I mess up on skills.. all the time!

[UCFAshley]

OK, so second semester nursing..med surg! Whenever I go to check off on a new skill I almost always mess something up on the first try (and sometimes even on the second.) I get so worked up during final check off I miss a step or contaminate. My instructor even told me I need to learn to relax. Yes--I do perform the skill with 100% competency after trying again but the fact that I have to in the first place feels discouraging.

This makes me feel so small and I cant help but feel like a huge idiot in front of my instructor and then I begin to think if I am competent enough to be a nurse. I do pretty well during lecture. Everything makes sense to me and I enjoy what I learn, but when it comes to actual application I feel like I fall on my face.

I do go to open lab and practice (more than other students, probably lol). I actually do quite well when I am in open lab so this has to be nerves. So I guess my question would be--what do you recommend to over come this? Has anyone dealt with this problem?

[QuietIsntAWord]

My first blood draw while in nursing school, with my instructor watching me like a hawk... i was so nervous I could barely keep my hands from shaking, but I did it right and so I was allowed to do that skill on my own. I had maybe 4 more blood draws that same day and every single one my hands were steady as a rock.

I think you will be fine, just keep practicing

[Orion81RN]

Ah, yes. Performance anxiety. The bane of my existence. I can easily change out a trach on my peds patients when Im on the job, but come time for yearly skills checks by my supervisor, being watched like a hawk, I freeze up and fumble. You are already doing what you need to do. Spending extra time in skills lab. Basically exposure therapy.

The more you expose yourself to anxiety producing situations, the more desensitized you will become.

[direw0lf, BSN]

Oh wow I'm in preceptorship and I still am a clumsy soul. My preceptor told me "fake it till you make it" and that's what I say to myself in my car as I drive to the hospital!

I've learned to accept and work with my awkwardness. This works well! When I'm nervous I tell a corny joke. Patients seem to appreciate them and it relaxes ME!

Try it! Ok here is my favorite, but you can work on the opening lines a little:

Salt shaker told Pepper shaker a joke.

What did the Pepper shaker say?

That's sodium funny.

Then give a big smile that patients love to see and always tell me warmly to keep smiling and how my smile makes them feel better. I'm telling you - it helps with your skills!

Or if I'm drawing up a med or something and oops I'm clumsy and smash the cow into a chair I just SAY it.. "There I go crashing into everything again!" Or if you are fighting with wires or IV line or something say to the patient "If you invent a wireless way to take a blood pressure, you'll be rich!" or say "There must be an app for this" You know, work with your nervousness or performance anxiety like that, and you relax and so does everyone around you.

Oh if this is only in front of your instructor, you can still use this with them. I smile so much my teachers usually end up smiling too! The point is though to smile but know what you are doing which I think you do and are just nervous. Fake it till you make it. I was walking around the ED smiling away during my last rotation and you know the positive response I got?? Nurses were telling me how there are openings in the ED and I need to apply, and exchanging numbers, even though I am so far from perfect and fast enough. Just have a positive attitude.

[Avill, BSN, RN]

I would always volunteer to go first during check offs, it always made me more nervous doing it after people because I would see their reactions ect!

[BAY AREA RN, BSN]

if you can video record yourself and classmates doing the sims the correct way. Then you go home and practice the motions, talk myself through them and write down each step on paper. I would go back and watch the video and see if i missed any steps.

[kimpossible4real]

Performance anxiety especially with the entire class watching is tough. Remember those days..