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?

[BonnieSc]

Yes, totally. Though I have to remind myself that sometimes when I'M taking report I might sound like I'm trying to show someone up, catch them out, etc; really I'm just thinking out loud. I really don't expect anyone to know lab values off the top of their head; I usually don't. So if I say something like "What's the creatinine?" because I'm wondering what the creatinine is, it's not a test; if I say "jeez, why don't they take her off the lisinopril?" it's not because I think the previous nurse fell down on the job.

[madricka, BSN, RN]

You never know, some nurse might be looking at YOU wondering how you can possibly be so good at your work, so efficient, etc. It's hard to know the difference between how we appear on the surface vs what's going on inside. I've worked with students who think I'm smooth as ice and totally on the ball and want to be like me when they graduate, meanwhile I think I'm scattered/behind/flustered that day because I have to do my work and precept at the same time!

Either way, you should never, ever compare yourself to anyone else at work -- it will only mess with your head and make you feel either insecure or superior and that is never a good way to be in the workplace. Trust that you ARE really good at what you do & getting better every single shift. There is SO MUCH we learn actively & passively from our colleagues, be happy you work around such a great team!

[BonnieSc]

Trust that you ARE really good at what you do & getting better every single shift. There is SO MUCH we learn actively & passively from our colleagues, be happy you work around such a great team!

Yes! Just as they say "if you're the smartest in the room, you're in the wrong room"--you never want to feel like you're the best nurse on your unit. You aren't going to grow in that position.

[Ddestiny, BSN, RN]

It sounds like you assume you need to be perfect. Perfectionism runs wild in nursing, but it doesn't serve us or our patients. It just is a weapon used to beat ourselves up.

I used to be the same way until I worked with an amazingly talented but also very flawed physician. Working as her nurse I got to see how she could be a very competent and compassionate doctor while also having her own problems and things that occasionally got in the way. We're human. Sometimes we get stressed out. I see newer nurses and students that beat themselves up over the stupidest things ("OMG I dropped a pill, I'm going to fail!"). And again, I used to be the same way so I don't say it condescendingly... I say it as someone who has been there and now knows a better way. I allow myself to be human. My memory is not the best, especially in the morning, so I write EVERYTHING down -- if I am told in report from night shift "hey, ask for an order for ___" or if I think of it along the way during my assessment, I write it down. If I have someone that needs to have a dressing change, I write it down even if it should be obvious. I write down the time that I did my initial assessment so I can then document it later. I write down each pain assessment I do (x/10 plus time) unless I have a computer with me right then at that moment to document it. When it is time to do end-of-shift documentation I write down the different types of documentation I need to make sure I remember ("Care plan note," "Education," "Pain assessments" plus any other notes) because I don't want to forget if I get interrupted.

Does this make me feel like an imposter or any less of a nurse than anyone else? Hell no!

As it's been said, everyone has strengths and weaknesses and there is nothing wrong with that. Identify your weaknesses and work around them rather than fixating on them. Use the tools you have. As long as the end result involves the patient getting what he/she needs the the documentation the facility requires is complete, that's all that matters.

If perfectionism is an issue that resonates with you, I recommend looking into the TEDTalks and books by Brene Brown. She is a researcher that speaks at length about perfectionism, vulnerability and shame. Honestly, it's pretty life-changing.

[djh123]

You can't worry about who's faster or slower ... you're probably better at something or several things than this colleague. And as some others are kind of saying, sometimes those calm/cool/fast ones aren't as 'perfect' as you might think ... we've got 1-2 of them at my facility, and I could tell you some stories. What you CAN do is to get organized however best works for you, try to learn something as often as possible, and do the best job you can.

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

Yes! Just as they say "if you're the smartest in the room, you're in the wrong room"--you never want to feel like you're the best nurse on your unit. You aren't going to grow in that position.

Precisely. I like to learn from others, but also to be a resource to some. Just above average with my own quirks?

[Buyer beware, BSN]

Yeah, I bet you are.

This is sn old sceneario. You come on shift take a useless, endless report and then are immediately confronted with several code browns, some old some new. Also multiple blown infitrated IVs. Pre-explosion my cup runneth over foley bags. The hallucinating alcoholic who just ripped out his foley with it dangling in his hand. The diaphoretic drug abuser sitting up in bed smiling ,hypotensive in a decompensating V-tach wondering why the benzos never arrived. Various patients swimming in vomitus secondary to clogged, non-irrigated NG tubes. Patient's families running you down asking why mother/father has been so neglected.

[lpn.rn.bsn]

I'm a naturally efficient and organized person. That's just how my brain operates - I am able to prioritize important stuff and I always get done on time. Am I perfect? Certainly not, but that's just the way it is. Experience helps too.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Please don't waste your efforts comparing yourself to other nurses.

Perhaps.. THEY are the imposter.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Thread has been moved to the Nurse Colleague/ Patient Relations forum.