Is it normal after graduating to be nervous about being on your own?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello. I am happy to have just graduated with my BSN from a 4 year institution.:yeah: I should take my boards within the next month. Please keep me in your prayers because I have to pass NCLEX the first time in order to keep my internship at Children's Hospital so really nervous! (I'm about to start the Hurst Online Review soon to prepare).

Anyways, I'm excited for being done with school and getting a job but am also really nervous about being on my own now in the real world and really having lives in my hands. Is that a normal feeling when you are a new nurse? Thankfully, assuming I pass boards the first time, I'll have preceptors during my 6 month internship so maybe that's a good thing to help me get in the flow of things. But still nervous now that I'm really about to be a nurse!

Specializes in Critical Care, Patient Safety.

If you are NOT nervous, there is something wrong. Being overconfident leads to mistakes. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions. Building confidence just takes time.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, Peds ICU.

That's really weird. I was a confident and competent critical care nurse the day I graduated. ;)

Use the nervousness. It'll keep you sharp.

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Absolutely normal. I'd be concerned if you weren't nervous. lol Take a deep breath. You'll do great.

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Specializes in PP, Pediatrics, Home Health.

I still am nervous and I have been working for almost a year.It is perfectly normal to feel nervous!

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Specializes in Dialysis.

I am still edgy at 6 months! The good news is that I'm not as utterly terrified as I was when I first started, and either will you. Make your charge nurse earn his or her keep. :nurse: Utilize them as well as your preceptors, and your other co-workers as well. Run your reasoning by them about different situations. I often find myself "checking in" about various things, just to make sure I'm on the right track. Congratulations and good luck.

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Specializes in ER, Trauma.

Being nervous will protect you from dumb mistakes. Beware the new grad who isn't nervous. Welcome, congratulations, and good luck.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Progressive Care.
the new grads who scare me are the ones who are NOT nervous.

If you are not nervous, you are a danger to your patients and yourself.

I like to remember Soctates - he concluded he was the wisest man in Athens because he thought he knew nothing, therefore he was open to learning. New grad nurses that feel very comfortable are likely to wind up with a sentinel event on their hands.

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I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only who is nervous! I still have one semester left and I have started thinking about graduation with a mix of excitement and fear. (especially now that it's christmas break and I have time to think!!!)

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Specializes in Peds heme/onc.

I am nervous too! I am currently studying for the boards and have developed a little eye twich that I haven't had since taking A&P! I also have a job lined up so I really want to pass the boards the first time! I did my practicum in peds ICU and now I am starting in peds heme/onc and I am scared that I won't be used to juggling more than 1-2 patients! Thanks goodness the hospital has a great orientation. :) Good luck to everyone!!

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Ummmmm YES! Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous about actually GETTING a job (I have a friend who is petrified to even apply because she thinks any employer will rip her to shreds in an interview), but I signed on as an RN in the facility I worked at for the last 2 years as a CNA, was on orientation with another nurse all last week, and Monday was my first day alone. I was nervous about it all weekend and I'm still very anxious when I go in to work, and I expect to feel that way for months! The thing I hate is having to bug the other nurse for all of the "smaller" tasks (does this wording on my progress note sound ok? where does this paper go? can I write all of these orders on the same order sheet?) I know I'll get it eventually, and you will too! Congrats!

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My first job out of school was in a Level I NICU. Nervous was an understatement. More like scared you-know-what-less. Yes it is normal, and it will be that way for awhile. That nervousness just means your a good nurse, who understands the responsibility you have. Who wouldn't be nervous knowing the decisions they make can effect people's lives on a daily basis. Someday, the nervousness will dissipate, but for now it's your friend. Ask lots of questions, and rely on those who have gone before you. The best nurse is the one who asks questions BEFORE ACTING, if they are unsure. It is better to ask a question and be thought a fool, than to act stupidly and remove all doubt. Good luck on the NCLEX. I'm sure you'll do great.

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I'm nervous every time I go to work and it's been 18 months since I graduated.

The nervous feeling keeps me on my toes.

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