Can a shy person become a good nurse?

Published

Hi to all,

It was suggested to me that I was not assertive enough to make it through nursing school.

I have not started NS yet, but will be applying to start Fall '10.

I feel like I have the smarts to make it, and it is my life-long dream ( 46 years old-looong dream). lol

I am not terribly shy, just some-what quiet. My question is , do you have to be "assertive" to be able to handle NS?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Care.

To be a good nurse you have to be assertive, use critical thinking and make quick decisions.

Do you have problems making important decisions? Are you easily intimidated?

Why do people describe you as not being assertive?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you for the reply.

No, I have made important decisions all my adult life. I raised three boys who have gone on to be successful professionals.

I guess that I come across as a nervous type person, but actually I'm not.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes you can, because clinicals and class time will get you out of the shyness!!

There's a girl in my class who is so terribly shy. She is just a naturally nervous person, and suffers from some anxiety. The first few weeks I had to be her partner for every activity. She was so scared to get out of her comfort zone. Then the first week of clinicals we were supposed to be with partners, but our instructor wanted us to go in a patient's room alone for the first time. She almost passed out, literally. But she did it!!! I was so proud of her! She decided that she has worked too hard to even get into the program to let her shyness get to her.

Now, she's completely comfortable & doing great! You can do it, just have faith in yourself!

good luck and best wishes

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Have you tried taking a personality tests to see if your personality is compatible with the nursing field. One popular one I took online for Lifespan Psychology during pre-nursing was the Holland test. You can find it online here:

http://www.web-research-design.net/cgi-bin/crq/crq.pl

It helped confirm that nursing was the field for me.

Besides, nursing offers a wide range of job opportunities. Not all require you to be uber-assertive.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in cardiac.

I consider myself "shy". I'm not the type to just approach people on the street and start conversations. I even dread meeting people at parties etc..

But at work I'm in my element. I don't feel shy at all with my patients or their families. I think if you like nursing and find a patient population that you enjoy working with, your confidence will overcome your shyness. I'm trying to bring a little more of my work-self into my everyday life!

Just don't take things personally when you get an angry, patient family member or doctor upset at you (it's most likey not you but the situation). And if you're really intimidated by the docs, don't work nights!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

DaynaDawn, most certainly a shy person can be a nurse! I am a example of that! When I was a pre-nursing student I was really quiet, same thing when I first started nursing school. BUT as soon as I had my first day of clinicals, things just changed. Yes, I was scared and nervous, but if I kept feeling this way at clinicals, I was never going to get my work done (we had to do these flow sheets on the patient/patients we were working with). Somewhere in between I grew out of my shell. If you are always quiet and not assertive, you may face patients who will walk all over you. It takes time. But you'll get there.

I also became a mentor for pre-nursing students when I was in nursing school which involved me talking in front of large groups. I found that this really helped. I can't say I'm the most assertive person in the world but I can be when I want to be. I don't consider myself shy anymore. The fact that you've raised three boys, I'm sure you have it somewhere in you. Don't doubt yourself. If you feel nursing is your calling, GO FOR IT! Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Medicine.

DaynaDawn,

Guess what? You are going to learn what to do in nursing school!

You may not grow out of being a quiet person...but you'll grow into being a nurse! Just like you grew into being a mother!

If it's your dream, then go for it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wow!

You are all amazing for my ego! Thank you so much for the positive encouragement.

I truely needed to read these kind of answers to my question.

I WILL be a nurse! I will be a GREAT nurse!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Medicine.

That's the spirit DaynaDawn,

Take your vision, make some goals to reach it and you'll be fine.

There will be some bumps along the way, but remember you already did the hard part by taking the first step towards your vision. Remember when you get to nursing school just break it down to the class your in, the assignment needed done. It's more manageable breaking it down into steps rather than looking at the entire program....

I started my program which is an accelerated program, twice as fast as a traditional program. When we first started lot of my classmates choose to look at as having 18 months and 18 classes. I choose to look at it in a positive light: We were taking 3 classes, so to me that meant after these 3 classes I only had 15 left. I also recalled my vision of becoming a nurse, and was just thankful of being in the nursing program.

Now, after this current class (last Fall class), this Spring I have just 2 more classes and Role Transition left.

Keep positive, remember your vision and you'll get there!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Dayna-

When I was doing my pre-reqs, i had a girl in every one of my classes who was beyond shy. She would make me ask her questions to the instructor for her. I wondered how she was going to make it. She got into the program a year before i did, and I ran into her recently. She was confident, self-assured, came and spoke to our class like it was nothing. She is nothing like her former self. Of course you can go to nursing school if you are shy. Just don't go if you want to remain so. Nursing school changes you in many ways. You learn to become comfortable w/ people quickly.

Go for it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neonatal ICU.

You will definitely come out of your shell as you progress through nursing school. I have seen a very big change in myself since I began on this journey. My 1st semester clinical instructor told me that I was "too nice" and needed to be more assertive. I never even really considered myself shy, it just took me a little while to open up to people and strike up a conversation.

Fast forward to my last semester (my last 3 weeks! :coollook:) and I can walk in to a hospital room and feel confident, assertive, and also make my patients feel comfortable with me all at the same time. Think about it, you are in a person's personal space, doing physical assessments and performing skills on them. You cannot be shy and do all that! My personality has changed, and I believe it has been a very positive thing for me.

You will grow into the role as school progresses. That's the reason we are going to school, to learn not only how to treat our patients, but to develop a bedside manner and earn the patient's trust and confidence in our skills as a nurse.

Follow your dream! Keep your positive outlook and you will be a great nurse one day! :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion