doubting yourself as a nurse

Nightin6ale · Mar 8, 2012

I came to this blog because I feel the same way you do. I am relatively new (been a little bit over a year) at my first nursing job on a busy med-surg floor and find I am constantly giving myself pep-talks about going to work. I try so hard and care so much, but I have made tons of mistakes, big and small, of which I haven't completely gotten over. I doubt myself as a nurse frequently, and I think the anxiety over making mistakes now makes me more prone to making them. I have noticed that I am not only doubting myself at work, but I now have more self-doubt in my personal life. I'm not sure if at this time I am a lousy nurse because of being new, being busy, working nights, or just being an idiot, but I have very little confidence and am ashamed most of the time.

Right now I am trying not to give up. I have the heart of a nurse, and at one point I felt like I had the brains too. I am working on building self-confidence so I can better apply my knowledge and skills. If this doesn't work, I may look into a less stressful nursing job (injection clinic? yes, please)... but I don't want to give up that easily when I know how great I can be eventually.

Anyway, I wish you and everyone the best! Hang in there.

Aubergenie · Mar 8, 2012

I've been qualified 3.5 years, and I still doubt myself. Most days. I have good days, I have bad days. I have REALLY bad days. Last October, I took 2 weeks off sick with stress because of certian people I work with. My confidence got knocked so badly, that I even considered handing in my notice and going to work in a supermarket, I doubted myself that much. However, after confiding in a couple of the Sisters in my department, I restarted to build my confidence, and, although I still have bad days, I know I can go to someone if I think I'm struggling.

Please remember, every nurse was newly qualified once, and some of them struggled just as much as we are/did. There is no such thing as a silly question and there is always someone who can sympathise/empathise with you in your department/ward. Those nurses who stand there and make negative remarks to you and shake your confidence - ignore them, they have their issues, Dont let them bring you down.

*hug* for everyone who needs one

rnsheri · Nov 25, 2012

You said it! I am going through this exact thing right now. I come home and beat myself up for mistakes I made and things I said. I don't sleep well because I feel like I am too slow in acquiring my skills. I research and try to learn things all the time from books and online but that doesn't help me understand chest tubes, PCA pumps, or Buck's traction by experience. I have to be shown multiple times to do a skill I know how to do in my head, but get flustered when people watch me and correct me because very nurse has a different method. My sister and I practice skills together. But what else can I do? I have no confidence. I feel like I learned nothing as far as useful clinical skills as a BSN.

See, we did a ton of bed baths and fetching ice carafes and giving oral meds on our "medicine days", which weren't frequent. Then the teacher watched as we pulled meds, hovered when we hung piggybacks, etc. We weren't even allowed to give an IV push until 3rd semester. So now I am a BSN who can do paperwork and charting and recite the purpose of this med or that, but struggle everyday to "get" new things. Yes, I feel inferior. We generally have 5 to 7 patients per nurse, and I get so flustered. I feel like a failure and can't break that.

If anyone has advice, please let me know. Otherwise, just wanted to vent to people who understand what I am going through.

anne919 · Dec 15, 2012

All I can say is that I feel somewhat better that I am not alone having that feeling. But maybe if we have a working environment that help us around-the one that theyll teach you how to properly do it. We will all survive and can help others too in the future.