I thought I was somewhat over my obsessive worrying about nursing,but the weekend proved me wrong.
I took my CPR for healthcare providers on Saturday,and thought I would do fine because I took pediatric awhile back (and of course let my certification run out,but I digress)
Everything was going fine,until we get tested on our skills. I freeze and can't remember the order in which I am supposed to do them. The more I try and fail, the more I beat myself up,which totally makes it worse.
At one point, I told the instructor I couldn't do it,and contemplated walking out. I didn't of course,because the class cost eighty-five dollars,but I did start crying. Everyone was understanding,and eventually I passed,but still I wonder if I cant even do CPR how am i going to be at clinicals? I still haven't given up on the idea of obtaining my LPN,but after hearing how tough nursing school is and how hard the teachers are on you,I really wonder if I can do this.
Sounds like performance anxiety to me. Been there, done that.
Look, kiddo, what is important about CPR is not how many tries it takes in a class, but what you do when you have a lifeless body stretched out in front of you on the floor. When that happens, I am sure you will be so concerned about that poor soul, you won't forget what to do, you will just forget to be scared!
Don't let this one cruddy experience determine anything! I freeze in skills lab demonstrations. I manage to get through them by laughing a lot, talking myself through the steps out loud, and remembering that I DO KNOW THIS INFORMATION!!!
I have a tendency to be obsessive also, and I get horrible performance anxiety...but I have made it through my first year of school, and now I'm an extern!!! It gets better! I promise!!!
I convicned my wife to take the acls certification with me, for the nursing entrance, since we have a small child I thought i would be prudent.
She was extremely nervous through the whole thing, eveutally passed, and was convinced that she had not retained any of it.
this past weekend at our daughter 1 year birthday party, our daughter began choking on a peice of hot dog which one of the toddlers had slipped her when no one was looking. My wife immediatly sprang into action without hesitation.
she immediatly assesed, flipped, positioned and dispelled the lodged particle, all in a few splits seconds, it was amazing!
she was amazed herself, as she said she remebered nothing of her training a year earlier, and just reacted insticntivley, with a full adrenilin rush i am sure!
point of the story, in stituations where there is an absolute need to act, you would be suprised at how clearly and concisley the mind makes decisions.
in clinicals, you will be called upon to act, and in my experience most of the time, people do, and do the right thing. They will not send you into cliniclas without training. Trust in yourself, you will do fine. Good luck.
WOW! (yes, i'm shouting cuz you all are worth shouting about!)... i just copied and pasted and printed out all your encouragements... i've worried about every little hands-on procedure (this IS a real person you're working on) and especially get fumbley with colleagues looking on or in labs when being tested... i worry at times too if i'm really cut out for this, tho i knew in my heart it's what i've wanted since a very little girl... thank you everyone for keeping allnurses.com a wonderful place to be! and thank you fifi for sharing your heart -- hope the encouragement you received goes a long long way in your caring career... keep on keeping on...
I agree it seems like anxiety took a good hold on you. Take a deep breath and hang in there, I'm not going to lie to you, I just graduated from a 18 month LPN program offered at my local vocational school, which took me 27 months to complete cause of an illness I had to redue my second year. Really I should say I was lucky to get the chance, the director didn't have to but did. When I said I wasn't going to lie to you, LPN nursing school is hard. If you are devoted and willing to give up some things for alittle while the results are a feeling of real accomplishment and joy. So hand in there. Can I give you a study hint: Find someone in your class that you can study with, like over the phone, hearing, repeating, and writing are the major elements of remembering information. Best of luck.
It happens to the best of us...I am a CPR INSTRUCTOR and I still get sweaty palms when I have to renew my BLS every two years. I can teach it without batting an eye, but when I have to prove that I can DO it...oh my!
Specializes in Peds Cardiology,Peds Neuro,Pedi ER,PICU, IV Jedi.
First things first Fifi...just relax. You got thru it, albeit with some obvious distress. I'm with the others here, don't let this be your determining factor in gauging how well you'll do in school or as an LPN. Trust me when I say that what you went thru happens even in real life, every day. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will become, until these "tests" you'll be able to do in your sleep.
Rest well, and make us all proud when you graduate from LPN school.
On the job, nurses have to recertify their CPR or ACLS every couple of years, and when that time comes, even seasoned nurses dread it and worry about it. It's something that people don't do on a regular basis, so you sometimes forget the steps, etc.
Taking CPR and clinicals and all that fun stuff in nursing school are all things you and all your classmates have to get through. It's tough and scarey but eventually it all comes together.
I'm one of those folks whose heart starts racing and ears ring when I get nervous. My sympathetic nervous system just kicks on in. During some of my last clinicals, I got so nervous I thought I was going crazy. I asked my doctor about it and she prescribed a beta-blocker for me, propranolol. I just took it once in a while before clinicals, or a test, or test-out. I was still nervous, but it prevented my heart from racing and just kept me a little calmer.
Just remember, 99% of your classmates feel the same way. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!
Specializes in LTC, Home Care, Medical Offices, Plasma.
I agree that you are probably just trying too hard
what I did in preparation was to practice on a stuffed teddy bear at home
learn the steps
it's like ABC
Relax
That is so funny... I thought I was the only one turned a teddy bear into a dummy...lol. I took a skills test today for American Heart, and was working on my bear last night.
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chadash
1,429 Posts
Sounds like performance anxiety to me. Been there, done that.
Look, kiddo, what is important about CPR is not how many tries it takes in a class, but what you do when you have a lifeless body stretched out in front of you on the floor. When that happens, I am sure you will be so concerned about that poor soul, you won't forget what to do, you will just forget to be scared!