Dreading work, feeling like a fake

Krista77 · Mar 20, 2006

Please hang in there! You are going through what I feel every new nurse goes through... I did myself! I've been an RN for 4 years now. I started in ICU (and still there...). Wow was it stressful! It still is at times, but it took me a good year to really feel openly confident- A YEAR! I know you're thinking, "geez, I can't make it that long!" But YES you can! Just wake up everyday and know that it is a brand new start... go to work knowing you are going to do your best... always get a good night's sleep before work... and relieve that work tension by exercise, hanging out with your friends (a good laugh is GREAT medicine!)...

Don't be discouraged. You went through ALL that school to be a nurse (ie: advocate, friend, counselor, mother, pharmacist, even a doctor at times ). It will all pay off, promise!!!

~Krista

GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Mar 20, 2006

I finished school May 2003 and still have those feelings! Not as bad as I used to, though. It gets better.

BearLV · Mar 20, 2006

Hang in there, it will get better. As a new grad I would be sick to my stomach and anxious before every shift. I didn't think I was cut out for nursing, and contemplated giving it up. But, slowly I did start to gain confidence in myself and my skills. Don't be afraid to ask questions and get another nurse's opinion if your not sure about something.

Don't give up, a year from now you will look back and see how much you have learned and grown, both as a nurse and person.

jkais038 · Mar 20, 2006

I'm still a student (3 weeks to go!), but I was totally feeling the same way at the beginning of this year...like someone was going to figure out that I was faking it and didn't actually know what I was doing and if they could only see inside my head and know how much I didn't know what I was doing they'd kick me out!! Sound familiar? I got an opportunity to volunteer in a first year health assessment class and wow! By being able to answer questions and get a first hand view of where I had been just a few years prior I was able to realize just how far I had come and how much I really did know. I also learned that most of the people in my graduating class felt the same way. It made me feel so much more confident and so much more willing to ask questions on the units. I'm doing my final practicum in the ED and I feel more comfortable than I ever have. If you can find some opportunity to mentor someone less experienced or take on a student, it is amazing how much helping someone else helps you.

CardioTrans, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2006

Please dont think that you are alone in feeling the way you do. All new grads go through it. There is a big difference from being a student to actually being the nurse. I think sometimes, schools forget to remind you of that fact.

Hang in there, I promise that it does get better.

dak32 · Mar 21, 2006

I'm sitting here with tears of relief just knowing that it's not just me. I get so stressed at work ,i'm always waiting for something really bad to happen and dreading that I won't respond correctly. I mean did I sleep my way through school or did they just not teach us the right stuff?It's a very helpless feeling to always have to ask for help and advice from the more experienced nurses. Am I ever going to feel sure of myself? This is rediculous!They must all think i'm such a dumb...

ZASHAGALKA, RN · Mar 21, 2006

2 things:

1. When I was in nursing school, many years ago, I noticed a nurse that all the pts liked. So I paid attn, to see if I could see why. She wasn't, in my estimation, a better skilled nurse, but she paid attn. She listened and responded as if she heard. She ACTED as if she was only there for them. And they responded.

I pointed this out to my instructor, and she said something profound to me, something I've never forgotten: a good part of nursing is ACTING.

So, act the part. That IS the job. And while the job will grow on you, the acting will still be necessary. Your pt's get their confidence in vibes from you. You have to send those vibes by acting out that role as if you believe it.

If a pt asks me something, and I don't know, I'd NEVER admit to that: they need to have confidence in me. I say, "Give me a second, I promised to get my pt next door something real quick; let me do that and I'll get right back to you and we'll talk about it." Then, I go look it up.

As much as I hate to quote Mrs. Clinton: fake it till you make it.

2. You don't need to know all the critical things necessary for a pt right up front. What you need to know is when you DON'T KNOW. If you know when to bring in resources, like an experienced nurse, charge, or rapid response team, etc. then you are doing everything you need for that pt. Nursing is OJT. As you are learning, lean on the resources that fill the gaps for you.

So smile, everyday you 'fake' it is one more day you learn a little more that will lead you to the day when you 'make' it.

And there is nothing wrong with acting like the RN you don't quite feel yourself to be just yet. Acting is PART of nursing. It's in the job description.

(p.s. After 13 yrs, I still forget a late med or forget to open the clamp on an IVPB from time to time. Let it go.)

~faith,

Timothy.

Chad_KY_SRNA · Mar 21, 2006

Its always hard being the new kid on the block. :chair: You feel like going somewhere and hiding. Remember, in an emergency you can call another nurse to come advise and help you, your CNAs have seen a lot and can help you out. Call the doctor and if all else fails send them out to the emergency room. I have worked entire shifts at the ambulance service where we never saw one patient so its not like we are always busy. Not saying that we don't get that way. I have gone days when we were going from one run to the next without a break for hours. Continue praying, have a positive attitude, go in and do your best. Thats all anyone can really ask of you anyway. Its not always so new and frightening.

greatshakes · Mar 21, 2006

I notice that when I've really had a bad day, I am still at work in my sleep. Consequently I don't sleep well when that has happened. I didn't understand what people meant when they said they were working in their sleep. Anyone else do that?. You wake up feeling as though you haven't been rested at all

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2006

Bonnie, you are sounding exactly like a new grad, so stop beating yourself up.

I won't add to the posts above because they offer good support and advice.

Good luck!

smalonebsn · Mar 21, 2006

I notice that when I've really had a bad day, I am still at work in my sleep. Consequently I don't sleep well when that has happened. I didn't understand what people meant when they said they were working in their sleep. Anyone else do that?. You wake up feeling as though you haven't been rested at all

I do this constantly - real patients that I had and just patients I guess I create in my head (why are they always incontinent on my shoes?).

I just got off of my "day" orientation and started on second shift. I feel so stupid sometimes and like I'm running around putting out fires rather than being able to actually stop and "think" about what is going on with my patients. I know things will improve but it really is an emotionally, physically and mentally challenging time --I laugh when I hear my friends and myself when we were in school and would say how much better and less stressful it was going to be not being in school and "just working" - RIGHT! I guess we all just have to hang in there and try to be as safe as possible and keep learning.