Getting ready to start senior year. Still overwhelmed and feel I don't know what I'm doing

[Axmann, RN, BSN, NREMT-B]

So, I'm getting ready to start my final year of my BSN program at a relatively well-known nursing school.

I have kept a high GPA and have been doing well in my coursework.

Here's the thing: I still feel overwhelmed in clinicals. I had my med-surg 2 clinicals last semester (it was in a neuro med-surg unit) and I felt pinned to the wall with crushing anxiety and self-doubt. It was the first time we really had independent care of our patients, and I dreaded each day.

We're getting ready to start our critical care clinicals, and I'm petrified.

I have ADD (primarily inattentive type) and spiraled hard into a depression after cessation of Adderall due to developing a high tolerance which prevented me from deriving any further therapeutic effects from it. It was one of the only things that ever helped my ADD and now that my tolerance is so high, I'm afraid of never being able to function adequately again.

This brings me to the present day. I have my final year ahead of me and I find myself asking myself, "Do I really belong here?"

Am I going to make it?

[Axmann, RN, BSN, NREMT-B]

bump*

[Jules A, MSN]

A fair amount of anxiety and reflection on what you don't know is healthy and I applaud this as compared to a new nurse who thinks they are a rock star however it sounds like there is a bit more to it than that in your case. I would absolutely recommend seeing a competent mental health prescriber and therapist.

At their recommendation consider additional pharm and non-pharm options for assisting with your ADD, anxiety and depression. FWIW it is a huge red flag for me when a patient has an out of proportion reaction to discontinuing a medication especially because in most cases it is a stimulant, benzodiazpine or opiate. Be open to your options and doing some soul searching. Best of luck to you.