I don't know how to get over the anxiety I feel at clinicals! I am in my 3rd semester, and even my instructor notices it. I am doing fine and not making mistakes, but I feel like I am having panic attacks all day! I want so much to have confiedence in myself, but I feel intimidated by everyone around me, even though they are nice. My clinical instructor is wonderful, but I feel like I am stumbling over my words whenever she asks me questions.
I have never had experience working in the hospital or with patients for that matter, and see all the other people in my clinical (all are either CNA's, one is a Medic, and the other a medical assistant), looking confident! I don't know how I can get over this! HELP!!!!!!:chair:
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........
Don't do that to yourself! You need to find ways to recharge and not let the pressure or comments get to you! Hard work is not easy.... hang in there love!!
Oh, how I can relate to this! I am also 3rd semester, but I had more of a problem with this during 2nd semester.
I found that positive self-talk helped me a lot, not to mention having an awesome clinical instructor this semester (as opposed to last semester). I know it sounds kind of silly, but I once had an instructor tell me to write down all the things that I liked about myself, what I was good at, etc. It really helped me to reaffirm my qualities and build my self-confidence, ultimately, leading to a much more enjoyable clinical rotation. As time went on, I would continue to add things to my list, and still do!
Also, working as a CNA or in some other capacity may be helpful for you to build self confidence.
my 2nd semester instructor was so kind. she would grab us by the hand as she let us go down the hall to our nurse, and she'd say, you are going to do great today, if you make a mistake it's okay, you'll learn not to do it again, you'll be terrific today, I'm right HERE if you need me. she always treated us so well. my instructor this semester is nothing like that, and after all of the prereqs, the 1st two semesters of nursing, the lost sleep, the snide remarks, the husband not seeing what is so hard about school, i just can't take it. mostly it's the instructor. we need her teaching, her kind guidance and encouragement, and we "ain't gettin it"" , we are all burnt out, i'm not the only one, and i'm sure not the only one who thinks she's a jerk. nuff said
my 2nd semester instructor was so kind. she would grab us by the hand as she let us go down the hall to our nurse, and she'd say, you are going to do great today, if you make a mistake it's okay, you'll learn not to do it again, you'll be terrific today, I'm right HERE if you need me. she always treated us so well. my instructor this semester is nothing like that, and after all of the prereqs, the 1st two semesters of nursing, the lost sleep, the snide remarks, the husband not seeing what is so hard about school, i just can't take it. mostly it's the instructor. we need her teaching, her kind guidance and encouragement, and we "ain't gettin it"" , we are all burnt out, i'm not the only one, and i'm sure not the only one who thinks she's a jerk. nuff said
Unfortunately, many of the 'old school' nursing instructors still believe in "eating their young." This is exactly the same experience I had with one of my instructors. Whatever doesn't kill ya will make ya stronger.
MrsMig, BSN, RN
172 Posts
Don't do that to yourself! You need to find ways to recharge and not let the pressure or comments get to you! Hard work is not easy.... hang in there love!!