Clinicals make me feel like an imposter

[tabithaaedyn]

I am in my fourth quarter of nursing school. I have pretty much enjoyed my classes and clinicals this last year but since this quarter's clinical rotation began, I feel like an imposter. I get so anxious and nervous before every clinical and for the first time in a year, I have seriously felt like quitting. The thought of making a mistake in the hospital is overwhelming. I look around me and the rest of the students just seem more capable. They appear so much more confident than I am. In lecture, I am a great student. I do very well on the tests, but clinicals are scaring me so much. I find it hard to function. The thought of performing a new skill on a real person is terrifying. How can I enjoy my classes so much but hate med-surg clinicals? Is this fear normal? Did I get into the wrong career? How do I overcome this?

[AlynnSN]

I too am experiencing the same thing as you! It has got to be normal I would think. I am in an ADN program that is clinically based. Clinicals 6:30-2:30 every single Monday and Tuesday. I'm pretty sure I will get over it, by the end of the RN program, but since this is my first rotation outside LTC, it is scary. We hear horrid stories about mess ups, people's lives in danger because of this and blah blah blah. You just have to remember why you are doing what you are doing. Personally, for me, I love the nursey nurse feeling.

Examples: Last week when I reported off to my RN at the end of the shift, my foley output was only about 21mL/hr so I made sure to point that out and she was SOOo grateful because she was suppose to call the doc about it and it was her first week on the med/surg floor. It was an awesome feeling.

Sometimes, our uniform can make others look down upon us because we are "only students" but I am very often reminded that I AM capable of doing what my RN is doing because she was once in my shoes as well.

Keep your head up. We chose this profession for a good reason :redpinkhe

[Silverla]

I'm not a RN student yet, but I felt exactly the same way you do when I was in my first practicum for my HCW program. I was so afraid to do something wrong and I felt like the other students were doing so much better than I was, I was even worried that all of the other students had done peri-care and I hadn't. Seriously peri-care? If I'd known I'd end up doing thousands of times, I probably wouldn't have been so worried about it.

When I have student shadow me now I tell them the same thing I told myself, "pretend their your family member and its OK to make a mistake. It all gets easier with time." I also practiced every thing from shaving, bed baths to transfering on my husband in addition to using the lab. I realise NS goes way faster than my program did so you don't have the luxury of time to learn one skill, become comfortable with it before you move on to the next, but having practiced a few times at home can make things a lot easier when you do it in the real world.

Good luck with school, and remember these feelings for when you have students.:)