Hey fellow nurses.
As the title says, I am officially off orientation and will be on my own this week. I don’t work for three more nights, and am already experiencing immense anxiety.
Side note: I am pregnant and have been struggling with anxiety/depression. Last week my doctor actually wrote me off work because of my panic attacks regarding work.
I go back this week to my first full week alone. I am trying my best to BATTLE these thoughts (fears of making mistakes, imposter syndrome, low confidence, accidentally hurting a patient or missing something important such as an assessment finding that leads to patient decline, constantly thinking of all the things that can go wrong, etc, etc...), because I can’t NOT work. I can’t give up. I have to do this for my husband and baby on the way and to prove to myself I can. :’(
My charge nurses and other nurses I work with are so great and helpful. I was a CNA on the same floor (except on the opposite shift) and so I haven’t had to deal with bullying or nurses eating their young. My worries are purely centered around my own level of confidence and preparedness and patient safety.
please, I am just asking for some words of encouragement, some words to know I’m not alone, and that I’ll “be OK” from people who truly have been in my shoes.
