Help! I feel incompetent!!!

[nursesandra]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new nurse who graduated last year from nursing school, but who is going back to school to get my university degree in nursing, so I pretty much only work during the summer and on holidays. I'm young, I work on a very busy, and hectic floor with very complex patients. I can sometimes have upto 5-6 patients on certain days, and there's always a million things going on and everyone is always expecting you to give them everything you've got.

When i'm working in the summer, I really have a problem with confidence. I often feel intimidated by the more experienced nurses, and I often feel like I have to prove myself to them. I'm always asking questions, and I sometimes worry that they find me incompetent. I always feel anxious before going to work, and I sometimes have a hard time when a pt. is going "sour", and often patients code on that floor. I deal with the situations well, but I sometimes worry that I don't assess my patients well enough. I'm always feeling guilty about everything; and also feeling that the staff members think poorly of me, even though I know this isn't true.

Help, I need some advice before I give myself a burnout!

[BETSRN]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new nurse who graduated last year from nursing school, but who is going back to school to get my university degree in nursing, so I pretty much only work during the summer and on holidays. I'm young, I work on a very busy, and hectic floor with very complex patients. I can sometimes have upto 5-6 patients on certain days, and there's always a million things going on and everyone is always expecting you to give them everything you've got.

When i'm working in the summer, I really have a problem with confidence. I often feel intimidated by the more experienced nurses, and I often feel like I have to prove myself to them. I'm always asking questions, and I sometimes worry that they find me incompetent. I always feel anxious before going to work, and I sometimes have a hard time when a pt. is going "sour", and often patients code on that floor. I deal with the situations well, but I sometimes worry that I don't assess my patients well enough. I'm always feeling guilty about everything; and also feeling that the staff members think poorly of me, even though I know this isn't true.

Help, I need some advice before I give myself a burnout!

Any chance you could work all through the school year (in a limited way)? You'll haev a difficult tiome gaining confidence when you work so sporadically. Some of the other issues are personal and you'll have to work through them yourself. I can't help but think that more hands-on bedside experience will boost your confidence and your feelings about yourself.