I know there was already a thread started todayabout it, but it seemed to be going off the ADD direction so I was just wondering if anyone here has OCD in nursing school?
I do, and it's becoming really hard for me. I have to check the MAR at least 11 times every time I give a med and I always have to have someone else check it for me, or I'll go home and obsess about whether I gave the right med until the next day at clinical. Even at the patient's bedside, after I've already checked the drugs against the MAR, I'll check them two and three times. Sometimes I ever keep the wrappers in my pocket so I can use them to double check later if I start second guessing myself. This takes up a lot of my time in clinicals. I'm thinking about starting therapy, because I know I can't do this once I'm an actual nurse. I've always delt with this problem, but now it's getting out of control at the hospital.
Just wondering if anyone else here has it and what your coping methods are.
My OCD used to control me...esp during times of stress, and nursing school is probably the most stressful thing I've ever been through. My advice....get on a pill. Specifically...get on something for anxiety. My first semester of nursing school I was totally stress out I made myself self. I started taking Lexapro, and the different between my first semester and the next semester was like night and day. I cope so much better now. You should talk to your PCP.
I saw a thread like this in the past, but thank you for bringing it up again, Brittney. Of course there are people out there with OCD, but sometimes it is hard to find other nursing students who struggle with it.
I think I have mild OCD (saw a psychiatrist for the symptoms a year/few years ago, but she did mention that it wasn't full-blown OCD or something to that effect).
The constant checking has lessened somewhat (e.g., making sure I locked my car door, making sure the sink is turned off all the way, making sure the fridge door is completely shut). My main problem is the compulsive hand-washing and disinfecting.
This was a big issue for me when I first started clinicals this May. After I came home from the hospital, it would take me 15 minutes to wipe down everything I took with me to the hospital (it still does, but I am feeling better about it). I take hand sanitizer with me everywhere, and I think the students around me know how much I use it. I don't like touching doors, and I don't even put my stuff on the table during class for fear of "contamination." I even bring a small rolling suitcase to school because I don't want to put my backpack on the floor.
Those are just a few of the things that I do for fear of contamination. In the hospital I can get away with washing my hands often because that is what we are supposed to do - I love how there are sinks everywhere. I have easy access to alcohol wipes, so I can wipe down my stethoscope whenever I want. People won't frown upon that, I hope not. There are also gloves to wear.
When I tell people about how clinical was hard for me because of me being a germophobe, many of them said how that was a good thing because I would be protecting my patients by reducing the risk of transferring germs from one patient to another. This is true. However, even though that is a good side of being a germophobe, it still causes me anxiety and is somewhat time-consuming.
I don't want to be on medication yet for this because I have been on several anti-depressants/anti-anxiety meds in the past 7 years. They do work very well, but I remember towards the end how much I wanted to be off of them and be "myself" again. Sometimes I want an easy fix, but this time I want to fight it as much as I can.
I hope that when I do start passing meds (next semester), I will be able to control the over-checking thing.
The driving off the cliff is part of the intrusive thoughts problem. OCD is when you are not convinced of something even though you check, constantly. For instance, my OCD kicks in regarding the stove. Even if I didn't use the stove that day, I'm not convinced that it is not turned on. I check all the knobs and physically have to touch them in order to make sure they are turned off. I go into the living room and sit on the couch and have to go and check them again, I mean 2 seconds after I checked the first time. This would go on about 100 times, if I let it, but limit myself to 3's. The intrusive thoughts are the terrible part. For instance, if someone makes me mad while driving, I will have the intrusive thought to hit their car with mine. I actually have to talk myself out of steering my car towards theirs. Will I ever actually do it? My logical self says no. My intrusive thoughts say do it, do it, do it. All of this runs in my family and pills, counseling haven't worked. Sometimes, you just have to learn how to control it...like say, laughing at the intrusive thoughts!
Britney, I know exactly how you feel. I also check the MAR about 10x and am constantly checking up on myself in so many areas..
I also have a problem handing tests in at school. I have to check that I fill in the same letters on the answer sheet that I have on the test form at least 3 times before I can hand it in.
I work in a hospital as a tech while going to school and I enter the vital signs into the computer, accuchecks, etc. I always have double check that I entered them in correctly and then still hold onto my paper another 2 days (just in case).
Same goes for my alarm clock. I am so afraid that I will miss getting up for clinicals or work that I am considering getting a 2nd alarm clock (just in case) I do check several times that I set it correctly but it doesn't seem to help.
I do have OCD and I do the same thing with the MAR, as well as many other things. I can not, however, read the same things over and over. I don't understand it.
Britney, I know exactly how you feel. I also check the MAR about 10x and am constantly checking up on myself in so many areas..
I also have a problem handing tests in at school. I have to check that I fill in the same letters on the answer sheet that I have on the test form at least 3 times before I can hand it in.
I work in a hospital as a tech while going to school and I enter the vital signs into the computer, accuchecks, etc. I always have double check that I entered them in correctly and then still hold onto my paper another 2 days (just in case).
Same goes for my alarm clock. I am so afraid that I will miss getting up for clinicals or work that I am considering getting a 2nd alarm clock (just in case) I do check several times that I set it correctly but it doesn't seem to help.
We are too funny!
Wow, we are extremely similar! I have to set three different alarms on my phone so I make sure that I get up on time. I also have to check them three times each every night before I go to bed to make sure I didn't put it in as p.m. instead of a.m.
I've dealt with this my entire life, and it hasn't nothered me too much before because honestly, I can't ever imagine what it'd be like to go to bed and not want to double check the oven, stove, and all the door locks. But, now with nursing school it's just too much of a pain. I can't constantly be rechecking the MAR because I know there will be times when I can't do that so I'd really like to learn how to look at it once and be ok with that. Right now though, I stress about whether or not I gave the right med for HOURS after clinical.
stormymemphis
33 Posts
My OCD used to control me...esp during times of stress, and nursing school is probably the most stressful thing I've ever been through. My advice....get on a pill. Specifically...get on something for anxiety. My first semester of nursing school I was totally stress out I made myself self. I started taking Lexapro, and the different between my first semester and the next semester was like night and day. I cope so much better now. You should talk to your PCP.