new grad anxieties or may need some meds?

[b-nurse]

Just graduated nursing school. I came to nursing because of my love for the excitement and fast pace of the emergency department! But as of lately, I have been very anxious about becoming a new grad. The thing that scares me most is making mistakes, but especially a lethal mistake as a RN. This was always a worry but it has now become more of a intense anxiety because I know that at times at my current CNA job, I will make careless errors, not out of lack of knowledge but out of lapses in focus. I have known myself as having a history of careless mistakes because of my inattention. And sometimes I will be not be able to focus on what someone is saying to me even if they are talking directly to me. As I have researched it over the past year, I can definitely relate to the symptoms ADD-inattentive subtype. But interestingly, I made it through nursing school without any medication. But I know I could not have done it without did use gracious amount of caffeine, had good sleep hygiene, ate healthy, made sure to exercise, did good study habits and used a lot of reminders/to do lists. But as i look back though, I imagine what school could have been like if I were on a stimulant med.

Here are my questions:

Should I consider getting on medication?

Are these fears normal for new grads and will I soon get over the fear and gain confidence as a new nurse? Will time and experience be all I need to become a great and safe nurse what ever specialty I go into?

All you adult ADD'ers, what are your thoughts?

I know this is not a psychiatrist forum for free advice, but i just thought to throw it out here and see some responses

[LessValuableNinja]

I think that the fact that you're so concerned about it means you should be evaluated. Be very wise in who you pick. It should be someone with good reviews who sees other nurses. If it were me, I would see someone who does not have prescriptive authority first, and point blank ask them if they think they can help me through CBT or whatever their poison is. If they failed me, first I would send Lord Vader to deal with their failure, and then would consider medication, but not until behavior/perception modification failed. If I was seeing a prescriber, I'd prefer a PMHNP, because they understand what it's like to be a nurse.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Per our TOS, we can not give medical--and this includes psychiatric--advice.

If you have any concerns about whether you should be on medication, you will need to speak to a psychiatric PCP. Like the previous poster alluded to, medication isn't necessarily the only option. In fact, it's one of many that could be used alone or in conjunction with other treatment modalities.

But only you and your PCP can decide what is best for YOU. Members here experiencing similar symptoms as you have different medical/psychiatric histories, and what has/hasn't worked for them may not necessarily apply to you. And your first year of nursing is not the best place for you to figure out via trial and error if you need treatment and if so, what should it be.

And yes, every new grad experiences the feelings you describe to some degree. Time and experience help take care of it. So does ongoing education--just because you're out of school doesn't mean you have nothing left to learn. So invest in a good nursing journal or two, and stay on top of CEUs.

Best of luck.