Lacking confidence.

[LM838]

Hello all,

All my life I would say I have had very low confidence in myself. In a few weeks I begin clinical and I know my lack of confidence will hinder my experience if I do not do something about it. I am either afraid I will mess something up, do something wrong, hurt the patient etc. This is only my first clinical so it is not like I am pushing meds or anything. The most I will do it bp, assessments etc. I know I seem over dramatic but it is just my personality and the outlook I have on my self. With that being said, has anyone had the same problem? Does anyone have any tips?

Thank you.

[AliNajaCat]

Seriously? If this is a life-long problem and you don't see a way to make it get better on your own, please go to your college health clinic and get a referral to a psychological support person. Believe me, they've seen it all before and have ways to help you (CBT comes to mind-- look it up). Good luck!

[Everline]

Yes. All through nursing school I got the same comments from clinical instructors and preceptors when I began working. They all thought I was an excellent student or nurse and that I just needed to be more confident. I learned to fake it, especially with patients. But true confidence? It comes with time. Actually, ironically, it comes after you've made a couple of mistakes and then corrected yourself and learned from them. The next time you are faced with a similar situation, you do much better and then you feel like you are learning and getting better. Mistakes felt like crushing blows to me, even given the fact that no patient was hurt by them. I had to learn to review, make a plan to do better and then move on. Confidence came slowly. I am not completely there yet, by any stretch. I'm a new nurse. But I've come a long way in two years.

For a while, I actually said affirmations and did I lot of work on my thought processes through cognitive therapy techniques. That did help. In the heat of a shift, though, when I felt so much was on the line and my confidence was faltering, nothing much helped but to press through to the end of the shift and do my best. After many shifts like this, where I managed to get through it and come out the victor (all patients fine, all charting done...etc), I started to get more confident. Again, it takes time.

As a student, there is so much you don't know and nursing school can be quite harsh on a person's confidence level. Try to make a habit of looking at your successes. I spent a lot of time in school highlighting my deficits and comparing myself others. Don't do that. Just stop yourself. Yes, you need to make an honest assessment of what you need to study and learn and areas for improvement. But you must also note your strengths and use them to help buoy you up. Best wishes!

[LM838]

I have, I already go to a therapist. Im on medication as well.

[LM838]

Thank you so much - you are so kind. Great tips I will for sure keep those in mind

[Buyer beware, BSN]

Caution or mindfullness is always a good thing when you're learning. So as you do any task over and over again you will slowly gain confidence.

But when any person gets to the point where they feel they could perform any task blindfolded that's when complacency kicks in and something happens. Also called an "oops" moment.

This situation can affect anyone from the haughtily experienced to the novice. No one is immune from the screw-up and if they say "not me" they're lying.

So deep, slow breathing exercises when anxious and never forget to get a second nurse's opinion, also called a nurse consult, when you have a question about anything.

That's called being smart for you and the patients under your wings.