Do you get really nervous before a shift?

Nurses Stress 101

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I've worked for several years and STILL get extremely nervous right before I start a shift. My heart rate shoots up (like 110-120 bpm) and I have to go to the restroom. It's a total "fear of the unknown" thing - the unpredictability of the job. Every day is different. 😣

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Specializes in Emergency.

Not once I began to always...always I say...expect the worst....all else is GRAVY once you realize that ideal!

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Specializes in Emergency.

Nope, I work emergency where we signed up for not knowing what was going to happen next. That's part of what I enjoy about the job.

Is there any specific unknown that you fear encountering?

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Nope, I work emergency where we signed up for not knowing what was going to happen next. That's part of what I enjoy about the job.

Is there any specific unknown that you fear encountering?

Man, I CANNOT do ER. Wayyyy too stressful. And too much liability.

I just like to plan everything and know what's gonna happen and what to expect. I know it's impossible, but that's just who I am. Am I gonna be floated? Are we gonna have enough staff? Are we gonna have 8 patients? Am I gonna have half my patients constantly on the call bell? Am I gonna be so busy that I will stay late just to chart? Am I gonna have help if I don't know how to do something? Am I gonna have a code blue? What if I stand there and look stupid if my patient asks me a question I'm unsure about? What if I forget to do something? The list goes on, my friend.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Oncology.

I'm not a nurse yet, but I work in the emergency department as a scribe. I get extremely nervous before every shift because I have no idea if the physician I'm assigned to will be in a good mood or if I'll be able to complete their charting in time. Hopefully the feeling will eventually fade and when I'm a nurse I'll be able to manage the anxiety better.

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Specializes in Case Management.

Yes! It's been a year I've been an RN. I guess I'm just nervous in the beginning of the shift because I don't know what kind of team of patients I'll have, or how busy the day will be. But once I get report and go about the day, I'm totally fine.

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Yes! It's been a year I've been an RN. I guess I'm just nervous in the beginning of the shift because I don't know what kind of team of patients I'll have, or how busy the day will be. But once I get report and go about the day, I'm totally fine.

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I agree. Once I know more about the patients and get a better idea about what my day will be like, I feel better. It's just before I get my assignment. I get so extremely anxious. I try to talk myself down, but apparently it doesn't work. I get all the physical symptoms of anxiety and stress.

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Specializes in Emergency.
Man, I CANNOT do ER. Wayyyy too stressful. And too much liability.

I just like to plan everything and know what's gonna happen and what to expect. I know it's impossible, but that's just who I am. Am I gonna be floated? Are we gonna have enough staff? Are we gonna have 8 patients? Am I gonna have half my patients constantly on the call bell? Am I gonna be so busy that I will stay late just to chart? Am I gonna have help if I don't know how to do something? Am I gonna have a code blue? What if I stand there and look stupid if my patient asks me a question I'm unsure about? What if I forget to do something? The list goes on, my friend.

Maybe more stress than the floor, maybe not. We always have doctors around and quite often the specialists there too. I do a lot of informal consults where I'm just asking for an opinion, not the specialist to actually do anything.

Maybe, probably not, probably, yes, chart on the fly, maybe, "good question, let me check on that", can't remember everything.

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I've been a nurse for 4 yrs and the fear and dread feeling has faded, but I still get the moments of anxiety right at the start of a shift. Like you said, it's about not knowr what is coming your way. Once I do first round I am usually better.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I work in the ED...don't get really nervous either-I learned very early into my career to expect any and EVERYTHING... I've worked LTC, Acute Rehab, Sub Acute Rehab, Private Duty Home Health and visit Home Health and Specialty Clinic with Pedi Orthopedic Surgeons; each have their own stressors, so I've learned to get myself ready with the right type of music, eat a healthy snack, hydrate well, and meditate and deep drew the before entering my unit or workspace; I did this more as a supervisor in LTC and especially as a supervisor in a Sub-acute Rehab because I was going to be responsible administratively for a whole building-that was stressful, to say the least. :)

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Specializes in PACU, presurgical testing.

I work PACU, and even though we do the same sort of thing over and over with each post-op patient, the patients themselves bring a huge variety that gives me fits many days!

I do have issues with anxiety, and I experience a lot of the symptoms you mention on a daily basis. Have you talked with your PCP or an EAP person at your institution about how you're feeling?

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Specializes in cardiac/education.

What you describe is driving me out of hospital nursing. I need a "chill pill". LOL

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