nervous nursing student

twarlik · Jun 22, 2004

When I first started nursing school last fall my hands would get really shaky when performing a procedure. My poor classmate who was on the receiving end of my first IM injection! At any rate, I practiced a lot and gained confidence. Now I hardly ever shake.

You'll do fine. Just work hard and you'll gain plenty of confidence. Good luck! :)

FutureNurse2005 · Jun 22, 2004

Hello and welcome! Come on over to the Student Forums and you may find answers to questions you havent even thought of!!!

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Jun 22, 2004

My hands shake so bad that when I started learning to put in IV's on kids I got a couple of them, and then shook them out of place . FYI They didn't count!

In nursing school I can remember at least 50% of the students had shaking hands when they were demonstrating drwaing up meds in a syringe. I theink nervousness is part of the process, and not a sign of weakness by any means. I still shake when starting infant IV's, but lean my hand gently on theirs so if either one of us moves the cannula won't come out. Make a point of mentally relaxing just before you start, and it won't be as bad. Good luck.

purplemania, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2004

you are nervous because you CARE about doing the task correctly. That is a good thing. As you gain confidence the shaking will stop. One day you will be teaching a new nurse and think back on this stage of your career.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2004

What purplemania said.

I was shakey and nervous too. You just have to do what you've learned and do your best. Concentrate on the task at hand and breathe, don't forget to breathe. :)

CHATSDALE · Jun 22, 2004

one thing that helped me was to visulize the task that i was not familian with...pretty soon your hands know what they are suppose to do and you can relax

NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2004

Keep your elbows pressed against your sides. One of my best instructors taught me that when we were learning to hang IV's. When you spike the bag, you can't miss or else it will get contaminated. She said she used to shake all the time in school and everything still turned out more than okay for her. I also tend to agree with what others have said. You're nervous because you care about what you're doing. You can't go into clinical and lab cocky. You'll set yourself up to fall for sure. Congratulations!

morningglory · Jun 23, 2004

Thanks so much for everyones response. I feel 110% better knowing that I am not alone! I have been practicing meditation in hopes that I might be able to relax while doing procedures. :)