How to control nerves

grinnurse, RN · Aug 2, 2005

Practice is the only advice I can give. Act like and know that you can do it and the confidence will help too! Good luck.

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 3, 2005

practice is the only advice i can give. act like and know that you can do it and the confidence will help too! good luck.

:yeahthat:

unless in an emergency, i tried to just talk calmly to the patient and strip tape, even if i didn't need all the tape. tearing the tape helped calm my shaking hands. this will pass as you get better!!!

good luck!

siri, crnp, clnc, rlnc

FuturenurseCA&O · Aug 3, 2005

I sing, and once I had a director who's hands would shake when directing--especially at major competitions. Plagued him for years, until he accepted that his hands were going to shake...told the chorus that that was just the way it was, and instructed us to ignore it and pay attention to his direction. Once he did this he told me that his hands shook less...still shook, but much less. And we all felt confident under his direction.

Don't know if you could tell your pt's to ignore the shaking, but if you go in there accepting the fact that your hands are going to shake, and everything will be just fine, it might help...

~D

Happy-ER-RN, RN · Aug 3, 2005

I know exaclty what you mean. I am okay with adults, but I started my first IV on a pediatric patient last week and he started screaming at the top of his lungs! My hands were shaking so bad I could barely function. Thankfully I got it in on my first try, but then it was time to tape and I was still shaking so much that I was fumbling with the tape and could not get it. The parents were both there just staring at me, it was horrible! I had not felt like that since the first time I put a needle in someone.

I guess that's not advice, but just know you are not alone!

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Aug 3, 2005

hello, welcome to the family of allnurses. good luck in everything you do. :)

amber1142 · Aug 3, 2005

I am a new grad working in the emergency room. I am having a real problem with getting nervous doing some procedures especially IV starts when the patients can see my hands shaking. Anybody got any tips on how to control this I know it will pass as I gain confidence :chair: but I'd like to get over it ASAP.
Thanks

The experienced nurses on my unit encouraged us new nurses to pull up a chair, get comfortable and to take our time. It's less scary for me to be sitting next to the patient than to be looming over. Somehow standing implies efficiency and experience which is hard to live up to.

csmithword · Feb 17, 2008

I am right there with you as far as nerves go. I am a 2nd semester RN student. During my clinical rotation I got stuck with a instructor that just scares me so... I shook the entire time I was working on people and she gave me a bad evaluation. Now she is recommending me for counseling to learn to control my anxiety. I doubt it will work. I am fine with other instructors, just not her. Her reply to that is that it should not matter who is watching. I suppose she is right. I guess practice and time will only tell. :cry:

JanessaG, BSN · Feb 17, 2008

I agree with grinnurse. In school and now, I have been determined to be good at starting IVs. I know practice and experience will come.... but, I just walk in telling myself I'm going to get it. Sometimes it takes me two tries, but I usually get it, which helps build my confidence. Other times I have to get some help. When I get help always one of two things happen, the pt turns out to be a really difficult stick and it's not me and/or I learn a new technique. It's amazing how many different ways of doing this exist depending on the vein and the nurse, but everyone seems to have their own twist on how best to start them. I think going in with confidence makes all the difference in the world. Even when doubt enters my mind, I just tell myself I'm going to get it, and this keeps my hands from shaking. So far, and maybe I've been lucky, my pts have not been upset with me when I need to get someone else to help. In fact most of them end out telling me that people have trouble getting the start or that this has happened before.

Your experience will come in time, as will mine. I know for me being new is so hard. I watch the experienced nurses and I want to be there so badly. But I also realize I am at the bottom of a large learning curve. I read something once that said something like "one year of experience takes approximately 12 months". I try to remember this and have confidence in what I can do and what I do know, and just remember the rest will come :wink2:

We will get there!

Edit: Sorry, just realized how old this post is.....

helper T cell · Feb 19, 2008

Hi Lochness

I'm glad you resurrected this post. I am in my second month of my first job as an RN on a Medsurg floor. Last week one of my preceptors pointed out to me that my nervousness with some procedures ( catheters to be specific and IV starts) was making the patients nervous and that was not a good thing. Patients are in a very vulnerable place and are putting thier trust in us. I was really glad she said something to me about it. I know that I don't want to be overconfident about things but I am going to use some of the tips I've read from above and just being aware of my affect on patients makes it easier for me to change my behavior. I'm lucky that I have hired into a supportive unit. Thanks again for the helpful advise everyone.