Can't get over my anxiety in clinicals, and this is my 3rd semester

morningland · Feb 12, 2011

It just takes time. I just got over my hospital anxiety a couple weeks ago and I graduate in 10wks! I have even been working as a PCT at a hospital since christmas and it has just been now that I no longer feel nervous in the hospital and feel confident. Eventually, you too will feel confident

jjjoy, LPN · Feb 12, 2011

I've got to say that I wish there were more graduated options for students/nursing school grads who could use more clinical time before having the full-spectrum of RN responsibilities and a full workload foisted upon them usually within just 6-8 weeks.

My all too short time as a PCT was priceless for becoming more comfortable with patients and learning quick 'tricks' of basic patient care. I wish I could've floated more to get a good cross-section of patient types and issues. Goodness knows that as students we had just 10 shifts on any one unit. I wish I could've been a unit secretary for a time as well to become more familiar with orders and the general flow on various inpatient units. Then, when starting as an RN, I'd have at least a few aspects down pat while trying to get up to speed on everything else!

Sigh! This doesn't help the OP... though if any nursing assistant opportunities are available still, take it!!!

anonymousstudent · Feb 12, 2011

Fear no man (or woman ). You have NOTHING to be afraid of. You have to capture that fear beat it. Your instructor is there to HELP YOU!!!!! Not to watch you for some nit picky little thing and then fail you as she cackles and rides away on a broom stick. Clinical, in my opinion, is not a chain of command situation. It's a collaboration.

No fear. Got it? :) Let us know how you are doing! :)

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Feb 12, 2011

Do you have anxiety problems elsewhere in life? Do you have any work experience or is this maybe your first venture into the career world? I'm not trying to be sarcastic. Just wondering.

What specifically is making you anxious? Is it interacting with patients, which are really just people you don't know, or is it giving medicine...?

bella65 · Feb 12, 2011

Thank you for all your replies. I have worked as a counselor in nutrition, where I have my degree, but was a stay at home mom for the last 10 years after having kids. I have been divorced for three years. I am very outgoing when it comes to everyday situations. I guess I compare myself too much with everyone else in my group that seems to be breezing through the course. I do suffer from depression and anxiety. I just have no confidence in myself, and always feel like I am going to fail. I hate it! Sadly, my dad was very pychologically abusive and always put me down. When I graduated with a nutrition degree, and was so excited, the first thing he said was "yeah that is great and all, but are you really gonna make money doing that?" I know I have carried a lot of that with me. Not to make excuses, but my whole life was like this with my father, so I guess I feel this voice laughing at me saying "You are not ever gonna make it!" I am not trying to get sympathy, this is just how I feel. I have cried, prayed, and read books on confidence, and I just don't have it in clinical. I get great grades, but feel like a nervous wreck in clinicals! Should I discuss these concerns with my clinical instructor? I want to be a nurse so badly. My true passion is to be a psych nurse. This was my first week in clinicals in my 3rd semester, and feel like I should have confidence by now????

all4ofus, ASN, RN · Feb 12, 2011

I am also in my 3rd semester, and I also still get anxious in clinicals. I even work as a PCT on weekends, to boot. I think my issue with clinicals is the way that we have to go about picking patients. I don't know how it is in most other programs, but for us, we have to pick patients the night before without any help from our instructors or the nursing staff. Then we have to go introduce ourselves and get express permission from the patients to work with them as nursing students. There is absolutely no appearance of collaboration with the actual nursing staff (and really, there normally isn't much of that in the actual clinical either). It sucks. However, I am perfectly comfortable working as a PCA. I can walk into the patient's room wearing the same uniform as everyone else on the unit, introduce myself, and TELL the patient I will be working with them. And the nurses know me and speak to me, which helps too. Clinicals suck, but you can get through it. And if you know that you have an issue with anxiety and/or depression and you have tried other methods, why not try an antidepressant, at least during the semesters? It may help you to step outside of that big snowball of anxiety that we can tend to get caught up in.

clinicalssuck!! :-) · Apr 1, 2011

wow!! I know all about what u r going through! Its awful, i was in my 3rd semester too, back in 07, had to leave the program because, i let my anxiety get to me, i did stupid mistakes at clinical, had a cpl mean, instructors who, instead of teaching me, used their "power" on me, unacceptable, one even grabbed me by the arm! But that was 4 yrs ago, im not giving up, ive been accepted into another nursing program, already worrying about clinical..i wanna be confident and comfortable!! I really hope i can do this! :-)

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Apr 2, 2011

You are definitely not making excuses! Everyone's past seems to find away of creeping up, even in adulthood, when you are successful with your own kids. I can relate.

