How do you not feel like an imposter?

[oldsockventriloquist]

I know the title sounds cheesy, but it is something I wanted to bring up. You might see your colleague that is able to do tasks more quickly than you or with less worry. You might be juggling multiple assignments, writing everything down so you don't forget anything, triple checking everything, and communicating with multiple people so nothing goes wrong. Meanwhile, your colleague simply nods her/his head when she/he receives multiple tasks and does them with such ease. How do you maintain confidence in your nursing abilities in those situations?

[Sour Lemon]

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. I used to work with a nurse who was very on top of things and had lots of free time while I ran around like mad ...then one day, I worked the opposite shift and took over her patients. Need I say more?

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

If my patients are alive and well and I still have my license at the end of the shift, that's what matters most to me. If I get things done quickly and easily, even better, but that's a bonus. If that coworker who is so efficient has really good strategies, I may incorporate them into my work too, so it's a learning experience.

[NOADLS]

I am "that colleague."

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. I used to work with a nurse who was very on top of things and had lots of free time while I ran around like mad ...then one day, I worked the opposite shift and took over her patients. Need I say more?

I am "that colleague."

Yeah, I bet you are.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

You don't compare yourself to your co-workers. They might have more experience or they might be really good at hiding what they are really feeling. You just keep doing your best and reminding yourself that you are doing your best.

I worked with a traveler last night who was able to get an IV in one of my hardest sticks (Even IV team had problems). She was amazed at how well my co-workers and I were able to handle the palliative patients and their families. Like someone else said, we all have our own weaknesses and strengths. Just keep doing your best and remind yourself you are doing your best.

[BonnieSc]

Yep. I often feel like this, and I'm bewildered when I get praise from colleagues for things that I don't feel like I do well enough. While it doesn't apply to everyone, I think it's part of the human condition, and especially so for women (don't know if you're female).

In the greater sense, I agree that you have to stop comparing yourself to colleagues; that doesn't do you any good. But in one sense I think it is helpful. Observe those colleagues you admire and see whether they have practices or attitudes you can cultivate in yourself. Or on closer observation you might find, as a PP says, that those apparently admirable qualities come at the expense of something else and you prefer your own way.

There are so many things I've learned from observing colleagues. I remember one new grad nurse who came onto my floor after I'd been there two years. At first we always thought there was some emergency because she walked so fast; then people started to tease her (in a friendly way) about it. "It's the only way I can get everything done," she said. At first that seemed kind of silly to me, but I thought about this and how I always felt like I didn't have enough time, and started to walk closer to her speed. I was amazed a. at how much difference it made and b. how slowly I'd really been walking.

Also when I was a newer nurse, I used to be one of the last to leave from my shift, usually having to take 15 or 30 minutes of overtime to get everything done. I was really beating myself up over that because I saw two of the nurses I started with always leaving at 7:30 on the dot. I wondered why they were so much more efficient than me (basically, wondering "why are they better nurses than me?") and decided to try to make an effort to get out on time. Once I started focusing on that, my problem became obvious--I spent too much time helping other people. A couple of the CNAs even told me, laughing, that they'd started always coming to me to ask for help because they knew I wouldn't say no. After I figured that out I stopped feeling bad about being late, but I also gave myself more leeway in concentrating on my own work.

I would also add, regarding your comments about how others do everything with so little stress--that might simply not be their personality, but you also don't know what's in everyone's head. They might just not show their stress. Sometimes people have commented on how "easygoing" I am because I don't write down a lot of stuff during report, or use a "brain". Sometimes they mean that as a compliment but other times it seems like thinly veiled criticism. It actually doesn't deserve either; that's just not the way my mind works. I have trouble taking notes and listening at the same time, so I mostly listen. And while I mostly keep my nursing tasks in my head, if I need a reminder I'm more likely to use the tools in the EMR than something I've written. (Writing seems to work the opposite way for me--my subconscious thinks if I've written it down, I'm done with it. If I keep it in my head, it stays there until it's actually done.) To nurses who carefully take notes on all aspects of report, and sit down and plan their shift on paper before doing anything else, I might just look sloppy.

This has gotten too long... my main points are:

--don't stress over feeling like you're not as good as your colleagues, as long as you're trying to do your best.

--but observe those you admire to see if there are things you can pick up from them.

--everyone is different and what works for others won't necessarily work for you.

[pluckyduck, MSN, NP]

Try not to spend time comparing yourself to your colleagues, but observe any tips/tricks they have for managing their time better or getting organized. I feel like this too some days, but on occasion I've asked some senior RNs "how do you stay organized when you have a list a mile long without getting overwhelmed?" Also, at the end of the day--don't rush through things like its a list you have to accomplish. Some times I have to say to myself, "if it's not critical, it can wait an extra two minutes," so I can get things done properly and safely. As long as my patients are safely cared for at the end of the day, I try not to get too hung up over comparing myself to others. I've only been an RN for 4 years, so I know I'll continue to improve in time.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Those colleagues often aren't nearly as together as they want you to think they are. The ones who are overly proud of themselves are actually somewhat delusional, and they are the scary ones in reality.

[ottersloveoysters]

Sometimes people are stressed but they don't show it. I often appear confident on the outside but in my head I'm freaking out saying, "OMG how the heck am I going to find a vein in this person??!!" *smile*

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

Well, sometimes the assignments are not of equal acuity. Some facilities do assignments taking acuity into account and some do not. When I see a co-worker having an easy time of it, I usually am quite sure her/his assignment has less acuity and/or she has less demanding patients/families.

[FloridaBeagle]

They're probably not as great as they want you to think. I always had one nurse nitpick me when I gave her report, and I always dreaded having to give her report because I knew it was going to be a stressful ordeal. She loved to lecture me whenever my answer to one of her questions was "I don't know," and she wouldn't stop until she asked a question that I couldn't answer (how many of us really know absolutely everything about a patient you've had for 4 or 8 hours?) Upon talking to other nurses, I found out she did this to everyone. This particular nurse recently had two serious med errors, sending one patient to the ICU for over-sedation. I maintain my confidence by knowing insecure people sometimes have to bully others and be a show-off to hide their own incompetence.