How do new nurses cope with the stress/fear of their first few months as nurses?

[karenshc1]

I will be graduating nursing school in a few months, and besides excitement I feel very nervous to begin this new cycle in my life. I would appreciate if anybody would share how they coped with the overwhelming responsibility of being a nurse when they first started. In advance, thank you for sharing your wisdom!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Welcome to AN! You may want to check out this article from the first year after licensure subforum. And here's another article that generated a fair amount of dialogue.

Nervousness is perfectly normal, and not being nervous would be concerning. You will have a lot to learn. You will hate your job some days. You will cry. You will experience reality shock. It's a huge transition to move from nursing student to licensed nurse. That being said, anxiety that is to the point of interfering with your work, family, social life is not normal. Take care of yourself, come here to vent when you have a bad day (we get it much better than non-healthcare family/friends), and be sure to balance out work and not-work life.