Do you go to counseling at all? I know, you probably don't have the time or the money. What I have learned is, you have to make the time (45 minutes a week can be squeezed in). You need to do it for yourself. You are no good to your kids or your patients if you are not well. You need to convince yourself that you are independent, strong and successful. You already have a college degree, and are 3/4 into your next one. Don't let anyone take that glory away from you!

blueeyes12 · Apr 2, 2011

Sweetie I sure hope these answers help, because I want them to help me too! I'm also in the third semester and I joined this site JUST to see if others felt the way you described! One day you get a nurse and tech who are encouraging and show you (just for 30 minutes even) the way they need stuff done, and what should be documented. They tell your teacher that you did great (because you knew what they expected, and each Nurse expects just a little bit of a different thing when you are looking after her patients) and your teacher tells you how great you are for weeks on end (but you can tell he/she doesn't mean it because they often look at all of us students like we are a bunch of stupid "bothers" to them.)

then there is the day when your nurse does not like you. she tells your instructor it took too long for you to get things done, etc etc. and your teacher slams you, because it seems like they believe we are all dummies anyway.

Hey maybe that was the night your kid kept you up half the night with his flu, or you have to work and this was the day you just got a little tired, and you are stressed BIG TIME because you KNOW these are peoples lives in your hands, so you ARE actually trying to MEMORIZE every word that anyone says to you.

you also know that you have to write down every word of every detail because you need to take it home, to stay up half the night to write 8 pages of care plans and interventions and Clinical Preps. Some teachers will ask you each morning for those and will embarass you in front of everyone if they don't look like what she/he wants, so now your day starts out bad.

And.....the only reason you are in Nursing school is because you genuinely enjoy looking after others. People have always told you how nurturing that you are, and yet..... look at what a screw up you are because it's 3rd semester and you cant' remember what a certain drug is so you have to look it up. etc etc etc.

Today, more than ever I just want to go back to being a secretary. When I was a secretary no one made me feel like crap everyday. I only wish that today, I was 9 years old again and that I could run crying to my Mom.

I am seriously, very seriously, thinking of taking my kid to the park today, not studying and dropping out of Nursing school. I am very tired. Tired of having a knot in my stomach, tired of writing papers that have no grade, tired of someone treating me like I am a burden when I am PAYING that person to teach me, and most of all I am tired of ignoring the two people that I love the most (my child and Husband) just so that I can feel like crap for another year.

Of course everyday a nurse or teacher isn't treating us like a dufuss, but it only takes once a week for a student to say to themselves "well gee, these people know what they are doing, I must be a bad Nurse/Student" It's just exhausting........

MrsMig, BSN, RN · Apr 2, 2011

I feel for you honey...we all panic...but if it's to the degree that you are saying, maybe you should look at alternatives - i.e. medication or meditation??

I mean no disrespect, but women chemical make up changes as we age and if anxiety is ruling or hindering certain aspects of your life, don't let it and go to your Dr. and discuss options and take back your control! Or can you take Yoga classes and look at homeopathic remedies? What ever your preference, there's options!

Good luck....!!

CBsMommy · Apr 2, 2011

Here's where I think clinicals versus the work force are different....

In clinicals, people are judging you. The nurse that is in charge of the patient, your clinical instructor and the patient. Sometimes even our peers. Your CI, nurse or patient can "fire" you from the patient's direct care at anytime and your CI has the option to dismiss you from the program in which you've been working hard at. If this is where the anxiety comes from, you are not alone! Even the "confident looking" people are afraid of this on some level.

I've had peers that have commented to me that I appear confident. I'm not 100% confident in anything I do. In fact, there are several things that I need to work on. What I am confident about is that I want to do everything possible for the patient that I am working with to feel better and to get better. I am confident (and careful) that I am not going to do anything to hurt them. I am confident (and careful) that they will remain safe while in my care. If you feel confident in these little things, you are on your way!!