first semester clinical

[marie1107]

I just started the nursing program and its all I have ever wanted to do .. I would say that I am a very shy person and have somewhat of social anxiety. I am fine with the exams as I am a really great test taker ( I know that won't get me far), however I am struggling in clinicals because I feel as though I am too shy and afraid to approach the patient. I do really well with the skills parts of clinicals and in lab but I just have trouble interacting and feeling comfortable with my patients. I feel as though I get flustered and I make mistakes because I'm too shy. I feel incompetent being there like I'm just going to ruin everything or get In the way or I'm doing everything wrong. I also have a problem with the nurses and assistant who don't seem to be anywhere around when Im doing something. I would like to work on my skills and get hands on, but I would prefer if a nurse was there telling me what I'm doing right or wrong. I just feel like the only one who feels this way about clinicals..how can I stop being so shy and learn to approach the patients and take control, be less nervous? Have any of you experienced this feeling of incompetence in your clinicals? I feel like I am going to make the worst nurse, and I feel like I should give up.. does anyone relate to me? Does it get easier with time? I have had no prior experience with patient contact so will it get better with practice or should I just start thinking of another route to take in life?

[LoriRNCM, ADN, ASN, RN]

That's what your instructor is there for, if you are feeling like you want to do something but want to be supervised, ask her to watch you. We get checked off on it in lab, then checked off on it in clinical, then we are on our own to do it after that! I have never asked a nurse on the floor to do anything but show me how to work a cranky temporal thermometer on a vitals machine and that was because ours in the sim lab have regular thermometers. You can do this, don't give up! Fake it til you make it! (Confidence, that is!)

[FarmerFNP]

You sound just like me when I first started. I would stand outside the patient's room for a while trying to sum up the courage to just go in and say hi. I hated clinicals at first for that reason. But honestly, the only way I got any better was through practice? It wasn't easy and there was a lot of anxiety, but I finally got comfortable taking to patients by the end of the program. Now I've been out of school for a year and a half, and working for a year and nobody would ever know I was such a shy student!

[marie1107]

Thank you guys for responding, I guess I'm just feeling discouraged because I expect it to come naturally. As it is only my second real patient contact clinical experience, I have to cut myself slack and realize I'm not going to be professional at It. I think I will take you up on that recommendation and ask my professor to watch over me the next time I do something because I need constructive criticism as I believe that is going to make me a better nurse in the future and will make me feel more confident the next time I do it. And you're right I just have to push myself to do It through the discomfort and it hopefully will get easier. I'm expecting to be morr comfortable by next semester and also hoping to get a job as a nursing assistant in the hospital which will ultimately force me to work with patients more often and become more comfortable. I'm glad I'm not the only one that has felt this way and congratulations on graduating and becoming a REAL nurse! How exciting! :)