I get so stressed during check-offs!!

Published

I was wondering if anyone else has such a hard time with checkoffs. I'm just in the beginning nursing skills and although I have done most of the skills so far just working in the hospital, I get so nervous when it comes to checkoffs. I forget the process and end of leaving out steps. It's so hard to pretend that the mannequin is a real person and imagine all the scenarios for me. Any advice??

I got to check off on my mastery check off tonight and I passed. I was, as anticipated, a nervous wreck but I made it. Thanks to all of your kind and encouraging words. I have made one more hurdle in our treck to become nurses!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I get nervous with check offs as well.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I got to check off on my mastery check off tonight and I passed. I was, as anticipated, a nervous wreck but I made it. Thanks to all of your kind and encouraging words. I have made one more hurdle in our treck to become nurses!!

23_28_100.gif

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept, M/S.

Nervous? Oh yes! I even got nervous during our first lab when we had to show our hand-washing skills! :rolleyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We are on our 6th or 7th checkoff (it was naso suctioning today) and I still get nervous. I just practice, practice, practice until I feel comfortrable. Then about 20min prior to my appointment I will sit and just do breathing exercises to calm down. Yeah I'm still nervous but I get through it. Just realize that no one is born a nurse and your instructors had to endure the exact same thing when they went to nursing school. Luckily I've got some pretty good instructors who know were nervous and try their best to calm us down with kind words of encouragement. We even have to answer about 5 to 8 questions after the check off related to the procedure. If you get two questions wrong you fail and have to come back and do the checkoff again.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Nervous? Oh YEAH! I was so nervous during our first check-offs over the summer, that while doing a "mock" enema, I forgot to wash my hands! Eek! I caught myself, and thankfully my instructor was a kind lady - we agreed that there is no way that I'd forget to wash my hands if I was actually in the clinic dealing with a stranger patient and not just a rubber manequin :chuckle

Good luck to everybody checking off! We have checkoffs tomorrow and I'm scared stiff.. Tomorrow we're checking off on NG tubes (inserting, removing, administering meds and feedings), sterile dressing changes (dry and wet to dry), catheters (male and female) and med admin (IV, IM, SC, ID, oral, NG) - Whew! Wish me luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, med-surg, critial care.

I only get super nervous if my instructor is standing behind me. If they are standing across the bed from me I don't get as nervous. Odd.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My first skills check-off was making an occupied bed. Making a bed made me so nervous that I had to go to the bathroom and vomit! Not kidding here. At our graduation in May, my instructor was shocked at the stories of how nervous we all were during that first skills test - but she laughed at my story! Even after getting sick, you'd think I would have settled down a bit! Nope! I did EVERYTHING wrong! About ten minutes into it I said, "I know this, I'm just nervous, can I start over at the beginning?" My instructor was so nice about it and let me but she never knew that I had been physically ill before going in until graduation!

Yes, nerves are a natural thing. They'll pass eventually, thank goodness.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

:) thank god i made it through the check off phase of nursing school, i remember how it felt, hang in there everyone. the way i see it is you wouldn't be nervous if you didn't care about what your doing, that's a good thing. good luck to all!!!:roll

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion