, I am more comfortable with speaking at staff meetings, etc.

The "handsy" part is actually easier than you would think, because you can compartmentalize. It isn't like hugging someone. I don't like a lot of personal contact, but I am fine with clinical contact.

I don't know what "care partnering" is, but as an inpatient RN, I care for usually 4 patients. I think you'll be better than you think ❤️

Best of luck!

speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 28, 2021

I am absolutely introverted. I actually do enjoy being around people and taking care of them, but I HAVE to have time over to be by myself to recharge. I hate being in front of people in meetings....will try to dodge out of dealing with anything in regards to administration or higher ups but I like taking care of my patients.

You will find an area of nursing that works for you. Ironically I actually thrived for awhile in the ER because I had a supportive team and manager so I became more extroverted. After awhile though, it drained me and I needed to move on. If you are really introverted, there are other areas of nursing to look into. OR or maybe PACU where patients are often asleep or sedated and there is not tons of interaction. I am not a good floor nurse - I find taking care of the same patients day in and day out draining....I hate to admit that but it’s the truth. The ER and surgical services gives me the patient interaction but it’s not as long term and I don’t have to interact with family quite as much.

SabrinaY · Jan 28, 2021

18 minutes ago, speedynurse said:

I am absolutely introverted. I actually do enjoy being around people and taking care of them, but I HAVE to have time over to be by myself to recharge. I hate being in front of people in meetings....will try to dodge out of dealing with anything in regards to administration or higher ups but I like taking care of my patients.

You will find an area of nursing that works for you. Ironically I actually thrived for awhile in the ER because I had a supportive team and manager so I became more extroverted. After awhile though, it drained me and I needed to move on. If you are really introverted, there are other areas of nursing to look into. OR or maybe PACU where patients are often asleep or sedated and there is not tons of interaction. I am not a good floor nurse - I find taking care of the same patients day in and day out draining....I hate to admit that but it’s the truth. The ER and surgical services gives me the patient interaction but it’s not as long term and I don’t have to interact with family quite as much.

Thanks, it's good to hear there are those options for us introverts. I'll research more about PACU, but do you find that to be more stressful/anxiety inducing? Even though the interaction is less? I've thought of OR but I do like SOME patient interaction so I don't know if that would get TOO clinical for me. Thank you for the replies!

speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 28, 2021

5 minutes ago, SabrinaY said:

Thanks, it's good to hear there are those options for us introverts. I'll research more about PACU, but do you find that to be more stressful/anxiety inducing? Even though the interaction is less? I've thought of OR but I do like SOME patient interaction so I don't know if that would get TOO clinical for me. Thank you for the replies!

No. I think after the ER nothing seems stressful. The good thing about starting in the ER and dealing with death and dying....physical and verbal abuse.....feeling like your license is on the line every single day.....is that nothing seems stressful after that. PACU generally does require some critical care background nursing (ER or ICU), but it’s so much less stressful. The majority of patients recover well and there is only a minority that require a lot of interventions (vasopressors, blood, etc). I wouldn’t like the OR for myself for a few reasons.....I don’t like dealing with difficult surgeons and I don’t have necessarily the mindset of an OR nurse. It’s just a different type of nursing. I will say I miss the critical thinking of the ER....but the pandemic has made me re-evaluate some things and a break from the ER has been pretty great for me.